After Years of Debate, Santa Barbara Adopts Final State Street Master Plan

After years of争论 — and, more precisely, years of impassioned debate over the future of downtown — the Santa Barbara City Council voted Tuesday night to adopt the State Street Master Plan, setting an official vision for the redesign of the 400 through 1300 blocks of the city's signature corridor, Noozhawk reported.

The adoption marks a turning point in a saga that began with the pandemic-era closure of State Street to vehicle traffic, but it does not end the argument. Two of the plan's biggest questions — when, or whether, cars will return, and how the city will pay for a project widely expected to cost around $100 million — remain unresolved.

What the Plan Actually Includes

The adopted plan calls for a redesign of the 400 to 1300 blocks featuring dramatically expanded 30-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides of the street, two 10-foot travel lanes running down the center, and retractable bollards at the intersections, according to Noozhawk's coverage of Tuesday's council meeting.

Notably, while an earlier draft of the plan included proposed hours for opening and closing the street to vehicles, the final version does not specify access times. That decision will fall to the City Council before construction is complete.

Project consultant Stefanos Polyzoides pushed back on framing the plan around the question of reopening the street to cars. "This plan is not about the closure," Polyzoides told the council. "This plan is about keeping the street flexible."

City Administrator Kelly McAdoo echoed that point, saying the design's built-in flexibility allows future councils to adjust as conditions change — a nod to the reality that downtown's needs may look very different in a decade than they do today.

Tess Harris, the city's State Street master planner, cast the moment in generational terms. "There is a whole generation of children in this city who, if you act today, will grow up on the street in this plan and never know it any other way," Harris said. "It will just be their downtown."

A Last-Minute Push for Partial Reopening Fails

Most public attention in recent months has centered on whether vehicles should return to the pedestrian promenade. Councilman Eric Friedman made a final attempt Tuesday to reopen the blocks above Canon Perdido Street while the four blocks below Canon Perdido are under construction.

Friedman warned that the project's timeline and budget are likely to grow beyond current expectations. "I can almost guarantee you it's not going to cost $100 million and be done in six years," he said. "It's going to cost more, and it's going to take longer. If we leave it as-is for the next six years, that is why those who are not buying in are saying they don't have six years to wait, and they need some type of circulation."

No other council member supported his proposal.

Businesses Sound the Alarm on the Interim

Public comment laid bare the tension between long-term vision and short-term survival for downtown merchants. Rosalie Hardoin was among the residents who warned the project could strain city finances just as Santa Barbara works to rebuild its reserves. "Think about six years of construction and how this alone will be a huge detriment to the 50-plus businesses on State Street that are against this plan," Hardoin said.

Colleen Macey, owner of Santa Barbara Interiors and an organizer with the State Street Business Alliance, said merchants are struggling now and questioned what support they will receive in the roughly 18 months before construction begins. "We need your support. We really do," Macey said. "I feel like you have all turned your back on us, and we are really upset."

The stakes are not abstract. Drew Cuddy, owner of Satellite SB, a vegetarian restaurant at 1117 State St., told the council his business is set to close Sept. 13 — though he said he supports the plan, arguing the street's problems run deeper than vehicles, bikes, or beautification.

Harris said interim plans for the period before construction will go before the council later this fall.

Supporters Say Decisiveness Will Attract Funding

The plan also drew enthusiastic backing. Sharon Rich, president of Friends of State Street, urged the council not to hesitate. "There is risk in reluctance to commit to a future," Rich said. "Waiting will cost us momentum, funding and people ready to build."

Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon, one of the plan's strongest advocates, addressed the funding question head-on, arguing that money follows clarity. "I'm not worried that we don't know where exactly every dollar is going to come from right now," Sneddon said. "If we make a plan, and that's how we're oriented, the funding will come. There are investors who are waiting for us to be decisive."

Sneddon also said she would like the city to acquire the former Santa Barbara News-Press building next to City Hall and convert it into a civic center for downtown.

One commenter, Kevin Haim, read from the city's 1964 general plan — which, he noted, envisioned a pedestrian-oriented shopping street — a reminder that the dream of a reimagined State Street predates the promenade itself.

What Comes Next for Downtown

Adoption means Santa Barbara now has an official blueprint to chase grants, coordinate construction phasing, and plan the promenade's evolution from temporary pandemic measure to permanent civic space. But the hard decisions are only beginning: the council must still settle vehicle access rules, identify funding sources for a project whose cost and timeline skeptics like Friedman expect to balloon, and craft near-term relief for merchants facing years of construction.

For residents, the changes ahead are tangible — wider sidewalks meant for strolling, dining, and events; a flexible central roadway; and, eventually, a downtown that looks and functions differently than the one Santa Barbarans have known for generations.

How the council balances that long-term promise against the immediate anxieties of downtown business owners — and how quickly interim improvements arrive this fall — will determine whether Tuesday's vote is remembered as the moment State Street found its future, or the moment its toughest chapter began.

This article is based on reporting by [Noozhawk](https://www.noozhawk.com/after-years-of-debate-santa-barbara-adopts-final-state-street-master-plan/).