There’s something new in Old Town Goleta, and it comes with pizza.

The city on Wednesday celebrated the new community garden, playground, community pizza oven in the picnic area, and extended bike path at Armitos Park.

In her speech, Mayor Paula Perotte described the journey to completing the park, detailing how Goleta acquired the land 20 years ago and decided to develop the land after completing a recreation needs assessment.

“It became clear there was a need for a community garden in Goleta,” she said.

Armitos Park was chosen for two reasons: The city already owned the land, and the condensed housing in Old Town created a need for a community garden.

The garden comes with 50 raised plots where residents or businesses can grow vegetables and fruits.

The plots are currently all reserved, but the city has set up a wait list and is actively keeping track of people who back out of their reservations.

In addition to the plots, the city is providing low-cost and free classes on gardening.

“We’ve been working with the UCSB Master Gardener program, and they already provided one workshop earlier this year,” said JoAnne Plummer, manager of the Parks and Recreation Department.

Along with the 50 plots, a butterfly-shaped raised plot was installed that is designed to attract pollinators, such as bees, moths or butterflies.  

Along with the new garden, the park now has a pizza oven and picnic area that can be reserved for parties or events.

The pizza oven was chosen as an alternative to a traditional barbecue since the design allows for smoke to be dispersed higher in the air — unlike barbecues, which can cause smoke to linger in the area.

Additionally, the city has installed a modernized playground, rubberized safe surfaces, swings, musical instruments, and a sandbox with a cover.

“I was a great advocate for the sandbox in particular,” Councilman Stuart Kasdin said. “It’s an opportunity for imaginative play that you don’t get with other kinds of toys.”

The park has an extended bike path that will connect to Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park, which is undergoing construction to add a new splash pad.

Families and their children were invited to see the ribbon-cutting and enjoy the new playground at Wednesday’s event.

Nate Harmony visited with his wife, Kristen, and their three boys, Duke, Dane and Devereux. Harmony said he likes that the park has been updated and feels safer than it did in the past.

“It’s a good use for the space,” Harmony said. “It’s nice to have alternative options for the park.”