Farmers Market to Get Squeezed & Jammed

By Kevin Boss

Open Letter to City Administrator Kelly McAdoo, State Street Master Planner Tess Harris, and City Council

Just wondering when Santa Barbara City staff intends to complete the “Circulation Study” related to the State Street Master Plan promised us in the early days of the State Street Advisory Committee?

And, if it is ever completed, when do you plan to share it with the public?

We know some work on this issue had been discussed under Rebecca Bjork, our previous City Administrator, because those findings led to the opening of the 1300 block of State for “public safety” reasons.

We also know that current City Administrator Kelly McAdoo has on several occasions promised to present Council with a detailed “Circulation Study” but has pulled the item each time from the agenda.

Questions

Has a thorough study of emergency egress from the waterfront area been done? Does the City believe that a possible emergency evacuation of the low-lying areas from Cabrillo to the 101 could be safely accomplished without access to State St.?

Think carefully before you answer.

Now Moules & Polyzoides, our newest of serial Consultants, and City Council and Staff are proposing a complete re-structuring of the entire downtown grid without a single real Circulation Study ever being presented. Longtime one-way streets to become two-way streets without any real thought.

What would be a massive alteration to the downtown traffic grid is being presented without any supporting background information, evidence, or study. City Council voted to advance this “plan” without any questions or any study on the issue.

Why?

Farmers Market Questions

Regarding the Downtown Farmers Markets, has anyone in City Planning given any thought to the obvious results of narrowing State St. to 20 feet, as detailed in the new State Street Master Plan.

• Currently State Street’s width is 34’ to 36’ +/- depending on the block or section.

• Farmers Market stands require 10’-12’ +/- depending on their set-up, parked trucks, etc.

• Currently on State St., with stands on both sides, this leaves approximately 10’ to 12’ of pedestrian space in the middle. On Saturdays this space can be crowded and difficult to negotiate.

If the City narrows State St. to the suggested 20’ there will only be room for Farmers Market stands on one side of the street, with the remaining 8’ to 10’ for pedestrian shoppers.

This will create several problematic conditions.

• 8’ to 10’ of pedestrian shopper space will be extremely cramped. It won’t work.

• The 8’ to 10’ of open space will preclude any pretense of “emergency vehicle” access.

• Stands on only one side will mean the State St. section will need to be at least twice as long. Probably involving another block or two of length. If this is necessary, it will mean that emergency vehicles from Fire Station One will be forced to travel even farther up or down Chapala in order to cross over to the east side, increasing response time on Saturdays.

The current Carrillo St. Farmers Market section avoids these issues because the street is 60’+ wide, leaving a 20’ish lane for pedestrian shoppers and a nominal potential “emergency vehicle” access.

The proposed “bollards” at each intersection will need to be in the “up” or deployed positions at all times to protect the State St. Market section and patrons from potential vehicle entry. This will mean that farmers’ vehicles will be “locked in” until the bollards are lowered.

Given the long history of street market accidents and attacks, public safety should be a major consideration.

Has any thought been given to these issues? If so, why hasn’t the City Administrator and City Staff communicated it with the Council and the public?

Is another Farmers Market relocation in the works?

Civil Malpractice On Display

Regarding both the above Farmers Market conflict and the lack of transparency on a Circulation Study, how, after six years of “study,” can the City Council and City Staff possibly expect us to trust them?

It cannot be overstated—proceeding with a closed State Street for six years, and now proposing a permanent narrowing and permanent closure of the primary access from Downtown to the Waterfront, without a thorough and transparent study of the circulation, access, and safety issues is a gross civic malpractice.

Best,

Kevin Boss

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