Can Santa Barbara City Leaders Make the State Street Promenade Work?

With State Street, it’s never easy, but after a five-hour discussion, the City Council agreed to reopen one block near The Granada Theatre to cars and keep the rest of the promenade as is until a more permanent plan is adopted.

There’s no shortage of opinions when it comes to the State Street Promenade in downtown Santa Barbara, and that was the case Tuesday at City Hall. Councilmembers intended to discuss only a few changes to the promenade plan, but the talks quickly veered into big-idea debates about the future of downtown.

Some want the streets closed to traffic for good, while others are calling for the return of cars. Parklets were a blessing for restaurants, but shop owners claim they have hurt retail sales. During public comment, speakers either applauded the council for keeping the street closed to traffic or admonished them for failing to make any progress in more than three years.

Councilmember Eric Friedman said the hyperbolic talk about State Street reminded him of the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”

“Depending on who you talk to, State Street’s never been better,” Friedman said. “We’ve heard that tonight. And we’ve also heard it’s never been worse.” His comments came near the end of the marathon hearing, in which the council eventually did decide on the interim configuration of downtown Santa Barbara’s main drag.

In three different votes, the council agreed to open a block of State Street for one-way traffic to allow drop-offs at The Granada Theatre; to pursue a “mini-shuttle” system for more accessibility on the street; and to extend the current promenade setup through December 31, 2026, or until the city adopts its State Street Master Plan, whichever comes first.

But before the council could vote on those items, Friedman floated his own idea for the promenade. Based on his exploratory trips to other cities, he suggested that Santa Barbara consider a “hybrid approach” with just the 500 and 600 blocks closed to traffic. “An eight-block closure is just not sustainable,” he said.

This would allow the rest of State Street to be reopened for traffic until the State Street Advisory Committee could decide on a permanent configuration. He admitted that it was not likely to gain support, but it would allow the council to publicly “vote” for cars on State Street.

The motion failed 3-4, with Mayor Randy Rowse and Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez voting alongside Friedman.

“We sure know how to make things complicated when there are simple solutions right in front of us,” said Mayor Rowse, frustrated that the council was still discussing the temporary promenade ordinance for the fifth time without any major changes.

Councilmember Kristen Sneddon brought the discussion back to changes that could be implemented right away, specifically updates to the promenade ordinance: Extend State Street traffic closure another three years, permit the council to make traffic changes at any time, and give the Historic Landmarks Commission and Accessibility Advisory Committee authority to participate in decision making.

These changes were approved 5-2, with Friedman and Rowse dissenting. The updates to the ordinance would be the “framework,” Sneddon said, for the council to explore and decide on bigger changes.

In another 5-2 vote, the council directed staff to look into a “mini-transit” system to operate on State Street while also exploring a waterfront shuttle with MTD. This allows shared lanes for bikes and micro shuttles.

In the final decision, the council unanimously approved one-way northbound traffic along the 1200 block of State Street (the Granada side of the street), with “minimal disruption to the parklets” on the other side of the block.