Orcutt’s long wait for a new senior center and a permanent home for its library received a big boost thanks to a land sale and property donation designed to create a much-needed community space.

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 5.3 acres of land from the Orcutt Area Seniors In Service, Inc., which operates the Luis OASIS Senior Center. 

Now based in decrepit modular buildings at 420 Soares Ave. and about to lose its lease for land where they sit, OASIS has worked for years toward getting a permanent home for its services and programs.

The new 14,000-square-foot center would be located near the eastern entrance to Old Town Orcutt. The project also would include a 1,600-square-foot barbecue and storage building. 

The two parcels for the new senior center project were donated to OASIS, and the county will lease it back to the group at a nominal rate to build and operate the facility. 

The county’s $693,000 purchase price “would be utilized by OASIS to directly fund a portion of its construction,” according to the General Services staff. 

While OASIS has moved to create its permanent home, separate efforts looked at a finding a location to house the Orcutt Library, a branch of the Santa Maria Public Library. 

“After much deliberations and searching we’ve actually identified an opportunity to co-locate the Orcutt Library and the OASIS Senior Center on the same location,” said Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson. 

“This actually signifies one of the first of many steps towards that end today,” Nelson added. “We’ve also been working to acquire some of the neighboring properties so we can co-locate both of these community assets in the same place.” 

This will allow nonprofit groups and the county to partner together “on creating a community space that would really be impactful to the Orcutt area, and the Santa Maria Valley and the county as whole,” Nelson added.

“We see the silver tsunami out there that’s coming. We’re going to need these resources more and more as more people like myself get older and decide they want to play pickleball,” Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said.

Lavagnino noted the challenges faced in getting the project approved, and praised his colleague Nelson’s enthusiasm and staff for untangling the red tape. Where the county once was blamed for roadblocks, OASIS representatives recently offered only praise. 

“I think it’s a great win for Orcutt,” Lavagnino added.. 

The unincorporated community of Orcutt, as big as the city of Goleta, remains underserved, lacking community spaces and forced to rely on churches, schools and nonprofit organizations, Nelson said. 

“This isn’t just about building a new center; it’s a vital investment in the overall well-being and health of our entire community, ensuring our elders thrive and contribute to a healthier society for generations to come,” said Kathleen Sullivan, vice president of post acute care at Dignity Health, which pledged $200,000.

OASIS is in the midst of marking its 40th anniversary and hopes to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the new project during the celebration. 

The county purchase and lease agreement came as local businessman Len Knight donated 10 acres to OASIS, with a key caveat — the land must benefit the community by remaining open space or recreational area. 

Knight, who has supported OASIS for years, and his family saw the real need for community and park spaces in Orcutt and wanted to be a part of the solution. 

About 18 months ago, Knight offered Michelle Southwick, OASIS Center executive director, a proposal.

“He would be willing to donate the parcels as long as we made sure they were not used as a housing development, but instead to encourage some kind of public space open to our whole community,” Southwick said, calling it “a genuine, generous offer from a fellow citizen dedicated to truly enhancing Orcutt.”

OASIS ultimately intends to sell the 10 acres donated by the Knight family to the county for a library, turning the land donation into a financial boost for the ongoing capital campaign to raise funds for construction. 

Plans for the site call for a 1/2 mile walking trail plus a biking trail that eventually will go all the way through to California Boulevard, plus a large lawn, meditation garden for yoga, native plants, picnic tables, large barbecue for events, and more.