Public Input Requested on Renovation of Stow Grove Park

Take Survey by May 22 and Tell Us What You Want to See

The City of Goleta is working on a Stow Grove Park Master Plan, and we need your input! Stow Grove Park, located at 580 N. La Patera Lane, is a beloved destination for local residents and visitors to Goleta. Take the survey now at www.surveymonkey.com/r/StowGroveMP. The survey will remain open through Sunday, May 22. The survey is also available to take in Spanish here.

A Stow Grove Park survey may sound familiar to you. That is because back in 2019 the City had a survey about the park to gather input on what residents enjoyed and would like to see at the park. We heard your feedback and have hired a designer to put your ideas in motion. KTUA was chosen as the consultant for this project, and they have compiled the results from the previous survey, reviewed historical documents, evaluated current conditions, and are looking for additional community input. The next phase of the project is to confirm some of the information from the first survey and fine tune additional information through this new survey.

Parks and Recreation Manager JoAnne Plummer said, “We received such a great response to the first survey, which is a true testament to how much this community treasures this historic park location. Now it is time to take what we have learned, build upon it and provide our consultants with the necessary community input to design a location to be enjoyed for many decades.”

In addition to the survey, the City is also hosting workshops on Stow Grove Park. The first one was held on April 23rd at La Patera School and we received excellent feedback from all in attendance.

Thank you in advance for providing your feedback and we look forward to working with you to design and create a “new and improved” Stow Grove Park. If you have questions about the project, please contact the Project Manager, JoAnne Plummer, at 805-562-5505 or jplummer@cityofgoleta.org. Learn more about the project here. For regular updates on this project, and other parks and open space related projects, please sign up for email and/or text updates from City of Goleta at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaRecreation.

Park Background

Stow Grove Park was developed when Edgar Stow first planted trees for a beautiful, shaded picnic area to share with his family, friends and neighbors. This space has remained a public picnic ground since 1920. In 1964, the Sherman P. Stow Company deeded Stow Grove to the County of Santa Barbara as a public park. When Goleta became a City in 2002, the ownership of Stow Grove Park was transferred to the City of Goleta. This location continues to be a popular destination for sports, family gatherings, fitness, bird watching and more.

In 2015, the City of Goleta conducted a Recreation Needs Assessment. During this evaluation of City facilities, parks and services, Stow Grove Park’s Multi-Purpose field was identified as an area that needed improvement and the project was approved within the City’s Capital Improvement Project Budget. 

In 2021, the City of Goleta approved altering the Stow Grove Capital Improvement Field Renovation Project to instead create a Master Plan for Stow Grove Park. This change allows the City of Goleta the opportunity to create a design for improvements to the parks’ infrastructure, amenities, and more. KTUA was chosen as the consultant to develop a design that could be constructed all at once or phased based on funding availability. The final design is anticipated to be approved by the end of the calendar year.

Pictured below: photos from the April 23 Community Workshop