John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ongoing concerns about a sluggish pace for the retail future in Santa Barbara may get a turnaround after an exchange or ideas from experts gathering in a special session with the City Council and staff.
Councilmembers heard from Rachel Michelin from the California Retailers Association, Rick Lemmo with Caruso Properties and Mark Ingalls the Property Manager from the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta.
The retail symposium took place in the Faulkner Gallery at the library. The public attended and filled the room.
The solutions covered a wide area of suggestions but it was clear it won’t be done with a big shopping center concept you might have seen 25 years ago.
One concept is to possibly not look at the core area of State Street as one big ten block area. Ingalls said, “it is a main street and I think it needs to be paired down into blocks. I like the idea of districts. The arts district, bars and restaurants and retail and scaled to be more supportive by the residents of Santa Barbara.”
Cutting the red tape and the time line on projects was also viewed as a faster track to a completion and to make the financial start up costs go farther and get done faster.
That includes possibly cutting some permit fees and saving months on reviews. It may look favorable to a developer and there is a return for this.
Lemmo said, “we want them here for the benefit we get and there is public benefit. I think the most important benefit is get the time down .” He said waiting two years for. restaurant go through a development plan is not a successful business model for the owner.
As a statewide leader in retail analysis Michelin said, all levels of government should realize the benefits of having projects finished on a better timeline. “We want to see more investment in our community. We need to streamline the regulatory process, we need to need to make it easier.”
One of the concepts that was getting a favorable reaction was to not build a large scale housing project but to add some housing on top of or behind some of the existing buildings in the downtown business area.
“Just as important is to have a mix from an efficiency standpoint,” said Ingalls. One and two bedroom units can be available for area workers , and for someone who wants to move out of their house in a neighborhood to a downtown environment. He said “it frees up a house.”
Lemmo said, the city should work with what it has including its rich history. “Most of the elements exist. We have to put a spotlight on them, we have to put a magnifying glass on them.”
Smaller areas with success stories were also an option Ingalls favored. He said, “I think there should be more districts and I think the Funk Zone is a perfect example of when you tee it up and get it out of the way.”
There was also a suggestion to bring college students into the conversation with their ideas and designs. The suggestions coming from that demographic may help to create appropriate housing using modern and future style elements. It may also come with a price point they can afford after they graduate.
The session was coordinated by the State Street Master Planner Tess Harris who may be showing new ideas in the Spring for downtown. That could include a mix of areas for dining, shopping, bikes, cars and pedestrians that has the blend the city is looking for to create a vibrant economy.
It is still to be determined how some of the changes will be funded.
No one on the panel addressed how the larger retail sites downtown, including the vacant former Macy’s store and the vacant former Nordstrom’s store could be reused. Project under consideration included multiple housing units, a new grocery store and paseo walkways into the mall retail area.
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