Santa Barbara Will Keep Its Downtown Parklet Experiment Going, for Now

After a marathon meeting with two hours of public comment and another few hours of back-and-forth discussion over the future of downtown parklets, the exhausted and frustrated members of Santa Barbara City Council agreed — by way of five separate motions and votes — to keep the downtown outdoor dining experiment going forward, for now at least, along the State Street promenade. The city will continue to explore other options for a long-term plan to regulate parklets on private property and other public rights-of-way.

The topic has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the city, and Tuesday’s decision was a win for the dozens of city residents, restaurateurs, and alternative transportation activists who spoke in favor of keeping the downtown promenade open for pedestrians and bicycles. But for those who feel like a closed-off State Street was a temporary fix that has run its course, the city’s choice to keep it open could also be a sign of council’s reluctance to change.

Councilmember Eric Friedman, who voted against extending the temporary Economic Recovery Extension and Transition Ordinance (ERETO) — which was set to expire at the end of the year — said the situation made him think of the paradoxical quotes made famous by New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra: “It’s like déjà vu all over again. When you see a fork in the road, take it. If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else. No one goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.”

Friedman said that Berra’s nonsensical but wise words kept running through his head, and he realized that the quotes were “all about State Street.”

“We’ve had these discussions over and over, and we keep kind of coming to the same place,” he said. Friedman explained that he had hoped that the city would be more willing to try new things when he advocated to truncate the State Street promenade to the two blocks between Ortega and Haley, an area he said has become a “destination in itself.”

Mayor Randy Rowse, who also voted against extending the temporary outdoor dining order on State Street, shared a similar frustration. He said he felt like the program was meant to be a temporary response to the pandemic, but now it has been “three summers of the same thing,” with nothing to show except several ad hoc committees, city surveys, and more than a million dollars toward consultants.

“Continuing the status quo is not something I can support,” Rowse said. “I need improvement, and I need it now.”

Rowse and Friedman’s frustrations were reflected by downtown landlords and owners of retail businesses, who contended that the closed-off street benefits restaurants but damages other shops who miss out on traffic. But those who want to reopen State Street are in the minority, according to recent public meetings and community surveys.

Brian Bosse, the Public Works Department’s Downtown Team Manager, broke down the results of the recent city survey, which received more than 4,500 responses. Nearly 70 percent of responses were from visitors and restaurant patrons, with more than 3,400 submissions, which showed that 88 percent of respondents wanted the city to “explore permanent options for outdoor dining.” 

The differences became more evident when Bosse broke down the survey results from restaurant owners, retail owners, and commercial property owners. Of the 68 restaurant and bar owners, 83 percent said they benefited from outdoor dining. But for the 68 retail shop owners and 58 commercial property owners, less than 30 percent said they benefited from parklets, while 40 percent claimed the parklets harmed their businesses.

The Independent ran its own online poll this week, which found that out of more than 9,100 votes, 83 percent of respondents preferred that the city make outdoor dining permanent for the promenade, on private property, and off State Street. About 14 percent voted to get rid of parklets permanently, while 3 percent voted to keep them to certain blocks of State Streets and create strict design standards.

Councilmember Kristen Sneddon pointed out that the results of the city survey and the Independent poll just reaffirmed the results of an earlier survey that found that 70 percent of residents preferred to keep State Street closed off to cars. She shared similar frustration on the process, though her frustration was that the council and State Street subcommittees had already provided ample direction, which was never turned into action. This failure to follow recommendations has led to the city falling short on meeting its true potential, she said.

The State Street Interim Operations Committee, she explained, used to be a public meeting that adhered to the Brown Act and allowed public comment and input. Now it is considered an ad-hoc committee held behind closed doors, which she says she finds “ineffectual” when its recommendations never reach the light of day.

“None of those have yet been implemented on a larger scale,” Sneddon said. “I don’t believe that we have yet seen what we can be. I don’t think we have really given it its full chance to blossom.”

Sneddon suggested that the city take steps to restore the subcommittee back to its previous structure, with public meetings to allow for more accountability. Her motion passed 6-1, with Councilmember Friedman dissenting, and the council will return to approve the subcommittee at a future meeting.

Sneddon’s second suggestion was to continue the closure of State Street, as suggested by city staff, with the caveat that the city explore pilot programs to test options for trolleys, bicycles, and what she called a “true promenade” downtown.

“We haven’t tried everything yet, or anything,” she said. “We have a community that wants to be together.”

The council voted 5-2, with Rowse and Friedman dissenting, to keep State Street closed and extend the temporary order to redirect traffic until the State Street Master Plan is completed, which could last through 2026.

In the case of off–State Street outdoor dining, the council decided unanimously to allow private property patios to remain as long as they apply for all necessary permits before the end of the year; and in a departure from staff’s recommendation, the council voted 6-1 to explore a permanent citywide ordinance for parklets on side streets such as those along West Victoria and the 1300 block of State Street.

The decision went against the original recommendations, which would have forced all off–State Street parklets to be removed by January 1, 2024.

The City Council’s choice, on one hand, represents a willingness to listen to its residents. But it also makes the next steps much harder. In order to draft a permanent ordinance, the city will now have to consider many more factors, including liability issues, ADA accessibility, compliance and monitoring, and creating a design review and permitting process for parklets that will have to meet strict safety standards. 

In the meantime, outdoor dining will stay in Santa Barbara. Still, as Councilmember Friedman pointed out at the end of the five-plus hour hearing, again quoting the great Yankee catcher — “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”