Some longtime vacant spaces on the South Coast could see some changes soon.
At 5955 Calle Real in Goleta, sources tell Noozhawk that the property is in escrow to be sold to a regional housing developer.
The property previously was occupied by Santa Barbara Motorsports and the Good Earth restaurant. The area is fenced off and a bit of an eyesore.
Kelly Hoover, community relations manager for the City of Goleta, told Noozhawk that there is a housing development proposed for the location.
“City Ventures has submitted an SB 330 preliminary application for a for-sale housing unit project for this site,” Hoover said. “The SB 330 preliminary application includes a maximum of 59 units, with 13 affordable units proposed. City Ventures has six months to submit a formal permit application.”
Francois DeJohn, co-founder of Hayes Commercial Group, said he could not talk about the specifics of the projects in motion, but said the leasing of commercial and retail spaces is moving in the right direction.
“The leasing market is decent, but the sales market slowed down last year,” DeJohn said.
He represents the owners of the former Nordstrom building and said developers are looking to build housing at the former commercial site eventually, but much depends on the status of Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara and the city’s negotiations with AllianceBernstein, the current mall leaseholders.
Changes Ahead for Camino Real Marketplace
The Camino Real Marketplace has three buildings that are currently unoccupied. Mark Ingalls, retail property manager for the center, said the recently vacated Mesa Burger and two other sites there could have tenants soon.
The vacant Mesa Burger already has serious interest.
“We are in negotiation with a prospective tenant right now,” Ingalls said. “We do have a lot of expressed interest in that space.”
Ingalls said the space isn’t even on the market yet because it was just vacated.
“We have had a lot of prospective tenants for the food court for quite some time,” Ingalls said. “We are hopeful that we can bring something new to Goleta that doesn’t exist.”
Two other spots have been vacant in Camino Real — the former Pier 1 and a restaurant space next to Jane.
Ingalls said the marketplace is in negotiations with those two spaces right now also.
“We have three irons in the fire,” Ingalls said. “We are kind of excited about all three prospective options. We are wanting to bring something to the area that doesn’t exist and doesn’t replicate our current offerings.”
The Camino Real Marketplace has emerged as somewhat of a downtown for Goleta residents. The movie theater, restaurants such as Finney’s and The Natural Cafe, and anchor retail stores such as Home Depot, Staples and HomeGoods draw thousands of people every week.
The Sunday Farmers Market and wide-open rotunda have become Goleta’s town square.
Fairview Plaza
Noozhawk reported earlier this week that pickleball may be headed to the former Bed Bath & Beyond building North Fairview Avenue in Goleta.
There’s no word yet on what will replace the now-vacant Rite-Aid building across the street.
Calle Real Shopping Center
Other notable vacant buildings are the former Outback Steakhouse, 5690 Calle Real, and the former Coast Supply Co. at 5677 Calle Real, which are managed by The Towbes Group.
Noozhawk contacted The Towbes Group on Thursday, but it did not respond to questions about the status of the buildings.
Starbucks Down
So much for pumpkin spice lattes.
The sign on the Starbucks drive-thru on Calle Real states “WiFi is out,” but there must be more to the story since Starbucks has been out for the entire week.
It began with a power outage on Sunday, but Starbucks is still closed.
The Pokewaves also in the center off of Turnpike has been open all week after the short power outage.
The small shopping center is regularly packed with people, and the drive-thru to Starbucks frequently snakes out onto Calle Real, so if nothing else the parking lot has had room to breathe this week.