Montecito supports new community-built trails

MONTECITO, Calif. - If you drive through the Montecito neighborhood, you may notice a lack of sidewalks. To make walking in the town safer, the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade is working to construct 8.5 miles of trails.

Abe Powell, the executive director of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, hopes to create a Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network to connect schools, churches, parks, open spaces, beaches, and businesses in the area. 

Don't call them sidewalks though, the town's community plan actually prohibits sidewalks stating, "Montecito's semi-rural character and quality of life is reflected by the lack of sidewalks and traffic lights," but that same community plan does allow for the creation of trails. 

"I got tired of waiting, so we decided to make our own trials," said Powell. 

In 2022, The Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade started raising funds for "Walk Montecito".

The Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade was instrumental in rebuilding parts of Montecito after the deadly debris flow in 2018.

Powell led an army of volunteers to dig out homes, clear and restore open spaces, rebuild old trails, and lay new trails in some areas. This project aims to continue that work explained Powell. 

To date, 2.5 miles of the proposed 8.5 miles of trails have been constructed including the North Jameson, Olive Mill, and Hot Springs Neighborhood trails.

The community in Montecito seems to enjoy the newly added trails. 

A recent Montecito Association survey showed 91.4% of respondents said they support the the trails that have been installed and would like to see more. 

The project recently received statewide recognition, winning the California Association of Counties Challenge Award for Disaster & Emergency Response in 2022. 

The project costs $370,000 per mile to build, including long-term maintenance. 

The trails are built once funds for each mile are raised and permits are obtained by the County of Santa Barbara according to Powell. The permits require the Bucket Brigade to maintain the trails once built.

Powell expects to start construction on the Sycamore Canyon, the San Leandro, and the Santa Rosa neighborhood trails in the next 12 months. Powell hopes to complete the full trail network in the next three years.

The Bucket Brigade needs to raise $2.54 million to complete the entire Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network.