City Considers Major Changes to the Promenade for Downtown Businesses

The Santa Barbara City Council will be considering, on January 25th, an Economic Recovery Extension and Transition Ordinance that will extend the pedestrian promenade and outdoor business areas until December 31, 2023. The current Emergency Economic Recovery Ordinance is set to expire on March 8th, 2022 (click here for more information). However, this extension comes with proposed changes that will affect downtown businesses, especially those who have already made investments in parklets. The considered changes include a requirement that there be a 20-foot-wide emergency vehicle access lane, and that parklets be portable.

The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce is seeking the participation of downtown businesses on Thursday, January 20, 2022, from 3 to 4 PM.

The Chamber will be hosting a State Street Business Roundtable workshop to discuss these changes, and draft guidelines that address the concerns of downtown businesses that can then be presented to the Council. This will be a virtual Zoom meeting. If you are interested in participating, please click here to RSVP.