Santa Barbara’s Parks, Beaches, and Open Spaces Getting Fresh Look for First Time in 40 Years

IImagine your neighborhood park with a new bathroom. Or a roller rink. Maybe a splash pad, more shade, or a place for dogs to run off-leash.

Those ideas are on the table as Santa Barbara takes a fresh look at its parks, beaches, and open spaces for the first time in 40 years.

Through its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the city is asking residents what they want from the park system today and what they hope it will look like for generations to come. Overall, it will help inform ongoing work and future investments. Some parks could be improved, while others might be reimagined for entirely different uses.

A community survey, conducted by an independent research firm, is open until November 22. Residents are encouraged to weigh in on how their families use the city’s parks, what may keep them from using them, what could be better, and which improvements should take priority.

They are also encouraged to share any park-related dreams they have, whether it’s a new splash pad or free outdoor yoga classes. 

“We need to think of the whole system, and that’s one of the challenges we faced,” said Parks and Recreation Director Jill Zachary. 

The city has a lot of ground to cover. It oversees 61 parks, 21 buildings, and a broad range of recreational programs and services, from community pools to hiking trails.  

Suggestions will undergo thoughtful analysis, considering possible locations, site constraints, funding, competing uses, and community support, Zachary said. 

For example, what happens if a new activity would displace something already in a park? The master plan will help guide those decisions.

Zachary pointed to Skater’s Point on Cabrillo Boulevard as an example. Finding a space for the skate park adjacent to a residential area was almost impossible due to noise concerns, and after several community hearings, the city finally landed on the spot on the oceanfront. “Those are some of the considerations we have to look at when we are siting a new activity,” she said.

So, after four decades of maintaining and renovating the city’s parks and facilities, why prepare a plan now? For one, Santa Barabra is growing. Zachary said that “housing is a big deal in Santa Barbara,” and the number of housing units and density “is just going to continue to go up.”  

“So when we’re working on the actual draft plan, we’ll also be overlaying how land use will change because that will drive demand for space,” she said. 

“How do we try to plan for that while still meeting today’s needs?” she mused.

The document will align with park projects and city plans — including adapting to climate impacts, such as sea-level rise — currently underway. 

A draft plan will come out in the spring, bringing with it more opportunities for public comment. In the meantime, the city is implementing “just do it’s” where it can, Zachary said, involving easier fixes with broad benefits.

“We’ll be going into a planning effort for a five-year plan, and we’ll tie it to the master plan, while still fixing what needs to be fixed,” she said. “Continuing to replace playgrounds, continuing to renovate restrooms, improve lighting…because we have to maintain that infrastructure.”

Balancing Uses 

One part of the plan involves expanding the city’s programming across its parks and beaches — which has also been a major point of contention over the last year. 

Residents have criticized the city for its oversight of park uses. There was the S.B. Bubble Guy losing his digs at Shoreline Park and the Santa Barbara Drum Circle being hit with increased permitting fees, for two. 

Some popular summer camps have been put through the wringer, as well, such as Lobster Jo’s, the beach camp founded and operated by Joseph Evers. Earlier this year, he was told that the city was canceling his contract without providing a formal reason. However, it did give him permits to run fall holiday camps this year, he confirmed, including a Thanksgiving camp and Veterans Day camp at East Beach. 

At Plaza de Vera Cruz, a neighborhood park on Cota Street, the city’s views for the Master Plan butts heads with Santa Barbara Trapeze Company, founded by Randy Kohn.

The area, once characterized by heavy drug use, was formerly nicknamed “Needle Park.” It was where a 4-year-old boy pricked himself with a syringe in 2018. 

However, Kohn turned it into a safe, swinging destination through offering summer camps, trapeze and acrobatics classes licensed through the city starting in 2021. In 2022, Parks and Recreation renewed the agreement with annual one-year extensions through spring 2027. 

“More people have used this park positively in the few years I’ve been here than in the 30 years before,” he said. “Parks in use take less abuse.”

However, the city will not renew his contract past April 2027. Kohn explained that he has tried working with the city for a potential extension, offering to shrink the operation and open up more of the park’s footprint to the public — Santa Barbara Trapeze currently occupies about half the park.

He noted that he gives 10 percent of his revenues to the city — which he estimated to be approximately $50,000 a year — while also adding value to the community in the form of generous scholarships for families, free events, and being the first job for some former campers.   

 “A city in a deficit should be excited about programs that have proven to be positive … and take money off of your balance sheet,” Kohn told the City Council at its October 27 meeting.

While a regular spot costs $425 per kid for one week, Kohn said he provides discounts and scholarships to families who need them, from 50 percent to 100 percent off. He is contracted for 10 percent of his spots to go to scholarships, but estimated that he gave away 75 scholarships through Santa Barbara Trapeze this summer. 

However, Parks and Rec imagines a makeover for the park, Zachary explained, upgrading and opening the entire 1.5-acre space up to residents. 

She said the city “piloted” the Trapeze partnership during the pandemic, when they were prioritizing safe outdoor recreation, but that it was “always supposed to be temporary.” 

“We’ve had a number of requests from community members to open the park so that they can use it as individuals,” she said. “And through the master plan process, we’ve had requests for a playground.”

Currently in the works are renovations for the community building, a new entrance, remodeled restrooms, and remaking the outdoor grounds with improvements including a new outdoor patio, lighting, and greenery. 

Zachary noted that the neighborhood is expanding its commercial and residential footprint, with the new Vera Cruz Village across the street and more units to come, making the park the closest to new inhabitants that could climb into the thousands. 

She said the city is working with Kohn to find him a new location, such as a parking structure in downtown Santa Barbara and an area near the Santa Barbara Airport.  

“We know it’s an activity that’s beloved by the community and certainly something that we do want to see continued in the community,” she said.

But Kohn is concerned that he will not be able to find a new, permanent home that is as accommodating as Plaza de Vera Cruz, which is right next to a bus stop that makes it more accessible for families. He revitalized the park, formed positive relationships with his neighbors, and is not keen on leaving. 

A single mom named Crystal Lee spoke at the October 27 City Council meeting, alongside several other parents. She said Santa Barbara Trapeze was the only place she could find that offered affordable activities for her child. She called the camp and its staff  “family.” 

“I appreciate them, and right now, they’re in reach,” she said. “If they move, I’m not gonna be able to do it.” 

Kohn said he also has qualms with the Master Plan survey, saying the form does not leave enough room for community insights or sentiments, such as advocating for Santa Barbara Trapeze to stay at Plaza de Vera Cruz. 

“Of course I want new facilities, but I don’t want new facilities if they’re not going to be used, because that opens it up for misuse,” he said.

“We prove that the concept of a program is more successful, and now it’s safer and thriving,” he said of the park. “I moved here, I invested in my business, the kids, and the park. Why are they treating me like this?”

Future Programs

Zachary said the city is planning other free summer camp programs at Plaza de Vera Cruz starting next year, as part of the department’s efforts to expand programming either through its own programs, partners, or contractors. 

“There could be things that the community wants that can be provided by someone else,” she said. “The city doesn’t have to be the sole provider of all of these things.”

Eryn Blazey, the Parks and Recreation marketing and communications analyst, said that working with outside contractors is a model the department has used for years. 

“Organizations and individuals are welcome to reach out at any time with ideas for programming, independent of the Master Plan process,” she said. 

When asked about contract agreements, such as the percentage of a contractor’s revenue that would be provided to the city, she said, “Agreement terms would vary based on the type of programming, resources needed, impact to public access, duration of programming, etc.”

That said, she continued, “we expect the Master Plan will help us identify gaps in our current programming and determine where future partnerships may help us fill a community need.”

She gave some examples of programming ideas the department has received so far, including free or low-cost gardening classes; outdoor yoga; more sports for toddlers and young children; guided nature hikes; swimming lessons; outdoor painting classes; and craft events. 

“We would not necessarily need to wait for the draft or final version of the Master Plan for us to pursue some of these opportunities,” she added.

Zachary said that the city relies on contractors and partners to provide youth camps in city parks or facilities, as long as they work within the scope of the city’s “rules, requirements, and procedures.” She said they have to balance how much of a park is used for an exclusive purpose, and for how long. 

“We don’t have staff to run all these summer camp programs right now,” she said, saying the city has its hands full with existing camps such as junior lifeguards, nature camp, and skate camp. That’s where contractors come in. For camps this summer, she said they’ve had an application process, “so we’ve opened up the doors for anybody that wants to run a summer camp, and we’ll be working through contracts and agreements with those as we move forward.”

“We look at ways where we can have collaborations with other individuals and organizations to provide a service, and we have that in a number of our parks and rec facilities already,” she said. “If there were new programming ideas, we’d probably seek individuals or organizations that could support those because we’re not going to be increasing our staff necessarily.”

Nothing is pre-decided through the Master Plan, however. Once the draft plan comes out next spring, there will be a second round of community engagement. 

“Then people will be reacting to a document that they can, you know, see, touch, feel, read, and that’s where a lot of more community dialogue will probably come forward,” she said.