Downtown Neighborhood
Santa Barbara CA Real Estate - The Downtown Area Sales Statistics Year End 2008
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Market Statistics / Updates
Here is a brief visual view of the overall 2008 sales in The Downtown Neighborhood of Santa Barbara CA. The highest sale in the Santa Barbara MLS for 2008 in The Downtown Neighborhood was a single family home for $ 2.2 Million on East Figueroa Street. The lowest sale in The Downtown Neighborhood was a condo for $ 389,000 on West Gutierrez.
Further Reading:
- Downtown Area Information
- Santa Barbara Market Statistics
- The Montecito Area
- The Samarkand Area
- The Mesa Area
- The Upper East Neighborhood - Information and Statistics
- The San Roque Neighborhood
- The Hope Ranch Area
- Is My Santa Barbara Realtor a Neighborhood Area Specialist?
- Looking for a Qualified and Ethical Real Estate Agent in Santa Barbara?
- Little Known Advantages of Blogging Realtors - Santa Barbara Area
For a complete summary of the Santa Barbara Real Estate Market in 2008, information in general on Santa Barbara Real Estate, Montecito Real Estate and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s International Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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Things to Do in Santa Barbara, California - The Downtown Area
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara Architecture
Whether you are a local, in town visiting family and/or friends, or here on vacation in Santa Barbara, California, there is never a lack of activities and things to do in our wonderful seaside resort community. Starting today, I am going to write the first installment in a series of articles that point out some of Santa Barbara’s most prominent local attractions. Some of these will be cultural, some dining, some active pursuits and some I am still deciding on. This first installment will be focusing on…
Santa Barbara Downtown Attractions:
The Downtown area is dominated by the main street in Santa Barbara, State Street. Most people consider the main center of downtown to be at the intersection of State and Carrillo Street. Numerous important historical buildings lie within the downtown area along with a lively arts scene. One great way to explore the downtown area and its jewels is to take a self-guided Red Tile Walking Tour.
Historical Museum - The Santa Barbara Historical Museum displays and exhibits Santa Barbara’s artistic and cultural heritages dating from the 15th century. The Museum itself is a wonderful landmark located in the center of our historic district.
El Presidio de Santa Barbara - Founded on April 21, 1782, the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio was the last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish along the coast of Alta California, then a wilderness frontier. El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park encompasses much of the original Presidio site and is located in modern downtown Santa Barbara at the intersection of Santa Barbara and East Canon Perdido Streets.
Santa Barbara County Courthouse - For almost 160 years this site has been the home of local government and a place of civic pride and celebration. Visitors from around the world come to see the courthouse, mural room and grounds.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art - The Museum of Art houses both wonderful permanent and special collections in a prominent building on State Street constructed in 1914.
Alice Keck Park - Once the site of the elegant El Mirasol Hotel, this downtown block is often called the “crown jewel” of city parks. The park features a large botanical collection (75 different tree and plant species), koi pond, sensory garden with audio posts and interpretive Braille signs, low water-using demonstration garden, picnic areas, gazebo and more.
Further Reading:
- Lifestyle/Things to Do Articles in Santa Barbara, California
- Downtown Area Information
- Articles About the Santa Barbara Downtown Area
- Summer Arts, Festivals and Culture in Santa Barbara CA
- Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway
For information on Santa Barbara Real Estate, Montecito Real Estate and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties
Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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Taking Sides on Future Path for Downtown Santa Barbara Real Estate Projects
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Real Estate News, Santa Barbara Architecture
As more and more larger multi-unit Santa Barbara real estate development projects get presented to the City of Santa Barbara for approval, discussions abound over the future development path the city is taking with these luxury condo projects. In layman’s terms, the debate is clear and simple.
Side A: Wants to have strong height restrictions in place and preserve the “beauty” of Santa Barbara
Side B: Wants to avoid urban sprawl and therefore would like to build inward with less height restrictions than what currently exist
In my view, the politics of this debate have not been too prevalent as far as topics of conversation go up until about 2005, when some of these major “projects” actually reached completion and they were there for the public to visibly see in full view. Now that more than a few of these major developments have popped up that are on the larger side and with several others in the works, the topic has began to be heated here within Santa Barbara. Nick Welsh, from The Independent, has written a great up to date article about the latest “Height Wars” that will most likely fill many topics of conversation here in Santa Barbara.
- The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
- Is Downtown Santa Barbara Vertically Challenged?
- Santa Barbara CA Neighborhoods - Downtown
- Santa Barbara Rated Amongst The Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
View: Current Listings of High End Townhomes and Condo Projects
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Luxury Real Estate, Real Estate News
In the last 3-5 years, Santa Barbara has seen several small mixed-use style projects consisting of 2-10 residential townhome units sprout up within shouting distance of State Street and the downtown area. Most of these projects finished development before the market started to soften in early 2007 and therefore had no problem finding buyers.
The Paseo Chapala project located on the Corner of Chapala Street and De La Guerra Street was the first major development in the last several years that unfortunately got caught in the downturn of the market and presently still has 7 residential units up for sale. Even with this news, the appeal for developing high-end townhomes and condos in the downtown area does not seem to be subsiding anytime soon.
The newest batch of upscale top notch granite and marble laden townhomes are nearing completion toward the end of 2008 and into early 2009 and are mostly on the larger scale such as Paseo Chapala. The current major projects that are on the horizon are:
- Paseo One located at the corner of Chapala and Gutierrez Streets. This project was taken over by Don Hughes in early 2007. There looks to be 35 units coming up for sale with possibly 7 of these already having been reserved.
- A planned 53-unit development located on the corner of Carrillo and De la Vina streets.
- The roughly 100 units proposed by Bill Wright above Cabrillo Boulevard on the corner of Garden Street and Yanonali.
View Current List of Luxury Condos for Sale in Santa Barbara and Montecito CA.
Although most all of these developments have some form of affordable units, the bread and butter market rate for these upscale projects seem to have price points in the $1.5 Million to $2.75 Million range. The continued proposals for these upscale construction projects seems to indicate that most developers have an optimistic forecast for both business and tourism.
“When the city did the master plan for Chapala Street, they really sent a message to property owners and developers that they wanted to increase the density of mixed-use projects along the Chapala corridor, and the property owners and developers listened,” says Steve Cushman, president of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.
For many residents, the Chapala style projects make sense where they are: along a main transportation corridor and close to businesses, shopping, entertainment and buses.
“The baby boomers are all starting to retire … and are coming with a pocket full of money,” Cushman said. “They can pay cash for a million dollar condo and that’s what’s happening and is going to continue to happen because Santa Barbara is so popular around the world.” Despite the residential slump in certain areas and price points, developers seem to keep pusing for housing projects located near the downtown corridors.
Further Reading:
- The Secret of Santa Barbara and Montecito Oceanfront Property and Estates
- The Luxury of Santa Barbara and Montecito Oceanfront
- Santa Barbara Luxury Property Sales Continue to Set Records Year After Year
- Is Downtown Santa Barbara Vertically Challenged?
- Santa Barbara CA Neighborhoods - Downtown
- Santa Barbara Rated Amongst The Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties
Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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Is Downtown Santa Barbara Vertically Challenged?
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Green Living, Real Estate News
Over roughly the last 7 years, Santa Barbara has shown an obvious effort to try and grow ”smartly and inwardly” as a solution to maintaining open spaces and halting sprawl, while adhering to the demands of housing pressure. Many of these newer buildings are popping up with in walking distance to the hub of Santa Barbara, State Street. But with this newer style of mixed-use growth, there are open debates as to whether this style of development is in the best interest of Santa Barbara.
I just read a great article in the Independent written by Martha Sadler, specifically talking about the issues Santa Barbara faces as a city in trying to “grow smart”. One of the major current issues dividing parties is the height of some of these newer buildings.
- Information About The Downtown Neighborhood
- Articles About The Downtown Neighborhood
- The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
- Santa Barbara Rated Amongst The Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
- Santa Barbara Races Ahead on Energy Efficient Real Estate Construction Guidelines
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties
Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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Santa Barbara CA Neighborhoods - Downtown
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood
Downtown Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara’s main thoroughfare, State Street, which divides the city of Santa Barbara between East and West, begins at Stearn’s Wharf and continues for miles throughout the city. State Street itself is a microcosm of the entire city: filled with architectural beauty, performing arts and cultural centers (including the stately Arlington and Granada Theaters and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art), numerous fine restaurants and cafes, and world class shopping from chic boutiques to modern malls (including the historic El Paseo, California’s first shopping center built in the 1920’s).
The downtown area is very walkable and gently slopes up away from the ocean with peak views of the mountains and ocean depending on location.
Downtown Real Estate values average around $ 700,000 to $ 2.2 million.
- The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
- Is Downtown Santa Barbara Vertically Challenged?
- Santa Barbara Rated Amongst The Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
- Santa Barbara CA Neighborhoods - The Mesa
- Santa Barbara CA Neighborhoods - San Roque
- Santa Barbara Neighborhoods - The Upper East
- Is My Realtor a Santa Barbara Neighborhood Specialist in My Area?
- Little Known Advantages of Blogging Realtors…Santa Barbara and Montecito CA.
- Santa Barbara Homes for Sale with a Good WalkScore
- Search the Santa Barbara MLS and More
- The 2 Major First Steps in Buying a Home in Santa Barbara CA.
View: Real Estate in Downtown Santa BarbaraReceive: Personal Listings of Real Estate from Downtown or other Santa Barbara Areas
Read: Articles About Downtown Neighborhood
View: Map of Downtown Santa Barbara
Schools in the Downtown Area:
Santa Barbara Junior High School
View: All Schools in the Entire Santa Barbara Area
Read About Other Santa Barbara Neighborhoods and Schools:
The Mesa, The Westside, Mission Canyon, San Roque, Samarkand,
The Riviera, The Upper East, Campanil Hill and Yankee Farm, The Oceanfront
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties
Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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Santa Barbara, CA Rated Amongst the Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Restaurants, Santa Barbara Architecture
When people think of well thought out downtowns, obviously Santa Barbara comes to mind. Recently, the California Planning and Development Report voted Santa Barbara as #2 in mid-sized (pop. of 75,000 - 290,000 people) downtowns, only trailing Pasadena. The report states that Santa Barbara is a California icon that fits numerous criteria of being a delightful urban place that is both manageable and pleasant with a sense of place and a feeling of vibrancy.
For many locals, Santa Barbara downtown could fit on any of these sorts of lists because of simply its overall “feel”. Santa Barbara downtown is blessed with numerous open public spaces and parks, a fairly uniform 2-4 story building height creating an open non-claustrophobic feel, abundant venues for culture and art, boutique shopping experiences, fine restaurants ranging from gourmet steak houses and Italian tratorrias to vegan and organic take-out, uniform Spanish/Mediterranean architecture and much more.
State street is and always will be the hub of downtown, but in the past several years there has been an abundance of mixed-use buildings in the city center combing townhomes with professional offices and commercial spaces. The size of these building range anywhere from 4,000 sq ft. to 40,000 sq. ft. and are mostly all located within 1-2 blocks of State Street. This type of anti-sprawl development ultimately leads to a vibrant walkable downtown. One of Santa Barbara’s pleasures is to stroll through outdoor paseos and wonderfully landscaped plazas. Known famously as “The American Riviera”, Santa Barbara is a gorgeous mid-sized town sitting on the beautiful Pacific coastline.
Further Reading:
- Information About The Downtown Neighborhood
- Articles About The Downtown Neighborhood
- The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
- Is Downtown Santa Barbara Vertically Challenged?
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties
Search the Santa Barbara Area MLS
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