The city of Santa Barbara may spend $250,000 to install new terracotta intersection barriers and lighting as part of the State Street promenade.
Money to pay for the new fixtures would come from the city’s Measure C funds. The City Council is set to vote on the matter on Tuesday.
The city made a seismic decision in May when it closed parts of downtown State Street to cars to allow restaurants to expand their dining outdoors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closure has revitalized the downtown, creating a sense of “cool” that had previously been reserved for Santa Barbara Funk Zone.
The street is now popular with pedestrians, skateboarders and bicyclists, and restaurants have enjoyed outdoor seating arrangements as they await word from the state that they can fully re-open indoor dining.
“I’m extremely proud of how quickly our city moved to transform State Street in support of our local, downtown businesses,” said Councilwoman Meagan Harmon. “We responded decisively to meet the community’s needs. Now, though, is the time to build on that success.”
The new State Street structures would consist of terracotta pots and iron-looking traffic delineators that would be installed at intersections, along with a green bike path that would channelize and separate bicyclists and pedestrians. It would replace the wooden palm tree planters currently in the road.
The new pots would have plantings, with intersection signage mounted on the sides or top, rather than on construction barricades.
According to a city staff report, the intersection delineators would also allow for Fire Department and service vehicle access for the Farmer’s Market.
Additional experimental string lighting will be installed parallel to and across the street to enhance public safety and ambiance.
“I believe the proposed safety features will greatly improve the State Street promenade experience for all users,” said Harmon, who chairs the State Street subcommittee that formulated the proposals.
“Even though we have showed as a city that we can be flexible and creative, it is clear that there is more work to be done, even on an interim basis, to ensure residents’ safety when they are on State Street.”
Harmon said the changes will ensure that residents have the best, safest experience possible, while the city plans for how the promenade will look in the future. Deciding the permanent state of the promenade could take two or three years, according to city officials.
The City Council also will decide on Tuesday whether to bypass the Historic Landmarks Commission and quickly make the installations.
Business owners said they support the changes to enhance State Street.
“We’ve all seen how much energy the promenade has brought to downtown,” said Bob Stout, president of the Downtown Association of Santa Barbara. “The city deserves credit for acting boldly at a time when it was most needed. So many businesses would have already been lost.”
Stout said more lighting on State Street will make it safer.
“Installing the lights right when the time changes and it starts getting dark at 5 p.m. will make a huge difference,” Stout said. “It’s really needed. And let’s face it, those palm tree boxes are pretty beat up.”
Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber has been working closely with the subcommittee and is happy with the group’s work.
“We are supportive of the investment in the new temporary structures,” Miller said. “They will add a lot when it comes to safety, aesthetics and lighting. Whether it becomes permanent or not, it is a great idea to make what may be a temporary solution as efficient and beautiful as possible.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
