The state plans to relocate a California Highway Patrol station in western Goleta, and the deadline to comment on those plans has been extended into June.

Good thing, because it looks like state officials are about to get an earful.

Those living near the proposed facility at 7780 Hollister Ave. say they just heard about the project within the past couple weeks.

They were scrambling together this week to let their concerns be known by Friday — the previous comment period deadline for the start of the environmental impact review process — but the state extended the date through 5 p.m. Monday, June 1, according to Jacqueline Cummings, a spokeswoman for the California Department of General Services, which is the lead agency on the project.

A new facility is set to be relocated from 6465 Calle Real and built on five-plus acres north of Hollister Avenue between Las Armas and Via Jero roads in an unused parking lot, land the state is still negotiating to purchase from a private landlord, Cummings said.

She said the current facility no longer meets requirements, since it’s too small, falls short of seismic safety standards and has some structural deficiencies. The existing property is also too small for an on-site replacement.

Neighbors are tense because the project is east of the new Hideaway residential development, north of the Bluffs neighborhood and west of Ellwood School.

The state notified the City of Goleta last month, the same week it hosted a public meeting on the topic at Ellwood School — one hardly anyone knew was happening.

According to the state, the project includes “construction and operation of buildings, and other structures, auto service bays, a 148-foot tall radio antenna tower, secured and visitor parking areas, equipment enclosures and storage areas, a fuel island with gas tanks, an emergency generator, utility improvements and other ancillary improvements.”

Goleta doesn’t have final say in project approval, but the city can draft a letter in response to the draft EIR, a task that would be handled by staff and not City Council, city spokeswoman Valerie Kushnerov said.

Neighbors should’ve been notified sooner, said Chad Lande, who works for the Hideaway developer and sits on the homeowner association board. Most residents didn’t know anything about it until recently, he said, guessing that maybe some of their addresses weren’t yet registered with the county since the neighborhood is so new.

Robert Miller, a Hideaway resident who moved in 14 months ago, isn’t buying a “lost address” defense. He first heard about the project less than a week ago from a family friend who lives at the Bluffs — a community that was notified.

“I can literally see (the project) from my bedroom,” Miller said. “We have a very nice view from our house. It seems so inappropriate.”

He and fellow residents at the Hideaway and Bluffs neighborhoods planned to file formal objections, worried about traffic when kids walk to school, noise and aesthetics that include the tall tower.

About half of the Hideaway’s 101 units were occupied, Miller said.

“We have a lot of questions,” Miller said. “It seems like the state ought to have another meeting. We are obviously not anti-CHP (but) there are all kinds of industrial park spaces available.”

Cummings said the state identified the Hollister property as the most viable of three possible sites that met program requirements. The state began advertising for available local property in summer 2013, she said.

She did not comment on why the original public comment period was extended.

“The Department of General Services is committed to ensuring the best interests of the community are served throughout the process that is currently under way,” Cummings said.

She said the draft EIR is scheduled to be circulated for public review in October and November, which is the next time CHP will solicit public input at a meeting in Goleta.

Anyone hoping to comment on what the EIR will include by June 1 can click here for more information.

— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.