Need More Time

Community Member Seeks Extension for State Street Plan Review

A Santa Barbara resident has written to city officials asking for more time to review the massive State Street Master Plan, highlighting concerns about a compressed public comment timeline for one of the city's most significant downtown planning initiatives in decades.

RP Guevara, writing in The Santa Barbara Independent, called for extending the public comment period "until mid-to-late July" after the city released its comprehensive 224-page draft plan for transforming State Street. The current schedule has multiple advisory board reviews scheduled for June according to the Santa Barbara News-Press.

"After many years of city, public, board committees, designers, etc. to come up with this drafted Master Plan, two months for the public input to digest what's in the plan is not enough time," Guevara wrote in the published letter.

Master Plan Gains Council Approval Despite Vehicle Access Debate

The timing concerns come after the Santa Barbara City Council voted 6-1 on April 28 to approve the State Street Master Plan's overall vision, though the council removed specific hours for vehicle access from the proposal. The plan, developed by renowned architect Stefanos Polyzoides and his firm Moule & Polyzoides, received more than 600 public comments before that hearing.

The current draft includes 153 pages of the main plan plus another 171 pages of appendices according to The Independent. The document outlines a vision for the eight blocks of downtown State Street that have been closed to vehicle traffic since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

Councilmember Meagan Harmon called the plan a "smashing success" during the April hearing, though she emphasized the need for compromise on the contentious issue of vehicle access, as reported by the News-Press.

June Review Schedule Creates Time Crunch

The accelerated timeline means five different city advisory committees will review the plan in June: the Historic Landmarks Commission, Planning Commission, Access Advisory Committee, Downtown Parking Committee, and Transportation and Circulation Committee.

State Street Master Planner Tess Harris previously told The Independent in March that the plan would "likely go to the Historic Landmarks Commission for review around June 2026." The city also plans to host at least one public open house during this period.

According to the city's official website, "The final Master Plan, incorporating comments by the public, will be shared with the City Council in Summer 2026."

Multi-Year Process Reaches Critical Phase

The current plan represents the culmination of years of planning that began in 2021, though the process faced significant delays. In October 2025, the city council terminated its contract with the original consultant MIG and hired Polyzoides's firm for approximately $500,000 to complete the final planning stages.

Polyzoides, known as "the Godfather of New Urbanism" and dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, has estimated the total implementation cost at $48-64 million according to KEYT news.

The plan divides State Street into three districts spanning from the Arlington Theatre to Gutierrez Street, with the most controversial element being proposed retractable bollards that would allow limited vehicle access during certain hours.

Residents can submit written comments to [email protected] and review the full plan at StateStreet.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. The city council is expected to make final decisions on the plan this summer.