Project Connect: Bringing Old Town Back as the Cultural Heart of Goleta

Exciting new improvements are now underway in Old Town Goleta, and I am writing to clarify the scope, pace, and benefits of Project Connect. This is Goleta’s largest ever capital improvement project, fixing our roads, adding additional free parking, and improving safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

I’m convinced this effort will lead to a more vibrant, safe, and accessible neighborhood for Goleta residents, businesses, and visitors while preserving and enhancing Old Town’s unique character.

Project Connect builds on earlier investments such as our award-winning Old Town Sidewalks Project, new improvements at Jonny D. Wallis and Armitos parks, and our recent Goleta Community Center Revitalization, to enhance Old Town for all of us.

When completed, Project Connect will provide a critical east-west route through Old Town along Ekwill Street, while new roundabouts help improve circulation along Hollister. Enhanced pedestrian access and safety, improved road conditions, additional parking, and replacement of a failing bridge are just some of the many benefits to come.

Perhaps the most important part of Project Connect is our Hollister Avenue Interim Striping Project, which begins this month. It will repave and restripe an approximately half-mile stretch of Hollister Avenue that is in poor shape and out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The restriping of Hollister between Kinman and Fairview Avenues will reduce this short stretch of road from four lanes to two lanes, where 20,000 daily vehicle trips combine with excessive speeding to result in a dangerous road for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. There will also be an unraised median in the middle of Hollister, reserved for emergency vehicles and deliveries.

Originating out of years of community input dating back to our 2017 Complete Streets Corridor effort, the Interim Striping Project is cost effective, and can be easily modified in response to additional community feedback.

The Project includes Class II dedicated bike lanes so that cars and bikes no longer have to contend within the same space. In addition, left turn pockets will be added and traffic lights will be re-timed to facilitate smooth vehicle travel through Old Town.

On the north side of Hollister, the city will be utilizing reverse angled parking, as has been done successfully in Old Town on Magnolia Avenue as well as numerous other cities. Drivers who prefer parallel parking will retain this option on both the south side of Hollister and adjacent side streets.

Some voices claim that the city should leave Hollister Avenue alone because it works. So why would the city implement such a significant set of changes? The answer is because Hollister Avenue doesn’t work well in some fundamental ways:

• Car Accidents: Old Town has too many vehicle collisions, especially injury collisions. This area experiences four times the state average rate of collisions and three times the rate of injury collisions.
• Speeding: Excessive speeds on Hollister are a constant threat to drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and goes beyond the capacity of additional crosswalks or even law enforcement measures to solve.
• No Bike Lanes: Old Town experiences 20,000 car trips per day, but has no dedicated bike lanes, forcing cars, trucks, and buses to share vehicle travel lanes with cyclists, leading to dangerous conditions.
• Parking Loss: There are only 65 parking spaces on Hollister Avenue in Old Town and recently passed state law will result in the loss of eight of these parking spaces due to red curb requirements.
• Poor Pavement Quality: Hollister Avenue’s pavement quality is poor, with lots of potholes. If not repaved soon, future costs of replacement will skyrocket.

This is an interim project and can be easily modified and restriped in response to community feedback. However, based on years of surveys, community meetings, and public comment, we are confident that residents will support these changes, and accept them because there is something for everyone to like:

• Drivers will get 14 additional free parking spaces, rather than losing eight spaces on Hollister, all without having to build costly parking structures. Plus, brand-new pavement, free of potholes.
• Cyclists get a dedicated buffered bike path for the first time and a smoother ride on an improved roadway.
• Pedestrians benefit from slower vehicle speeds, less noise, and greater ease of crossing the street against only two lanes of vehicle traffic.
• Businesses benefit from all the above improvements, as well as the implementation of new 90-minute timed parking to improve circulation and reduce time wasted looking for a parking space.

The Hollister Old Town Interim Striping Project will be completed this summer. The rest of Project Connect is estimated to be completed in late 2026. When completed, Project Connect will enhance Old Town’s roles as the vital, cultural heart of Goleta. A downtown for all of us to safely gather, live, work, and play.

James Kyriaco is a member of the Goleta City Council, representing District 2 which includes Old Town Goleta.