Visitor Spending Analysis

Visitor Spending and Economic Impact Analysis

SBRC's economic and fiscal impact under a phased private-club, residential, and hospitality model — separating the recurring impacts of a permanent community from the periodic impacts of events.

~$2,100

Blended spend per out-of-region visit

50–75%

Out-of-region visitor share

$3.45–5.75M

Residential property tax / yr (Phase I → full build)

2.5–4.1

Nights per out-of-region visit

Two impact streams Per-visitor benchmarks Permanent community Fiscal impact

Two impact streams

Impacts are reported in standard direct, indirect, and induced layers and separated by permanence — a steadier, higher-margin, year-round demand profile anchored by residents and members rather than an event-led venue.

Recurring — residential & operations

Property ownership and property tax, permanent and part-time resident spending, local service demand, hospitality demand, and the permanent operating workforce — sustained year after year and compounding as homes are built and occupied.

Periodic — events & tourism

Visitor spending tied to a selective events calendar (regional and national motorsport, club racing, corporate, charitable, and brand events) — material but intermittent, and deliberately limited. Large public-spectator events are deferred to a later phase.

Per-visitor spending benchmarks

Per out-of-region attendee, per event day, localized to Santa Barbara County. On-site lodging, food and beverage, and retail are captured as project revenue (a subset of the revenue lines); local transport is third-party.

Per out-of-region visitor day.
Category	Per day	Counts as
Admission / ticket	$90–611	project revenue
Lodging	$160–350	project (on-site)
Food & beverage	$130–290	project (on-site)
Retail / souvenirs	$100–250	project (on-site)
Local transport	$35–123	third-party
Blended per visit	~$2,100	2.5–4.1 nights; 50–75% out-of-region

The year-round member and guest base — not any single event — is the foundation of recurring visitor spending; it scales with the active-member count.

The permanent community is the core driver

The residential program establishes a permanent and part-time on-site community of members, families, and guests — a year-round economic base distinct from temporary event visitation, growing with residential absorption across the phases. Highest-income-quintile U.S. households average roughly $150,000 in annual expenditures, and SBRC's resident profile sits well above that, adding recurring demand for personal, professional, household, and service-sector labor.

Fiscal impact

Recurring fiscal contribution grows with the residential and operating build-out.

Line	Indicative basis	Indicative result
Residential property tax (recurring)	~1.1–1.2% of assessed value (Prop 13, SB County)	$3.45M → $5.75M / yr
Sales & transient-occupancy tax	member, guest, resident, and event spending	grows with activity
One-time construction tax effects	per construction phase	phase-linked

Property tax phases in from roughly $3.45M/yr in Phase I toward $5.75M/yr at full build. Under California practice, headline residential value and the associated tax base accrue as villas are constructed, not at initial lot release.

For defensible totals. Converting these benchmarks into direct/indirect/induced and fiscal totals requires a region-specific IMPLAN / RIMS II model; figures here are indicative and phase-linked.

Related analysis

Economic Impact Market Research