Coast Village Road makes comeback two weeks after Montecito mudslides

The morning of January 9, 2018, Coast Village Road looked like a war zone.

People were walking around in a daze looking for friends and relatives in knee-deep mud. Cars tossed around in the flash flooding and mudslides looked they had been in a demolition derby. Some of the cars were stuck in the underground garage at the Montecito Inn.

The street is almost clean and utilities are making a come back. Although water still needs boiling, businesses have gas and electricity.

Santa Barbara community development director George Buell said people are often surprised to learn the street, on the edge of Montecito, has a Santa Barbara address.

Buell said the city is trying to make it easier for at least a dozen damaged businesses to reopen.

“They don’t have to go through the hassle of getting sign-offs from utilities. We are handling that with our inspection staff,” said Buell.

Businesses along Coast Village Road were already hurting from the lost business during Thomas Fire evacuations.

About half of the businesses at Montecito Country Mart stayed open after the mudflow, but many customers didn’t know it.

Jessica Edwards works at George pet shop. She said they have food and toys ready for returning customers.

Vons never closed, but shoppers were heartbroken to learn overnight employees lost loved ones in the slides.

Connor Huser said “I think it is another step in the right direction, it will bring a lot of hope to businesses during one of the hardest times that they will ever know, so it will be a step in the right direction.”

Coast Village Road is slated to open by noon on Tuesday, two weeks after the deadly storm that came on the heels of the Thomas Fire.