Goleta residents are opposing a proposed self-storage facility in Western Goleta, arguing the 166,740-square-foot project isn’t compatible with the residential neighborhood.
The Goleta Design Review Board (DRB) will have a conceptual review hearing on Tuesday for the facility proposed at 7780 Hollister Ave. next to Westmont of Santa Barbara, an assisted-living facility, and across the street from the Ellwood Mesa butterfly grove.
Robert Miller, who lives in the neighboring Hideaway residential community, said he’s worried that the large buildings and removal of 132 trees will change the aesthetic of the neighborhood.
“I’d call it a monstrosity of a self-storage facility,” Miller said. “It’s just totally incompatible with the neighborhood.”
Miller is a former member of the Goleta Planning Commission and a former member of the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees. His wife, Anne Miller, currently serves on the Goleta Planning Commission.
The Goleta Design Review Board reviewed the project in April and encouraged developers to scale back the size and go for a rural design that was more in character with Goleta.
At the time, the large dark grey buildings were described as “prison guard towers” by neighbors.
Since April, developers added brown paneling to the outside to contrast the dark grey on the rest of the buildings.
“It’s an unsightly eyesore of a horizontal bunker-like building that’s cold and uninviting,” Miller said.
Developers have downsized the project from 202,920 square feet to 166,740 square feet, and from 1,632 storage units to 1,322 storage units spread across three two-story buildings and three one-story buildings.
The seventh two-story building would house the manager’s office, a 1,180-square-foot caretaker’s unit, and a one-car garage. The site would also include 15 parking spaces and four bicycle parking spaces.
Additionally, out of the 159 trees on site, 27 would be saved. The original proposal only saved 14 trees.
The preserved trees include three oaks, 23 eucalyptus and one Brazilian pepper tree, while 92 new trees are proposed to be planted.
Miller said he’d like to see something that better serves the neighborhood, noting that Goleta already has several other self-storage facilities and Western Goleta has very few services.
“It could be some sort of mixed-use project that would involve some housing,” Miller said. “Maybe services such as a small grocery store, a small convenience store, maybe a coffee shop. This is a 5-acre property, there’s plenty of room to do something like that there.”
Speaking as a resident, Anne Miller noted that because the site is on Hollister Avenue, a major thoroughfare, and it’s zoned for commercial use, the site should be developed for goods and services that neighbors need.
“That way we don’t have people driving all over the place to get their normal everyday goods and services,” Anne Miller said. “Even such a thing as a dental office would be better. Something that our neighborhood could utilize as a service to themselves, as goods that they may need to purchase.”
Previously the lot was used for parking by Venoco for oil rig workers, and, in more recent years, it’s been used for hotel staff parking.
This isn’t the first time neighbors have been against a proposal for the site.
In 2015 dozens of residents spoke out against the state’s plan to build a California Highway Patrol station there.
Neighbors, including Robert Miller, were concerned about the station blocking mountain views, causing air quality issues, traffic problems, and the removal of trees.
The Goleta Design Review Board will provide conceptual review comments on the facility on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Goleta City Hall at 130 Cremona Drive.
Residents can provide public comment in person, via Zoom, or email PERmeetings@cityofgoleta.org.
