BUSINESSES ARE SUFFERING.

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The six year closure has damaged our walk-in business, decreased the value of our property by approximately 40%, and hampered our ability to hire new staff. Our company maintains a second office in Montecito because many of our clients don't want to venture downtown — an additional cost of close to $85K annually.

— David de L'Arbre, Business and property owner, 79 years on State Street

Since I am a wheelchair user, the closure of State St has limited my access to many businesses on State St. State St used to be fun and lively. Now it feels dirty and in some places vacant. E-bikes racing down the middle of the street is not OK. I want downtown back, one that I can be proud of. Please bring back the parades to State St, our heart, our soul.

— Susanne Tejada, Access Advisory Committee Member

As a commercial real estate broker, I speak with regional and national retail companies looking for new sites, and they cross lower State St off of the list because of the lack of car traffic. One metric they specifically look for is the number of daily traffic trips that cross the closest large intersections to the prospective site. Traffic = visibility = business.

— Robert Adams, Hayes Commercial

It's turned downtown into a ghost town. I have a close friend and we would go downtown for dinner. She's handicapped and needs to be let off in front of the restaurant with her walker. We no longer eat out there because she can't walk from the parking lots.

— Jan Brooks, Resident

We own a business on State Street and have seen the street suffer and alienate our locals. Our business is down 30% from pre-closure. It is documented and proven that pedestrian malls longer than 3 blocks have an 89% failure rate.

— Monte Wilson, State Street Business Owner

Sales have been consistently flat the last few years. Please City Council, speak with the real stakeholders of the State Street Master Plan — the local business owners! We are on State Street every day and we see real data about how the lack of circulation has affected our local economy." 

— Gillian Muralles, Lilac Patisserie

Our visitation has decreased by 40% on average over the past 6 years. The foot traffic in our plaza has been a mere trickle of what the flow was before the closure. Restoring vehicular access to State Street  is necessary to restore the equity and sustainability our downtown business district needs to survive.

— Patrick Casey, Downtown Plaza Business Owner

I have owned Lewis & Clark for nearly 45 years. Visibility, access, and ease of movement are CRUCIAL to success for any small business. Other parts of the city — the Funk Zone, the Presidio Neighborhood, and Coast Village Road — all with vehicular traffic — have had resurgences since Covid. The closure has been continuously fought for by politicians and bike activists who refuse to cite any data or evidence that suggests it has been a success for the entire community.

— Lisa Reifel, Lewis & Clark (45 years on State Street)

I moved my business from two decades at 318 State because of the decline of Lower State. My clients who have been here before all comment on the sad state of the closed street, that Santa Barbara is not the lovely place they remember. I have changed my tourism recommendations for my clients to guide them away from downtown. Lower State is a disappointment to tourists who come expecting a world class destination. 

— Pat Fish, State Street Business Owner (since 1975)

Santa Barbara no longer has a central business district. If I want an in-person shopping experience I have to drive elsewhere. It's no longer the place to do business, but an 'experiential' party in the street. These party-goers spend very little money downtown and deter the real spenders from spending any time there.

 — Victoria Valente, Resident & Local Consumer

I am the President of the La Arcada Investment Corporation and the La Arcada Plaza, our family property. I have been downtown for 29 years and have seen the demise of State Street in terms of vacancies, lack of accessibility, homelessness, increasing violence and dangerous pedestrian walkways due to speeding bikes. Visitors huddle at the beachfront and are unaware of the beauty of upper State Street because they are unable to travel in trolleys as they used to be able to do. Stores, restaurants and courtyards are barely visible because of the brush along the street. Pedestrians walking along State Street are so immersed in watching out for speeding bikes, they cannot take the time to stroll and see what the street really offers. The closure of State Street was without thought, plan or intelligence. 

— Lynne Tahmisian, President, La Arcada Investment Corporation (29 years downtown)

By cutting off the upper blocks of State to tourists entering from the Ocean or Funk Zone, this closure has created a hostile environment for many small businesses and stymied further economic growth. It is unacceptable for city leaders to continue to prioritize restaurateurs with parklets at the expense of everyone else.

 — Meriwether Clarke, Lewis & Clark (45 years on State Street)

I have lived in Santa Barbara for 28 years and have owned multiple businesses in this county. I have watched foot traffic, commerce, and the overall vitality of downtown steadily decline, and I have felt the impact firsthand since opening my business. I have also personally felt unsafe on State Street due to reckless bicycle traffic, aggressive behavior, and violent incidents that have become far too common. The Santa Barbara I fell in love with nearly three decades ago was vibrant, welcoming, and safe. Reopening State Street to vehicle traffic is one step toward restoring accessibility, supporting local businesses, improving public safety, and bringing new energy back to the heart of our city. We all want a thriving downtown. It is time to act.

— Starr Hall, State Street Business Owner

As a 30 year resident of Santa Barbara as well as a multiple business owner, I can wholeheartedly and respectfully request the reopening of State Street. The closure has dramatically changed the volume of both local and tourist visits to my restaurant. The Wine Cask & Intermezzo been been in business in various incarnations for close to 50 years… we'd like to keep it going for another 50! Bring people back downtown!! Open the Street!

— John O'Neil, Intermezzo and Wine Cask

Local retail business owner on State Street since 2006. Our community needs to compromise on the issue of cars on State St, we need at least one lane of traffic for accessibility and visibility. Overall every single economic metric that has been effectively used to value commercial leases for decades points to these things being very important, it has also been more obvious than ever with the decentralization of most malls etc and the overall stagnation that areas like Santa. Monica 3rd St Promenade are experiencing. We all love our restaurants and want people to enjoy coming downtown to enjoy a stroll, but we also need to accept reality and cater to our customers and locals.

— Peter Robinson, State Street Business Owner