Setting the Stage for Santa Barbara’s State Street Master Plan

The long-term vision for State Street is taking shape, with the next iteration of the plan — a concept with retractable bollards that would allow varying levels of vehicle traffic depending on the time of day — preparing for its public debut in late April.

City officials have been working toward the State Street Master Plan since 2021, though much of the early planning was fraught with lengthy debates about whether the street should be pedestrian-focused or open to vehicle traffic. In October 2025, city councilmembers expressed frustration with the slow-moving process and the lack of clarity about the master plan, and the city dropped the previous consultant to hire world-renowned architect and planner Stefanos Polyzoides to guide the next stage towards the final design.

Since then, city staff have worked with the design team at Moule & Polyzoides to come up with the newest version, which State Street Master Planner Tess Harris describes as a “flexible street” that would be open to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit vehicles at all times of day. The street would have retractable bollards blocking regular vehicle traffic during daytime hours, giving the city the option to open the street up to public traffic from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (View the city’s draft concept here.)

In the months between the previous public hearings about the State Street Master Plan and the upcoming April review of the new concept draft, downtown organizations and city review boards have been eagerly waiting to receive updates on the plan for downtown.

During a February 26 hearing of the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, Commissioner Ed Lenvik — who was giving a short report on the State Street Advisory Committee — expressed concerns over whether the group would have a chance to weigh in on the new plan. “We’re four weeks from April,” Lenvik said, “and there’s no indication of when the project design will come to the landmarks [commission].”

On March 5, Harris sent a memo to clarify the process and timeline for the State Street Master Plan, which was sent to all members of the State Street Advisory Committee, Historic Landmarks Commission, Planning Commission, Access Advisory Committee, Downtown Parking Committee, and Transportation and Circulation Committee.

In the memo, Harris assured the review board members that each of the groups would have a chance to provide feedback on the new plan following the April 28 presentation to the city council. That city council meeting will give the councilmembers a chance to comment on the new framework, and give direction to lead the rest of the planning and review process.

“Following the April 28, 2026, city council meeting, the State Street Master Plan will be released for public review,” Harris said. “Staff will hold an opening public review and outreach event to introduce the draft plan and gather community feedback.”

The State Street Advisory Committee would participate in the community event, along with other interested stakeholders, property owners, business representatives, and members of the public. The plan would then be presented to seek feedback from the city review boards.

Harris told the Independent that the draft would likely go to the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) for review around June 2026. 

“We need to get the direction from the council that the concept we are presenting can move forward into a more detailed design phase,” Harris said. “The HLC will review the draft concept plan as well as the conceptual design work after the plan, and we look forward to getting their feedback.”

After the public review period, the next phase would begin, with completing the design layout and preparing construction-level drawings to plan out project phases and estimate the cost of the master plan.

In the meantime, the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) has been hard at work maintaining State Street with upgraded infrastructure, maintenance, and public improvements.

In 2025, the organization hosted events, added new programs, and launched new initiatives such as daily janitorial services and weekly pressure washing. In its year-end report, DSBIA revealed that it removed more than 103,700 pounds of trash, pressure-washed 382 blocks, and responded to 113 service calls.

DSBIA Executive Director Robin Elander said that “2025 marked a defining year for Downtown. We are committed to continuing to invest in and maintain a downtown we can all be proud of.”

In addition to the daily maintenance, DSBIA worked with the Santa Barbara Arts Collective and the County Office of Arts and Culture and started the window beautification program to bring art to long-vacant storefront windows. This year, the group will work to add string lights to some of the dark paseos, host more community events, and expand its security patrols with cameras to keep downtown areas safe. Learn more about DSBIA here.