AnonymousBy Paulina Conn
The Cota Street parking lot is not idle five days a week as City Council Member Randy Rowse implies. It is a “no-vacancy” commuter lot with parkers paying the City receiving $70 per month per parking space permit. This lot is especially needed since workers can not afford to live in Santa Barbara and increased density rental housing with inadequately mandated on site parking is causing increased dwelling unit parking on public streets leaving less for others.
Cota Street floods in heavy rains. First responders will have a hard time getting out.
Look at all the sandbags on Anacapa Street just half a block away. Parents picking up students during heavy rains at Santa Barbara Junior High, which is located on Cota St. just a few flat blocks east, have to park on streets north and walk to ensure their vehicles do not get stuck on flooded streets.
Police station underground parking is likely to contaminate the drinking water supply with salt- water intrusion. Cota St. is only 12 to 15 feet above sea level. The greatest concentration of groundwater wells is right here. See the study done in 1984 by the USGS. https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2197/report.pdf. There are no barriers to salt-water intrusion at any level of the wells. Vera Cruz Park, right across from the lot, is a primary monitoring site. City supplied water information is at: ahttps://www.usbr.gov/mp/watershare/docs/2012/city-of-santa-barbara.pdf.
Lanny Ebenstein has proposed the purchase of the publicly owned La Cuesta High School site at 710 Santa Barbara. This is a sloping hill with no likely flooding or salt-water intrusion. Perhaps La Cuesta could move to the newly acquired Armory site.
The City is using excuses as to why other places are not feasible for a Police station including the current site. The current site is likely large enough with the proper design. If not, the next door building on the corner at Santa Barbara and Figueroa, is “For Sale” or buy an adjacent apartment on Anapamu St. The cost of private purchase is small over time. Give the community the criteria and ask for volunteer designs at the current location. Underground parking at the current site can be dug without contaminating ground water. The current station can be rebuilt taller. This is a sloping piece of property. If there is a will there is a way including temporary place(s) during construction.
The Cota Street lot is perfect for the Farmer’s Market. It serves the most positive of functions for locals, tourists, and businesses.
A winning solution for the Police Station is possible. Cota Street is seen, short-sightedly as a financially cheap, easy solution but long term it is a costly, losing solution.
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Bravo, Paulina Conn. And if it’s true you were among those trying to stop the Mission Creek bridge replacement then, bravo again and again.
The projected sea level rise will not happen during this building’s lifetime.
Santa Barbara. Where feelings and nostalgia outweigh logic and need…
Yep, time to put the farmers market on State Street and/or make a few blocks of state street pedestrians only.
Do the proponents of the Cota lot station have a plan for replacing the parking that will be lost?
The Sears building is way to far from Santa Barbara’s major crime area.
Again, the Sears building IS NOT FOR SALE.
Sears property by eminent domain.
Close State Street one afternoon per week and put the Farmer’s Market there. It works for Carp’s Linden Ave and brings folks downtown to do additional shopping and eating out.
YACHT ROCKED – if you’re moving the market, why not just let the police station go where it was?
Eminent domain requires just compensation. I don’t want $20 million dollars in extra taxes, just so the Farmers Market can continue one morning a week at the Cota Lot. Do you, YATCHTROCK?
Doesn’t matter if the Sears building is not for sale if the City decides to take the eminent domain route. I hope they don’t, never cared for unreasonable exercising of eminent domain.
Dear Roger, Love you, but hope you are kidding. Sears would NOT be a wonderful place for the farmers market…
Paulina, I don’t often agree with you, but I think you got it right this time.
Better yet, close all of State Street from Gutierrez to Sola . Nobody can park on State, anyways .
This is obviously a done deal. The council will have a fake discussion – and vote the way their minds are already made up: the police will get the Cota Street lot to build a fancy station that’ll be the envy of Santa Monica. As for the farmers market, the only ones who care are the thousands of people who have signed the petition to not move. The de la Guerra Plaza is the worst of the possible places for the Saturday farmers market; maybe the parking lot by the Louise Lowry center is large enough? But what about shopper parking? Having it on State Street is almost as bad as the de la Guerra Plaza: what’s excellent at Cota Street is how the shoppers can circulate around the market, something that can’t be done in a straight line on State Street. There are several alternatives for the PD but it ain’t going to happen. This has been a perfect example of “the Santa Barbara way”: pretend to let the public decide, send out city staff people to promote “dialog” when there’s really no dialog because those staff members get very sour-faced if the public stupidly, in staff’s view, doesn’t agree with them; and then go ahead with what staff has already decided. Then trot out the mayors, most rarely if ever seen at the farmers market, to say how right staff is with their decision. (Thanks to Helene Schneider for not giving an opinion before the official presentation; the others had no hesitation in following the script!_)
It’s closer than you think. Hop onto 101 and there you go.
I have long disliked the current Cota parking lot location for the farmers market and would be thrilled to see another location after all these years but if the assertions in the op ed are indeed correct the author makes valid points.
That location is also within a block or two of the projected sea-level rise. Why on earth would anyone think that would be a good location? In my opinion, it should be somewhere high and dry like the old Sears building.
The New SBPD Station
The city staff is quoted in today’s News Press as preferring the new police station to be built on the Cota St./Santa Barbara St. corner “because it will allow officers to quickly respond to calls in the central business district”. What they really are thinking and mean is that they want the new station to be built there “because it will allow officers to quickly respond to calls in the lower State Street Drunk Zone and to the troublemakers in the ever expanding, booze flowing Funk Zone! As I have stated for many years, Santa Barbara has more liquor licenses per capita than any other city in the State of California and that number continues to grow, especially in the Funk Zone. It is already the most policed, trouble prone area in our entire city and will only get worse. Almost 50% of your police dollars go to protecting the bars and drunks from the drunks that the bars create. This come at a price! With more break-ins and suspicious activity in the outlying areas of Santa Barbara, especially the foothills that include Eucalyptus Hill, these areas continue to be left bare of any regular police patrols or presence. The police come to the un-patrolled areas to pick up the pieces. They are slow to respond to calls on busy booze nights, if they are able to answer the call. It is not the fault of our officers. It is the fault of our weak city council. Beware- You are on your own to protect your home and families.
Cota Lot is the best place for the new police station. Not sure why the Farmers Market people are digging in and drawing a line in the sand. Farmers Market can work in a lot of places for its once a week four hour use of a large open space. Makes little sense. Learn to share with the rest of the community, Farmers Market. Your obstruction is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
In the event of a big earthquake, are you going to call Farmer’s Market because the PD won’t be there to respond?
what??? that’s just dumb. who calls the POLICE when there is an earthquake??? Call the Fire department, yes, paramedics maybe. Police? no….they aren’t trained earthquake specialists. this is getting dumber by the moment.
Tagdes: SEARS BUILDING IS NOT FOR SALE!
What happens to the old police station property after they move? Maybe make that the spot to relocate the farmer’s market? Just trade properties!
1:57 – that’s the best idea yet! OK all you Farmer’s market fanatics….. why can’t you move to the Figueroa police station spot?
There was a feasibility study done 30 years ago. Another one started 10 years ago as to how to expand the PD. Many alternatives were considered, including buying up adjacent properties. No one wanted to sell. The existing PD site is contaminated with lead in the basement firing range. The environmental cleanup to simply demolish it will cost a fortune. Temporarily relocating the PD to build on the same site doesn’t make fiscal sense when they can stay where they are while building on an empty lot. The building needs to be a Essential Services building. In the event of a sizable earthquake or other natural disaster, when half the town is destroyed and or we are cut off from outside help because roadways/trains/runways are destroyed, we will need as much order in town that Fire Depts and Police can deliver.
1:21, Sears and Earl Warren are not being discussed by anyone who knows the history. The potential sites under consideration were all in the downtown area, and the Cota site was the best of them. But you can discuss them if you want.
PITMIX – do a search for the term “Sears” and “Earl Warren” on this and the other threads on Edhat about the police station. Then, come back and tell me no one is discussing them. Thanks!
After a disaster, when bad guys start looting houses, people will wonder why the police aren’t responding.
At 1:33 pm that’s exactly what I just said. Can’t you read….and no need to yell. 10:33 am said —2 Verizon building is not for sale and at 10:59 I said neither is Sears. What can’t you comprehend in that statement. Not to mention as also been mentioned here, if they really want it they can easily get it by eminent domain. I’m sure you have no clue how all these freeways got built right thru prime private property.
I agree that the Cota Street location is not the best location for the new police station. I don’t know why no one is considering using the old Verizon building on Chapala and Canon Perdido. They have a large parking lot that has been empty for years. The old building is currently used by Frontier and I believe the majority of the building is empty. They already have all of the telecommunications systems on site.
They could use this building permanently or they could tear down the old police station and rebuild to bring it up to date and add space to accommodate future growth for the police department.
No I’m not kidding We all have our opinions and mine is that the Police should have their new department where ever they want it.
The traffic congestion near Chick-fil-A used to bother me, until I learned not to stay in the right lane when driving in that area. IF you get into the right lane (heading toward d/t SB) there’s never a problem. That being said, I l-o-v-e the chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A, their waffle fries are “the bomb,” and they have the best lemonade in town. It is nice to know that some local businesses are doing so well as to have traffic “problems.” I drive by the “mini” Target store on upper State several times a day, and have yet to experience any of the traffic nightmares predicted (except in the first two weeks they were in biz). Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches….try one and you’ll be hooked and be part of the Chick-fil-A family!!!
Why not have the Farmers Market in La Cumbre Plaza? Plenty of parking. Bring some life back to it.
Move the framers market and fail to mention that paid commuters occupy the lot Monday through Friday is a classic city council ploy, divert attention away from the real problem. I don’t remember how these lots were funded years back I suspect it was a bond measure. Bond paid off and now the city thinks they can do whatever they want with it, public be damned. They also thought it ok to take the Carrillo lot from the paid commuters, wasting money that would only help a small percentage of the homeless and hurt the neighbors.
Why does the station need to be downtown? Does every city do this, no. Maybe they just need fix the station we have and put in a sub station in another part of town.
Cota does flood and its also just above sea level. Parking will need to be underground. How many spaces will they have? Enough for all the city vehicles? Enough to give the public a place to park when visiting?
Don’t we still have to fund this? Needs another bond measure. A simple majority would go to the general fund. Remember the ads with our sad streets and failing sewers, etc.? Take a cruise through the lower westside and ask yourself if that money is being spent on the projects presented in the election ads. Then ask yourself how much you trust the city.
Only $70 a month to park? Outrageous! My taxes subsidizing a commuter who also pollutes the air, and adds traffic to 101. Commuters should pay at least $20 a day or $400 a month. In Other cities it’s $500 a month and up. SB City needs to STOP THE GIVE AWAYS!
Sears building site is more suitable for ownership housing: condos, townhouses.
because that isn’t downtown and the majority of the shoppers on saturday are downtown residents. its been there 35 years.
Zerohawk, sorry, but that’s a pretty weak argument for keeping the farmer’s market where it is instead of letting the SBPD set up there.
I support the Cota St site for the Police Station. It is a highly important community function and building. Our existing one is extremely antiquated – dangerously so. If you don’t know the day-to-day functioning of our local police force, then don’t comment on what they need or don’t need. Having participated in this process for the past 10 years, I know the City leaders will make the right decision today to move the Farmer’s Market to De la Guerra Plaza. There is plenty of room and room to expand – down De La Guerra St, Storke Placita, and even close a State Street Block. Please get over it and let’s get this vitally important building built. For those of you who suggest other sites, I beg you to read the website and all the reasons why Sears and other vacant buildings won’t work. The building of a police station requires seismic requirements that old buildings DO NOT MEET, whereas the Farmer’s Market requires space for trucks and pop-up tents. No brainer.
I think Sears is a great place for the farmer’s market, if you consider ample parking and ample space for vendors. The thing it is missing is that it’s not “downtown”, and I think the downtown feel is what people want. I mean, downtown is almost as dead as La Cumbre Plaza, yes? Moving the Sat farmer’s market would probably put a nail in the downtown coffin. That said, why not just close off state street like they do on Tuesday? There would be some other conflicts during the year (Solstice and Fiesta Parades, State Street Mile, etc.), but we could figure a work-around, yes?
People should also know that the existing Police Station could become a giant coffin in the next big earthquake. I can’t believe they are even still using it! Moving a few merch tents vs a vitally important community law enforcement building need – no brainer. Please let’s get on with this and build it already. This community doesn’t need any more avoidable disasters.
Two of my friends tried Chick-fil-A and said the food was crap.
Yeah. It’s okay for those of us who know that lane will be blocked. How insensitive can you get, having no sympathy for others who don’t know and get stuck sitting and sitting in that lane? All that matters is you filling yourself with fastfood junk. Aren’t you a real mensch.
I will NEVER ever give Chic-Oil-A a dime due to their homophobic practices.
As someone who works on Cota street, I do NOT want the police station to be relocated there. It’s a bad place for it. I second the idea of the old Verizon building on Chapala and Canon Period. Why is that not being discussed?
Not only that, but if they build a new station on Cota st. the surrounding blocks will become congested. I work right downtown on Cota and I seriously do NOT want the Cop Shop on my block!!!
The funny part is that all of the hard views, opinions and banter here are completely irrelevant. Go put your energy into something meaningful. I hate when people try to tell me what i can or cant do with my property, its not for us to decide. If you want to watch the cost of the studies skyrocket and just cost more, keep bickering, otherwise let the process proceed. You all go to work reasonably confident youre going home after your shift. Cops dont have that priviledge because they’re out dealing with the trash in society. Give them a break and give them a nice adequate safe place to be. Jesus people, care about things that matter!
In the event of a big earthquake, are you going to call Farmer’s Market because the PD won’t be there to respond?
BUS: If you simply wanted to t-r-y their food and see for yourself what all the hub-bub is about, you could ask someone to buy it FOR you…problem solved. Do not forget to ask for their special sauce, which only CFA has (quite delicious).
Public safety vs merch tents: I can’t even believe we are having this discussion after the two recent (avoidable) community disasters where obvious safety precautions were ignored. 24/7 vs 4 hrs/1x per wk
Put the police station where the most number of people can walk to, to report a crime, when the power is turned off by Edison, and you need help. 911 won’t be working.
Put it on Milpas, instead of the proposed hotel.