Downtown Deterioration

It saddens me to see the deterioration of State Street which, for so many years, the City Council worked hard to make something locals and tourists alike could admire for its beauty. It is also sad to see Coast Village Road, which I understand the council is also responsible for, imitate State Street with hideous parklets and temporary barriers that make no effort to maintain the tasteful standards we once shared.

One only need look at two of the most successful restaurants on Coast Village Road, Lucky’s Steak House and Tre Lune, to realize how far we have fallen from being one of the most attractive small towns in the country, to one of the most deteriorating. Soon the tourists will stop coming to Santa Barbara and we will see even further flight of businesses.

The blame should be shared by the city officials who take no action and the business owners who commandeer the space with little concern for how ugly our streets have become. Taking no action to address this blight is a dereliction of duty by the council and a lack of respect from the business community for those who contribute to their profitability.

Let’s return State Street and Coast Village Road to their pre-COVID status, by January 1, 2024, and then take on the challenge of how to implement some of the good ideas that have been advanced over the past year.

One final thought, it’s likely that the cost of returning our streets to pre-COVID status is the only option the city can finance.