The City of Santa Barbara plans to move forward with the purchase of “modular sidewalk extensions,” known as “pedlets,” as part of a short-term State Street Action Plan. The prefabricated pedlets, which would temporarily widen the sidewalks along the 500 block of State Street, are expected to cost more than $528,000.
The pedlets — made by Colorado-based MODSTREET — are being considered as a pilot program to test out a new configuration for outdoor dining along State Street, allowing for “expanded outdoor dining adjacent to storefronts” and the removal of temporary outdoor business facilities from the street, according to a staff report prepared by Downtown Team Manager Sarah Clark.
Temporary pedlets are only one piece of the interim State Street Action Plan, along with a “golf-cart style mini-shuttle program on State Street,” which is expected to cost $80,000, and an MTD “circulator shuttle” on Chapala and Anacapa Streets. In total, the short-term plan will cost just over $1.4 million.
On Tuesday, the City Council is expected to approve the recommendation to reallocate funds from two other projects to pay for the plan. This includes $225,000 originally intended to repair columns at the Amtrak station and $1.2 million that was meant to go toward upgrading the city’s aging parking revenue control system.
According to city staff, the Amtrak project will be put on an indefinite hold, while the city will keep a portion of its funds available to continue working toward the parking system upgrades until more funds are made available in fiscal year 2026.
The City Council will vote on the item during its consent agenda, and no additional discussion is expected. The action plan was previously discussed and received positive comments from the council at two separate hearings in September 2024 and January 2025.
