After three rounds of voting and nearly two hours of discussion over the proposed State Street parklet payment program, the Santa Barbara City Council eventually decided 4-2 to move forward with a tiered-rate system that would start May 2023.
During the pandemic, State Street was closed to vehicle traffic, and the parklets popped up as a temporary way to ensure safe social distancing. Since then, though, cities across the state have embraced longer-term parklet plans by drafting interim or permanent ordinances to regulate the outdoor spaces and offset the maintenance costs that fall on cities' public works departments.
In the special council meeting — which was originally scheduled for January 10, canceled due to this week's storm, and then quickly rescheduled for Thursday, January 12 — Santa Barbara Downtown Team Manager Brian Bosse outlined two options for a monthly pay rate system that would offset the expenses the city has been subsidizing to maintain the parklets.