Coast Village Road business owners considering their own district for improvements

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Business owners on Coast Village Road may be taking a more active role in what happens on the popular stretch between Montecito and Old Coast Highway.

Tuesday the Santa Barbara City Council the first steps in the process to allow for an assessment district.

$40,000 will be set aside for the process and it will eventually be paid back through district fees. A preliminary survey of businesses shows support for the plan.

Once in place it will raise funds through fees to pay for improved landscaping, lighting, decorative flags, marketing and other features to help the shopping, residential and dining district thrive.

The Coast Village Road association says the bottom line will be improvements for the area and more tax dollars to the city's budget.

In the past an assessment district had been in place but it has since expired.

This renewed plan is months in the planning.

Coast Village Road is home to the Friday Certified Farmers' Market and the annual Halloween event known as Ghost Village Road.

Last year during the coronavirus, a drive-thru style 4th of July parade went down the street on its route through Montecito and the eastern part of Santa Barbara.

For more information go to: City of Santa Barbara - Coast Village Road plan