It was one of those public meetings just bursting to happen. The pews in Santa Barbara City Council chambers were packed tight; people stood in the aisles. The back room designed for overflow crowds was overflowing. The issue at hand was State Street — what’s wrong with it, and how to fix it.
With the plethora of vacant storefronts, it’s hardly a new concern. What was new was the venue. It was the first time the mayor and council have addressed the issue directly. Even more striking was the tone. Lots of harsh truths got spoken — especially about bureaucratic delays and high costs borne by businesses just trying to open their doors. Even so, the absence of rancor or defensiveness was remarkable. For Cathy Murillo, it was her first major moment since becoming mayor in January. She and Councilmember Randy Rowse had asked that the issue be placed on the agenda. It was her show to run.
In many ways, however, Tuesday’s gathering was the handiwork of longtime assistant administrator Nina Johnson, who got the conversation rolling with a succinct description of the problem, accompanied by a handful of quick fixes that might jump-start the city’s retail core. Where storefronts are empty, Johnson suggested, short-term pop-up businesses ought to be allowed at lower rents without being subjected to the city’s expensive and grueling permit process. Also from her package of suggestions: block parties, street closures, kids’ nights, and more farmers’ markets.