The Santa Barbara chapter of the American Institute of Architects hosted a 2020 Design Charette on Wednesday to hear local architects share their visions for a reimagined, reinvigorated, reinvented and repurposed downtown Santa Barbara.
Sixteen teams and 160 architects, landscape professionals, planners, engineers and artists delivered their ideas on what the downtown area could look like in the next 90 to 100 years.
“We are so excited to be here to present to you the tremendous work that has been done with the Design Charette 2020,” said Detlev Peikert, a board member of the AIA Santa Barbara chapter. “This has been one of the most amazing experiences I have been through.”
State Street was divided into blocks, and teams were given blocks starting from the 400 block of State Street through the 1000 block. There were four teams presenting ideas on what a reimagined State Street corridor should look like.
Both teams representing the 400 block had visions of adding paseos and greenery along State Street and the intersecting Gutierrez Street.
Some projects proposed by the teams included independent senior housing above the 99 Cents Only store parking lot at 424 State St., a roundabout at the intersection of Gutierrez and State streets that would feature art, and central parklets that would concentrate the density in the middle of the block.
Both teams thought to utilize balconies and roof decks that could provide “interactive and attractive environments.”
One team for the 500 block of State Street between Haley and Cota streets focused on affordable housing, encouraging spaces for public art installations, encouraging public access, and utilizing art, science and technology to encourage tourism and activity downtown. They suggested an infill project at City Lot 11 that would be four stories with 88 residential units and subterranean parking.
They also suggested a center bicycle lane that could act as fire access and parade routes that would orient the street to the corridor.
The other team for the 500 block focused on long-term economic and cultural sustainability, wanting to support and sustain livelihood at a local level. They thought that the large block size of downtown leaves some blocks too isolated, so they suggested turning the three blocks into seven with “vibrant” new retail and outdoor amenities.
They proposed a central court on the righthand side of the street that would include beer gardens, outdoor bistros and small pop-up movie venues as well as stages for live music.
The teams working on the 600 block also wanted to build connecting paseos through buildings and looked at repurposing the existing Lyons building at 27 E. Cota St.
One team used “EDGE” as their key phrase, which incorporates educational opportunities, design, green community and exceptional integration. The other team focused on enhancing existing buildings while maintaining the historic character of State Street by incorporating vertical gardens and more residential housing.
The teams for the 700 to 800 blocks used historic courtyard apartments as inspiration and wanted to repurpose the Nordstrom building in the Paseo Nuevo shopping center into a mixed-use building with residential units on upper levels and a courtyard and green area on the roof.
One team wanted to create a “paseo cielo,” or skywalk, that would connect ground uses to residential sights on the upper levels. The other team wanted to close De La Guerra Street to create a promenade by removing city buildings to extend the plaza into State Street.
Both teams proposed additional housing and commercial spaces on those blocks.
The 900 block of State Street features many great historical resources, and the teams wanted to enhance historical sights such as the Lobero Theatre, at 33 E. Canon Perdido St., by adding more opportunities for entertainment, restaurant shops and gathering venues.
The teams wanted to repurpose buildings such as the Marshalls building by raising the structure to deliver plazas and housing at the corner of Canon Perdido and State streets. Both teams focused on adding housing and retail space to the block.
One team for the 1000 block of State Street proposed building a gate to the new downtown and making the area around Carrillo and Figueroa streets the new entrance to downtown. The other team proposed a new midblock transit center plaza that could connect the transit center to State Street with a formal tree-lined plaza.
Both teams proposed added housing and parking structures to keep the density away from State Street.
The four teams presenting ideas for the State Street corridor had grandiose and innovative visions to liven up the area. Ideas proposed were half-block closures to encourage pedestrian traffic, artisan kiosks and outdoor seating, building a sky bridge to connect buildings for a multilevel interactive experience, and adding new plants, fountains, and trees with large canopies.
The teams focused on creating a vibrant, interactive and diverse corridor.
“Santa Barbarans are passionate celebrators of life and the protectors of this unique garden city,” architect Cassandra Ensberg said. “It is time to remember who we are as environmentalists and artists and be creative, inclusive and united in our work to meet housing challenges and expand our thinking to restore our magical city.”
Selected illustrations and designs from the teams that participated in the Charette will be on display for the public at 833 and 901 State St. beginning Saturday.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
