Reimagining
State & Hope
as a Vibrant
Village

From Empty Parking Lot and Dated Department Store to Thriving Neighborhood

Much Needed Workforce Housing Near Services, Schools, Transit, and Jobs

Proposal Highlights

650-700 rental homes in studios, one, two, and a few three-bedroom units in six distinct buildings
Two levels of underground residential vehicle parking with surface parking for visitors
Beautifully landscaped community plazas and paseos, as well as a park
Small, local retail spaces, eateries, and a restaurant
Improved sidewalks, pedestrian walkways, and bicycle lanes connecting State Street and Hope Avenue
Intentional and enhanced integration with the rest of La Cumbre Plaza
Designed for a range of incomes in Santa Barbara’s rental market, including moderate and very low-income

A Carefully Planned Neighborhood for Upper State

Our Vision

Welcome to The Neighborhood at State & Hope, a carefully planned village for Upper State Street. The inspired design honors Santa Barbara’s distinct character by incorporating the Spanish Colonial Revival influences of Granada and Sevilla, Spain, with contemporary influences of neighboring properties.

Beautiful spaces to live, work, gather, play, dine, and shop are created through a blend of traditional and contemporary architecture, landscape, art, and culture. Plazas, walking paths, and bikeways connect over 650-700 rental homes with neighborhood shops, eateries, and services. Landscaped paseos and gathering squares inspire community connection.

The Neighborhood and proposed neighborhood park will seamlessly link with the existing mall, providing easy access and connection between the new and existing spaces.

Rental Homes for Santa Barbara’s Workforce

The Santa Barbara South Coast lacks enough housing for its local workforce. With nearly 20,000 people commuting each day, more housing needs to be built to allow people to afford to live near where they work. The 8.7 acres at the corner of State & Hope, designated in the City’s General Plan for Housing, offers an ideal redevelopment opportunity.

We intend to partner with local businesses through the Employer-Sponsored Housing Consortium, organized by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, to ensure a significant number of these homes go to local employees.

Centrally-Located

Creates centrally-located infill housing within 10 miles of thousands of South County jobs
Improves local connectivity by adding:
- New dedicated right-turn lane from State onto South Hope
- New Class 1 bike lane connecting State to Hope
- Pedestrian-oriented, public paseos
- New connection between La Cumbre Road and Hope Avenue
Adjacent to existing bus service
Close to Highway 101 on- and off-ramps
Walk Score of 84/100, meaning most errands can be done on foot
Underground parking creates more street-level space for pedestrian paseos, shops, services, and eateries

The Path

After months of community input and conceptual feedback from the City’s Architectural Board of Review and the Planning Commission, we submitted our formal application in June 2024. We resubmitted it in August 2024 in response to additional City feedback and look forward to the application being deemed complete to move toward environmental review. (You can find meeting materials here and on the City’s website.)

For more detailed information on the public review process, we encourage you to visit the City’s project page.

Like The Neighborhood? Join our team of supporters.

Want to receive public meeting notices from the city? Email ABRSecretary@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

Our Team

Jim and Matthew Taylor are a father/son team and long-time residents of Santa Barbara. They have extensive experience in residential, recreational, and commercial development in Santa Barbara, throughout California and the Western US.

Planning – Flowers & Associates
Land Use – Mullen & Henzell
Architects – Cearnal Collective, David Baker Architects
Civil – Flowers & Associates
Traffic – Associated Transportation Engineers
Landscape – EPT Design
Community Engagement – Valerie Cantella Consulting, Palmer Consulting