Chabad of Santa Barbara will get a new synagogue building and improvements to its Goleta location, with construction expected to start by December. 

The Goleta Design Review Board unanimously approved the design last week for the new one-story, 7,407-square-foot building and site improvements at 6045 Stow Canyon Road, west of North Fairview Avenue. 

“I think it’s really beautiful and a different look for Goleta, which is welcomed, in my opinion,” board member Tamesha Schumacher said.

The modern-style synagogue would have a curved roof and Jerusalem stone throughout, according to Jay Blatter, project architect with Hochhauser Blatter Associates Architecture & Planning. 

The stone “is a very special feature, and it is an important project to the Jewish community and the greater community,” Blatter said. 

Board members also liked the stone feature.

“It’s elegant, inventive, and I love the use of the Jerusalem stone. I hope it doesn’t get value-engineered out,” board member Martha Degasis said. 

Under the current plans, the site’s two driveways would be consolidated into one. The parking lot would also be reconfigured to make room for 31 new parking spots, and two new bioretention basins for stormwater would be added at the site. 

The existing barn, trailer and shed would be demolished to make way for the new building. 

Blatter said the proposal to create a high-quality spiritual building goes well with Chabad of Santa Barbara’s mission to bring in younger community members.

The interior of the new building was designed to feel “warm” and would have a sanctuary, an event hall, a kitchen, offices, conference rooms, bathrooms, storage, and mechanical and electrical spaces. 

Blatter also highlighted the nanawall, a folding glass wall inside the building that can connect the inside with the outside. 

The Design Review Board last saw the project during two meetings in 2020. 

The project was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic because of financial reasons, according to Mary Chang, Goleta supervising planner. 

The project team requested and was granted an extension on the development plan.

The design presented to board members last week was almost identical to the 2020 plans, with a few changes. 

Some of those changes include adding accent lighting to enhance path lighting for pedestrian and safety, removing skylights and some windows, adding a mechanical well in the truss roof over the restrooms, widening the gravel path, and adding new fencing and an accessibility path, according to the city staff report. 

Plans to build a new storage building were axed because of funding, according to Blatter.  

The project team must begin construction by December under the terms of their extension.