Five months after The Ellwood opened at Goleta Beach Park, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has approved extending the lease with the restaurant operators from 10 years to 15 years. 

The Ellwood, at 5905 Sandspit Road, opened in February after years of construction and is part of several recent improvements to Goleta Beach Park, including a new pedestrian path, new barbecues, repaved parking areas, and landscaping. 

During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Second District Supervisor Laura Capps said extending the lease was a way to make up for the time the restaurant operators lost because of damage from the January 2023 storms.

“It’s a good time to go to Goleta Beach and visit The Ellwood because things are really buzzing,” Capps said. “It’s pretty much packed when you go, and I think that this lease will help them keep that progress going.”

First District Supervisor Roy Lee, a restaurant owner, said he had lunch at The Ellwood and that it was one of the best meals he’s ever had. 

Omar Khashen, an owner of The Ellwood, told Noozhawk that they’ve received mostly positive feedback from the public since they opened and now have nearly all of their services available, including brunch and lunch, and last week began offering happy hour. 

In the coming weeks, they will begin building an event space called The Break and a snack shack called The Coop on the other side of the pier. 

“We’re hoping to start within the next few weeks as far as the build goes. We have a design already in mind,” Khashen said. “We’re just finalizing what that looks like and making sure it works for the county’s layout and ours as we map out restrooms and different utilities.”

Other improvements at Goleta Beach Park have included lawn restoration, tree plantings, a decomposed granite pathway and landscaping along the edge of the parking lot, new barbecues and other features to group areas.

The improvements were funded by a National Fish and Wildlife grant and cost $1.2 million, according to Eleanor Gartner, a field representative for Capps.

Lloyd Henning, park operations manager for the South County, said the county has received positive feedback from beachgoers about the improvements.

“People have been very patient, and I’m very happy with the results,” Henning said. “Things look great. People are coming out in droves, and we’re getting a lot of positive comments. That’s what we’re here for — to serve the public for their recreational needs.”

Henning said the lawn and irrigation systems also were damaged in storms but that the recent improvements have brought Goleta Beach back to what it looked like 10 years ago. 

The pier and boat launch crane, also damaged in storms, are slated for repairs in the coming months, after nesting season ends, according to Henning. The pier has been open to foot traffic only since August 2023.

The east parking lot by The Ellwood was also badly damaged in the January 2023 storms and was repaved for $1.2 million.

For next year, Gartner said, the Board of Supervisors approved $985,000 to continue repairing and repaving various portions of the parking areas.