Daily Archives: June 29, 2021

#VaccinateGoleta Update

If you have not yet been vaccinated, we encourage you to do so.  As of July 1, 2021, 67% of eligible Santa Barbara County residents are vaccinated and 58.7% are fully vaccinated. Please do your part and get vaccinated to better protect the entire community.

It’s even more important to get vaccinated given new cases of the Delta variant that have been found in Santa Barbara County. The Delta variant is labeled as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is known to have increased transmissibility.

“These [Delta variant] cases serve as a reminder that even as our progress continues towards the end, our community is still in a pandemic, shared Van Do-Reynoso, County Public Health Director. “We have a tried and true method of preventing severe illness and hospitalization from the COVID-19 Delta variant, and that is getting vaccinated.  If you are eligible and have not yet been vaccinated, we urge you to get your first shot as soon as possible.”

Everyone ages 12+ years of age is eligible (minors are only eligible for the Pfizer vaccine). For information on walk-in Community Vaccination Clinics, or how to make an appointment at a local pharmacy, please visit https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/.

If you haven’t already, watch this short video from the Goleta City Council on the importance of getting vaccinated. #VaccinateGoleta

Goleta Train Depot Design Review Board Input on July 13

The Goleta Design Review Board will conduct an Advisory review and offer comments on design-related issues for the Goleta Train Depot project located at 27 South La Patera Lane. The Design Review Board (DRB) Meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, July 13 at 3:00 p.m. A link to participate will be available in the agenda within 72 hours of the meeting; the agenda can be accessed on the City website at www.CityofGoleta.org/GoletaMeetings. View the Notice of Public Hearing here.

Project Description (City request for DRB Advisory Input):

This is a request for Advisory review. This is a City of Goleta project which does not require formal review or approval by the DRB. However, this is an important Gateway project for the community and City staff is interested in soliciting DRB’s input for a third time.

The property includes an existing 39,800-square foot warehouse structure with an associated parking lot, outdoor storage area, and vehicle yard on an approximately 2.5-acre parcel. The existing warehouse structure covers approximately 50 percent of the overall site and is situated in the middle of the northern middle side of the project site. The City is replacing the existing warehouse structure, built in 1967, with a new approximately 9,000 square foot Goleta Train Depot structure.

The project would involve demolition of the existing warehouse structure and construction of a new train depot building. Other components of the project include a parking lot and a passenger drop-off area, outdoor waiting areas, bike storage, signage, outdoor lighting, and landscaping.

After demolition, a new Goleta Train Depot (“GTD”) building and required associated amenities for the Depot would be constructed. These amenities would be located both within the project site as well as within the City-owned right-of-way adjacent to and leading to the site. The proposed Depot structure would provide a permanent, enclosed, and safe structure for Amtrak passengers to use as they wait to board or after they disembark from trains.

Environmental Review (In-process):

The City will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and circulate this document for public review, and the City Council will review all aspects of the project including the adequacy of the proposed EIR at the time the first action is taken on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project. Staff is requesting input on the design concept at this stage (35% conceptual drawings) in the project review process.

Additional Information:

Please contact Jaime Valdez, Goleta Train Depot Project Manager, at (805) 961-7568, or via email at jvaldez@cityofgoleta.org for more information on this project. Comments on this project may be emailed to the project planner by 5:00 p.m. the day before the hearing date.

Learn more about the Goleta Train Depot project at www.tinyurl.com/GoletaTrainDepot.


Pictured: Goleta Train Depot rendering

Help Us Draw Goleta on August 2nd for District Elections

Mark your calendars for the City’s next in-person District Elections workshop on Monday, August 2 at 6:00 p.m. at Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). This third and final workshop will also serve as the first of four official public hearings as required by state law.

With district elections, the City of Goleta will be divided into four districts, and voters in each district will elect a City Council member who lives in their own district. The mayor will continue to be elected by voters across Goleta. Public input is a critical part of the process to draw the initial district lines. We encourage you to be a part of this special civic engagement experience and help literally shape the future of Goleta during this historic process.

The City of Goleta hosted its first in-person workshop since the onset of pandemic restrictions on June 26 at the Goleta Union School District Boardroom at 401 N. Fairview Avenue. More than 30 people turned out to learn about the City’s move to district elections and ask questions. The workshop educated the public on the process, showcased the demographics of the City, and demonstrated how to use the paper and online mapping tools to help equip community members to draw their own proposed boundaries. A recording of the June 26 meeting is available to watch here.

Another way the community can participate is by visiting the City’s district elections website, www.DrawGoleta.org, where you can learn more about the process, view a Story Map that provides interesting demographic and geographic information about Goleta, see upcoming hearing dates and deadlines, and draw and submit your own district boundary map using various paper and online tools.

Regardless of whether you choose to submit a map, we also want to hear from you on what communities of interest might exist within Goleta. A community of interest is a group of people with common interests who live close together and would benefit from being kept together in a single district. If you know of a community of interest, please email it to Goleta City Clerk Deborah Lopez at dlopez@cityofgoleta.org.

For additional questions, contact cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org or call 805-961-7505.

Thank you for your interest and participation. See you on August 2nd!

Pictured: Synergy Computing, Inc CEO Scott Phillips, City of Goleta Deputy City Clerk Liana Campos, National Demographics Corporation Consultant Daniel Phillips, City of Goleta Clerk Deborah Lopez, and National Demographics Corporation Consultant Justin Levitt pose for photo outside of the GUSD boardroom following the District Elections Workshop