Goleta’s Storke Plaza is preparing for a significant renovation that has been signaled Since January by tall story poles and flags waving in the parking lot next to Target. The new project, called The Grange, will replace the façades of beige stucco walls with corrugated galvanized metal on businesses like Cucina Italiana and Rusty’s Pizza Parlor, add an elevator tower at one end, and also erect a new building to replace one demolished due to wind damage, at three buildings at 250, 260, and 270 Storke Road.
These plans call for not only replacing the demolished equipment shed but also building a new uncovered exterior patio for patrons of 250 Storke Road (where Dune Coffee and Ca’Dario’s Cucina Italiana are currently found), new elevator and stair towers for the 250 and 270 Storke Road buildings, and a 42-foot-high tower added to 270 Storke Road (which holds fast-food restaurants and professional offices).
Landscape refinements are part of the project — undertaken by property owner Storke Road II, LP — such as the installation of brick crosswalks between the buildings and new four bicycle parking spaces. The redesign is intended to provide much-needed improvements to traffic circulation through stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks. The number of parking spaces will decrease from 138 to 120 as a result.
The project has been in the works since 2017 and is still in the planning stages. It received a preliminary approval from the Design Review Board on February 9.
Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution.