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Gas is coming to the Goodland.
Western Goleta and Storke Road travelers might have noticed the Point Coffee sign outside the old Zizzo’s drive-thru, but the morning coffee isn’t what the real buzz is about.
Gas station mogul and developer John Price plans to a build a gas station at the site, and he expects to break ground in about 90 days. Price, who owns 14 gas stations, including Fuel Depot, Shell and Fairview gas brands, plans to build and open a Fuel Depot at the site, 370 Storke Road.
It will be the latest gas station in western Goleta, and markedly less expensive than the Chevron and Mobil gas stations that bookend the Storke Road overpass, Price said.
And there’s more.
The popular self-service car wash will be demolished to build the six-bay gas station. Price is seeking approval from the City of Goleta to rebuild the car wash behind the gas station.
The one-acre lot stretches beyond the current back fence that borders the car wash, which would give Price room to keep the coffee building, the gas station and the car wash.
The specific future of the coffee shop is unclear. Price started to offer the morning drive-thru coffee, with hours from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., to keep the drive-thru entitlement. If the use had lapsed for more than a year, he would have lost the ability to have the drive-thru.
Price said he has fielded offers from a variety of interests, including cannabis companies bidding far above the market price, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Dutch Bros. coffee and others. Price said the cannabis companies, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A are out of the question because he doesn’t want to create a traffic jam on Storke Road. The building could be home to a Point Market, or some other drive-thru food estblishment.
“We’re gonna do what’s right for the community and what’s right for the business,” Price told Noozhawk.
He said he is committed to rebuilding the car wash.
“The community needs a self-service car wash,” Price said.
The car wash is wildly popular, with an open bay rarely available in the middle of the day.
Price said western Goleta residents have to travel to Old Town Goleta or the hub of gas stations at Fairview and Calle Real to fill up because the Mobil by Dos Pueblos High School has kissed $4.99 a gallon at times, and the Chevron on the other end of Storke isn’t much cheaper. Everyone benefits with more gas options on in Goleta, Price said.
“You wanna give people a fair deal,” Price said. “We’re gonna relieve traffic on Fairview.”
Price bought his first gas station at age 17 — the current Fuel Depot on the Mesa.
He’s excited about offering a less expensive alternative.
“The gas station is coming,” he said. “We will put a reasonably priced gas station there.”
Autumn Shelton New President of CARP Growers
CARP Growers, Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers, has elected Autumn Shelton, co-founder of Autumn Brands farm, as its fourth president and first female leader.
CARP Growers is an association of 13 member farms in the Carpinteria Valley.
“We have so many great cannabis farms and farmers in CARP Growers that I feel incredibly honored to be entrusted as president and to build upon the work and accomplishments of the last three years,” Shelton said. “When the industry works together to solve problems and create positive change in our community, we can get a lot done. We remain committed to showing neighbors what responsible cannabis farming is all about.”
Tristan Strauss, founder and CEO of Headwaters, was president of CARP Growers for a one-year term and will become vice president for the next year.
“This is a group of hardworking farmers,” he said. “Over the past year, we all faced challenges brought on by the pandemic, and I think we proved the cannabis industry confronts challenges and is a valued community partner.”
Shelton said that five years ago, the industry was looked upon with skepticism.
“We set out to demonstrate that this is an industry of professionals and is completely compatible with the agricultural legacy of our area,” Shelton said. “When farms change plants to remain viable, it also protects the area from development, which everyone wants.”
Tadd McKenzie of Pacific Dutch Group was elected treasurer of CARP Growers. Other members of the seven-person board of directors are: Graham Farrar of Glass House Group, Terra Stephan of Cresco Labs, Mike Palmer of Creekside Blooms and Winfred Van Wingerden of Mountain View Blooms.
Christine Bjelland Joins Patterson Storage
Former Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore employee Christine Bjelland has joined Patterson 101 Self-Storage and Patterson Plus Self-Storage as an assistant property manager.
“Christine is a welcome addition to the Patterson team and is uniquely qualified for the position, bringing strong customer service and accounting skills to our team, along with her outgoing and friendly personality,” said Trudi Carey, president of The Carey Group Inc. “She offers all that we look for in a self-storage manager.”
For the past 12 years, she held multiple positions with the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, according to a news release. She also coaches the Bishop Diego High School cross-country team.
New Real Estate Partnership
John A. Sener and Alyssa Ann Jones have teamed up to create Sener Jones Associates.
The Village Properties real estate agents have worked together on numerous transactions, and combined have career-long sales of more than $400 million, according to a news release.
“Sener and Jones recognize that combining their skills and local knowledge will provide clients with a unique and powerful brand of expert knowledge and an extensive suite of services as together they build this powerful professional partnership,” the news release states.
Sener Jones Associates will continue to benefit from its affiliation with Village Properties. The company has several exclusive global affiliations, including Forbes Global Properties, Luxury Portfolio International, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Mayfair International Realty.
Mansion Sells
A country estate formerly owned by actor Rob Lowe has sold.
Timothy Di Prizito and Joyce Rey, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property specialists affiliated with the Beverly Hills office of Coldwell Banker Realty, closed on the sale of an English country estate, 771 Garden Lane in Montecito.
The property has seven bedrooms and 13 bathrooms on 5.5 acres with ocean and mountain views.
The sale price was not disclosed.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.