Goleta Council Approves Massive Business Park

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Melissa Evans
May 1, 2007

A developer won the right Tuesday to construct the largest business park in Santa Barbara County -- a dozen buildings on 92 acres of land in the heart of Goleta.

After three hours of heated debate, the Goleta City Council approved the massive project 4-1. It will be constructed over at least 10 years in nine phases, more than doubling the size of the Cabrillo Business Park on Hollister Avenue and Los Carneros Road, near the airport.

Developer Russell Goodman, regional president of Sares-Regis Group, billed the park as the “gateway project” of Goleta. It would add 1,400 jobs to the region, he said, providing about $2 billion in sales tax, property tax, wages and other revenue to the newly-formed city.

“There will be tremendous stimulation to Goleta’s economy,” he said Tuesday.

Outspoken critics in the standing-room-only council meeting complained about increased traffic, impacts to the city’s water and sewer system and lack of infrastructure to support the influx of new jobs. Many were longtime Goleta residents.

Goleta City Council member Johnny Wallis cast the only “no“ vote. She said the city hadn’t done its job in ensuring that there would be enough housing to support the influx of workers.

“I think the applicant has done his job in providing for new jobs, but the council has not done its job in mitigating housing needs,” she said after asking staff numerous pointed questions about the development agreement they reached with Goodman and his team.

The other councilmembers disagreed, applauding staff and the developers for the long battle to build the park. The process began about eight years ago, when Goleta was still under the governance of Santa Barbara County.

When the city incorporated in 2002, the plans languished as the city got its footing in the planning process. Though much work has been done, Goleta still does not have a “General Plan” in place that guides development.

The property in question was formerly owned by Delco, an anchor for research and development within the defense industry during the Cold War era. In 1975, the company employed about 2,200 workers. Now, the businesses on the property -- many of them also in the defense industry -- employ just 975.

After all nine phases of the project are complete, Goodman said the business park will employ about 2,300 workers -- the same level as the 1970s.

He and others who spoke at Tuesday’s hearing -- including members of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce and residents connected to UCSB -- said the park will fill a huge need in the region for office space.

In addition to the nearly one million feet of square footage, the developer is proposing to set aside a large chunk of the property to wetland restoration, and to construct a community park and pedestrian walkway leading to Kmart nearby. The city will also net a 4,000 square-foot storage facility for its Community Development Department.

Council member Roger Aceves said this would be a “model project for the entire area."

“You think about it in 10 years … we’re going to have a huge tax increment that we’re going to be able to (use to) fund other projects,” he said.

The property, located at 6767 Hollister Ave., currently harbors two storage areas and nine buildings used for research and development, office, manufacturing and industrial activities. The project would retain seven buildings, remove two, and build 12 new structures.

The property is the last piece of land suitable for this kind of business development, said Councilmember Michael Bennett.

“This is it -- there are no other opportunities like this,” he said.