Now is the time for bold action.
History is littered with plans that were never built. Olmsted’s L.A. River Plan would have created a 50-mile park; instead, we have a concrete basin. Yet when grand plans are built, the results can define a city for generations: Washington’s National Mall, New York’s Central Park, and the transformed waterfronts of San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.
Santa Barbara’s El Pueblo Viejo vision sits somewhere in between. After the 1925 earthquake, it imagined a Spanish-style, walkable downtown filled with architecture, paseos, and civic spaces. Parts were realized; others were not. But city planning is never finished. Communities change, plans evolve, and new ideas become places.
That brings us to State Street. Since at least the 1964 General Plan, Santa Barbara has envisioned it as a pedestrian-focused space and a community “living room” where people can live, relax, gather, shop, and celebrate.
Yes, the State Street Master Plan will be expensive. Great civic projects are. Santa Barbara is spending roughly $121 million on a needed police station. State Street, a public space used by millions of residents and visitors, also deserves investment.
New York spent roughly $150 million transforming the 1.5-mile High Line, generating billions in economic returns. State Street can be our High Line. The Master Plan projects corridor sales tax revenue 20 percent above 2019 levels by Year 8 and $50 million in private investment and development fees.
This is our opportunity to realize the El Pueblo Viejo vision, strengthen downtown, and create a landmark for generations today.
City Council: approve the State Street Master Plan.
