Santa Barbara city officials are moving forward with the ambitious plan to overhaul State Street, with the vision to create a thriving downtown with a pedestrian-first approach.
The Santa Barbara City Council on April 28, 2026, discussed the Draft State Street Master Plan, which has been designed as a guide for the planned revitalization of the downtown corridor for the next 40 to 50 years.
The plan covers the 400 through 1300 blocks of State Street, which stretches from Gutierrez to Sola Street, and aims to transition this section into a flexible, pedestrian-first road.
The total estimated investment is $6 million to $8 million per block, totaling to roughly $48 million to $64 million for the eight-block stretch. The investment will be funded through a combination of city capital, grant, bonds, and assessment districts.
The plan is expected to be implemented in three phases, with each stage likely to last three years.
“Flex Scheme” Design
At its core, the plan emphasizes a “flex scheme” acknowledging State Street’s traditional multi-modal history, while prioritizing walkability and safety.
The key elements of the “flex scheme” design include:
-
Widened sidewalks and travel lane: Existing sidewalks will be almost doubled its existing size to around 30 feet in width, while a 20-foot center travel lane will be maintained for emergency access, service vehicles, and potentially transit or bicycles.
-
Ballard infrastructure: The plan proposes retractable and fixed ballards to be installed at the intersections to facilitate adaptive management of the street. The ballards will also allow the street to be opened or closed to different modes of transport as needed.
-
Rolled curbs: In a departure from the traditional six-inch curbs, the plan proposes four-inch rolled curbs for better storm water management and to provide easier movement between the sidewalk and the street.
Creation of Three Districts
Instead of treating State Street as a uniform corridor, the master plan divides it into three districts, each with its unique characters.
The Arts District (1000-1200 blocks) will focus on cultural institutions and arts-related retail.
Also called the heart or ‘Corazone,’ rhe Civic and Commercial District (700-900 blocks) has been envisioned as a grand civic space with a sycamore tree canopy that will offer shade and create a park-like atmosphere.
The Entertainment District (400- 600 blocks) will be a transitory zone toward the waterfront and Funk Zone, and will have a high concentration of dining and nightlife destinations.
Debate Over Vehicular Access
Despite broad support for the master plan, the city council debated over some issues.
One of the most contentious issues was the plan to allow private cars back on State Street at night.
The draft plan initially suggested allowing private vehicles on the road between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. Proponents felt this would provide security during the late hours.
However, several public speakers and some council members opposed vehicular access at night over safety concerns. They cited “Vision Zero” goals and noted that there were more risks after 10 p.m. due to darkness and intoxicated pedestrians.
While some argued that allowing vehicles will help businesses, a downtown F&B committee reportedly voted 14-1 against bringing back vehicles to State Street.
The Council eventually voted 6-1 to remove the specific reference to allow cars at night from the master plan’s vision statement.
Economic, Housing Goals
Identifying housing as the key driver for long-term vitality, the plan calls for the creation of 1,000 to 2,000 new housing units downtown.
The new housing unit plan includes the potential redevelopment of city-owned surface parking lots.
The city is also focusing on enhancing economic vitality by encouraging businesses, improving wayfinding, and exploring public programming to ensure that State Street remains a premier retail destination.
Also Read
- Santa Barbara County Has One of California’s Highest Arrest Rates, Study Finds
- Pacific Surfliner Train Strikes Vehicle Near Hollister Ranch
- Santa Barbara County Secures $11.7 Million State Grant for New Family Village Serving Homeless Families
- Foothill Fire Grows to 462 Acres, 10% Contained; Evacuation Orders Remain in Cuyama Valley
- Santa Rosa Island Fire at 16,942 Acres, 26% Contained; More Crews and Equipment Arrive
Great! Finally moving toward a decision and some action. Sounds like a decent plan with elements that will appease everyone. Well, except for the “all or nothing” crowd which is the majority of the pro-car folks. Oh well, put up better candidates and get out and vote, right?
Fantastic plan for the future of downtown!
Sounds good. Let’s hear the resident grouch say so.
Lower State Street is lost and gone forever…
Stay in Lompoc. I thin the stores in SB are too expensive for you, and according to you the food is better there.
No it’s not, STEVE. It’s fine. You people are so dramatic.
bad plan, as all of the others have been too. i was at several meetings, they literally ignored people that opposed it. business owners, employees, and people that live down here, work down here, try to run a business down here. this is a very one sided win. should have opened a lane up to the beach. oh well, i’m moving to Oregon in a year, this won’t be my headache anymore 🙂 got 45 acres! opening up my dog rescue finally
KNEIN – Did the people that opposed this offer any compromise? I ask because everyone I’ve spoken with who is outspoken about “opening” State St is very absolutist about their demands. No compromise is acceptable to them. That’s why I ask.
Re: Oregon, that is awesome! I wish you the best of luck pursuing that dream!
there are some on both sides of this that are absolutists. this issue isn’t over nor is it settled. we are deeply divided over this as a city. but once again, they won’t listen to business owners that are not part of the collective in the 500 block. the 500 block is all that is driving this. I’ve attended alot of the meetings on this and it’s been divided all along, and the city is burning through a lot of $ on failed plans, and this plan too, just like all of the plans before it, will fail. There is no valid reason to hold the entire downtown hostage so one block can have their way. When I say i spend 50-60 hours a week on State, i’m not joking. I hear people say, oh there’s dozens of people in the streets. Really? Give me a date and time stamp on that, because I call BS on that notion as do more than half of the downtown workers and city employees, we actually see how many people are on the sidewalks vs the street. No point in walking in the street to dodge electric shuttles that are racing the ebike kids, another grand reason that they don’t walk on the road….businesses are not on the road, they are on the side walks. this is common sense stuff that alot of people are ignoring. comments supporting the road being closed tend to come from those who spend around 20 minutes to an hour a week down here. Those people report one or two things they see during that short time and think that is how it always is down here. Not so. I sit and type this and stare at State and Carrillo right now……
cant wait to get to Oregon….
I just listened to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xv_4VsGiZ0 (Jerry Roberts, Josh Molina, Ryan Cruz, and Nick Welsh) and several of these guys commented on how much activity they encountered on State St.
> cant wait to get to Oregon….
After your rants, I think a lot of us thinking the same thing.
disagree != ignore
That said, I sincerely wish you good luck in Oregon with your dog rescue … that sounds like a dream come true.
so if someone disagrees with your statement and opinion, then they must be quiet? others aren’t allowed their voice? sorry Marcel, i don’t walk to the beat of that drum. Just like you, i have a voice and opinion, and when I happen to live downtown, work downtown and spend 50-60 hours a week on State, i think my opinion matters quite a bit considering most of you spend very short time downtown, unless I’m wrong? You work on State street and commute on it? Your kids do too? I even take hap-kido classes down here. I’m literally here most of my waking hours…
> so if someone disagrees with your statement and opinion, then they must be quiet?
I have no idea what is so severely wrong with you that you got that from my comment.
Maybe you didn’t understand “!=”, which is programmer-speak for “not equal”. If so, you could have asked.
Predictable result. The majority wants the COVID status quo and doesn’t want any cars on State. I’m glad they finally just made a decision. No more money spent on consultants, meetings, staff time, “public outreach”, etc. Time will tell of they chose wisely or not.
> Predictable result. The majority wants the COVID status quo and doesn’t want any cars on State.
This plan involves major changes, not remotely “status quo” to anyone with a bit of intelligence or honesty.
> No more money spent on consultants, meetings, staff time, “public outreach”, etc.
None of that is actually true, grouch.