Bohnett Park, one of the only open space and recreation sites on Santa Barbara’s Westside, is getting a dramatic makeover.

The Architectural Board of Review voted unanimously Jan. 14 to turn the neighborhood park — along San Pascual Street between West Anapamu and West Victoria streets — into a multipurpose field with other amenities.

Plans call for a remodel of the existing multipurpose field and basketball court, and the installation of a second basketball court, a new exercise path, new picnic areas and new plantings. The existing playground and restroom building will remain. The project will also install better lighting.

“Bohnett Park is a staple for the Westside community and improvements will make the Westside a more healthy and friendly area,” City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez said.

The city has set aside $226,286 and hired SWA Group, a Los Angeles landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm, to design the project. Construction is to begin this spring.

The 5.2-acre park is located behind the Westside clubhouse of the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, at 602 W. Anapamu St. The park is named after Floyd Bohnett, who served as mayor and a councilman in the 1950s and died in 2017 at age 93.

The Architectural Board of Review gave the project design approval, but urged the city to add more barbecue grills to the two already proposed because some park users are bringing their own grills with them.

“A lot of people like to use this park for barbecues and I imagine they may be coming down with their own grills out of necessity, not necessarily out of desire that they want to lug their grills down there and set them up,” board member David Watkins said. “I think that would be helpful.”

He also suggested adding a large, built-in barbecue grill that people could get “20 tri-tips on.”

“If we are looking at this park and how do we really provide that amenity to the community, just having one of those built-ins would allow people to start using this park for family outings and big birthday parties and things like that,” Watkins said.

Board member Kevin Moore noted that “a larger barbecue would probably be fantastic for the area.”

The ARB also encouraged the Parks & Recreation Department to add more benches and seating for people who are waiting to play basketball or want to watch the games.

“It would be nice to have some benches, even if they are just some simple metal ones, that would actually get people to sit … because there are people in the queue waiting to play,” Watkins said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.