Friends of State Street

Lots of local Santa Barbara residents, long-timers and newbies alike, have strong opinions about whether the nine-block stretch of State Street in the downtown area should reopen to cars. 

“It’s a no-brainer,” exclaims many a post on social media, while others just as vociferously scream “No way!” 

Friends of State Street (FoSS) takes no position at all. 

The civic organization that was founded during the American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara (AIASB) 2020 charrette, a large-scale envisioning of the future of State Street, immediately got its hands dirty during the pandemic. Friends of State Street mobilized to help local businesses adapt, working with the city design guidelines for outdoor dining spaces. Their comprehensive approach included providing businesses with resources, architectural guidance, and much more, from stormwater management solutions to actually painting the outdoor dining structures – the better to align them with the El Pueblo Viejo district’s aesthetic character. 

“We helped them be compliant as much as possible, including painting them in the colors that were required by the city,” explained Friends of State Street Founding Board President Sharon Rich. “We found the paint, got sponsors, and collaborated with other organizations, including Santa Barbara City College design technology and construction class, who measured what was needed, then got the community out there to paint 13 in one day at no charge.” 

Despite having gone all in to help restaurants get their outdoor dining structures going, Friends of State Street is neutral on what happens next, Rich said. 

“There are a lot of opinions out there, but the street was already changing before the pandemic hit,” she said. “We formed to help get the community involved in the process, to expand that participation from the 175 experts in the charrette to the whole community.” 

A couple of years later, FoSS stepped into a larger role as a full 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting the effort with real-world pilot programs aligned with the city’s short-term action items. These aim to make improvements as the master plan works its way to fruition over an imagined 20-year period. The thrust is to make sure the community is engaged, involved, and having significant input into what happens, fostering collaborations that support local businesses and organizations as the historic thoroughfare evolves now and into the future.

“Our whole job is to engage the community in the master plan process to say what it is that they want,” Rich said. “We’ve been doing that since day one. Friends of State Street are of course rooted in Santa Barbara as locals, but we’re not here to say what we want as an organization. State Street means different things to different people right now. Our job is to work hand-in-hand with the community. We operate at the intersection of community engagement and activation on State Street.”

Last year, Friends of State Street launched Activate State which focuses on a few areas of the short-term action plan: Sustainability, Shuttle Service & Assisted Mobility, and Economic Development. Among the most visible programs have been “Vacant to Vibrant” and the State Street Shuttle. 

The former takes vacant spaces along State Street and makes them into vibrant places, Rich said. The test case was bringing Makers House in Goleta down for a pilot project. 

“It was really important to see if we could activate that with a business that can thrive in there so that those property owners who are selling or renting their buildings and potential lease tenants can see things in a different light than looking at it through the window of a vacant space.”

The two-month residency was shockingly successful. 

“It was off the charts,” Rich said. “We were very surprised by the final numbers. They had 4,700 people go by, and about 175 people stopping in every day they were open, which is great foot traffic. They made $15,000 in 38 days. We have two more like that in the queue.” 

Friends of State Street also established the Impact Lab, which has continued to collect and collate information for the city to inform decisions from a data-based place. 

The State Street Shuttle, which has four large golf-car style electric vehicles cruising up and down the thoroughfare from Arlington to Stearns Wharf every day until 7 pm, has also been a big hit, one that’s already been extended for a second six-month stint. 

“We did all the research to find the operator, we helped them secure insurance and to consider retrofitting their carts to be ADA compliant,” Rich said. “It took a while to put together, but the results are overwhelmingly positive. People really like it and the numbers are off the charts. It’s been a real game changer downtown.”

The shuttle also demonstrates that people still love State Street and are excited to be able to ride up and down the stretch from the beach to the Arlington. 

It’s all part of an effort for the nonprofit that operates on a “lean, mission-driven model,” Rich said. 

“What we’re doing is helping to shape the heart of our city into a place where what most people want – culture, connection and commerce – are thriving. We’re like a bridge between the city and the community. When the community gets engaged in a process of a master plan, they are very happy with their results. It’s our love letter to Santa Barbara.”  

Visit https://friendsofstatestreet.org for more information.