The newest version of the State Street Master Plan has been released to the public for review and comments ahead of an upcoming Santa Barbara City Council hearing scheduled for April 28, where the plan will be presented to the council for the next round of discussion and deliberation about the long-term future of downtown Santa Barbara.
The 153-page plan — with another 171 pages of related documents — was drafted in collaboration with the city’s latest consultant for the State Street Master Plan, urbanist Stefanos Polyzoides of the renowned architectural firm Moule & Polyzoides. The documents include historical context, analysis of previous downtown updates, and details of the planning process leading up to the current draft.
[Click to zoom] Arts District before (above) and after | Credit: City of Santa Barbara
The current design spans nearly a mile across the downtown core, from the Arlington Theatre near Sola Street down to the State Street undercrossing at Gutierrez Street. Details of the plan show the 11-block stretch divided into three main sub-districts, labeled the Entertainment District (from the 400 block of State Street through the 600 block), the Civic and Commercial District (from the 700 block through the 900 block), and the Arts District (from the 1000 block through the 1300 block).
[Click to zoom] Commercial District before (above) and after | Credit: City of Santa Barbara
On April 28, the City Council will review the updated plan and give guidance on key elements of the finalized design, including a proposed modular street layout in which the city would use retractable bollards to dictate when vehicle traffic would be allowed on portions of State Street. Potentially, the city could restrict traffic during business hours (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and open up the street to public traffic from 10 p.m to 10 a.m.
The city released the documents to encourage community members to weigh in on the master plan, inviting the public to write letters or participate in the April 28 meeting through public comment.
View the entire plan and appendices at StateStreet.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/. Written comments can be emailed to the city at StateStreetMasterPlan@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.
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