Create State: State Street Master Plan

Tess Harris is a manager in the Community Vitality Initiatives Division, which covers efforts on State Street and downtown, economic development, and business assistance, in the Community Development Department at the City of Santa Barbara. As the State Street Master Planner, she is overseeing “Create State,” the downtown area master plan for the City, which is a plan envisioning downtown over the next 50 years. In her role, she studies placemaking, economic development, retail, circulation, and residential and mixed-use development with the goal of improving Downtown and celebrating the City’s rich history, culture, and community connections. Tess regularly interacts with local property and business owners and the BID.

Prior to joining the City, Tess managed teams and projects in the Planning Departments of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Some of the projects she managed while at Santa Barbra County were the COVID-19 Ordinance Amendments, allowing businesses to operate outdoors; the Dangermond Preserve; Caltrans Highway 101 and associated projects; Montecito ring nets with the Partnership for Resilient Communities; and ordinance amendments that allowed property owners to rebuild after the 2018 Montecito Debris Flow.

Tess has been on the local American Planning Association (APA) Board for the last 10 years, most recently as the Santa Barbara Director, and the APA California Board for the last 2 years as the Conference Program Coordinator.

She received a dual Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and English from UCSB and a Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She was also a Fulbright Fellow in Cyprus, where she researched agricultural water conservation efforts.

MEETING INFORMATION

Come early and congregate around the coffee pots. Santa Barbara Club Breakfast Buffet starts at 7:00 a.m. (Fresh fruit and baked breads, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon!) Guest fee: $25.

Rotary is built on our fellowship, we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

AGENDA

7:00 a.m. - Breakfast

7:30 a.m. - Business Meeting

8:00 a.m. - Program