Santa Barbara needs to proactively provide incentives to new businesses to establish a base downtown.  Retail as we have known it has ceased to exist, and cities that are re-inventing themselves are become destinations of unique character.  Santa Barbara is becoming a blend of entertainment, history, and high-tech industries sprinkled throughout traditional retail establishments. Partnering with our major colleges and universities, we may become well-known as the “Silicon Beach” of Central California.

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The City Council should designate one or two blocks of downtown as a “Special Economic Revitalization Zone” for an experimental Public/Private Partnership Plan that includes mixed housing, street events, new businesses, and a pedestrian environment.  Downtown itself could be reborn as a series of “Micro Districts”, each with its own distinct personality, sense of adventure, respect for history, and a destination for cultural activities (much like the Funk Zone has become).  The City Council should authorize a series of “special zones and planning designs”, and give the area unique powers and freedoms that strengthen the future of downtown without diminishing its historical fabric.

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For further information, click the following links to read or download our VISION STATEMENTS for the future of downtown Santa Barbara: