Old Town Goleta Changes Its Stripes

Hollister Avenue Switches to Single Lane of Traffic in Each Direction and Back-In Diagonal Parking on North Side of Street

Early morning in Old Town with new striping pattern. | Credit: Margaux Lovely

As Friday morning dawned, Goleta’s Old Town woke up to a changed Hollister Avenue: single lanes for cars and bikes in each direction and back-in diagonal parking on the north side of the street. The early-morning drivers seemed sanguine about the transition, although one driver turned from a side street, wandering atop the diagonal stripes before finding the lane of travel.

The city has more striping to complete, as well as installing signs, adding wheel shops, and timing the signal lights as necessary in the Hollister/Old Town phase of its ambitious Project Connect.

As part of its efforts to free up parking in Old Town, the city plans to make all the downtown’s parking 90-minutes-only to encourage turnover. At the council meeting on July 16, one block of Carson Street immediately off Fairview is likely to be converted to 90-minute spots.

While Old Town draws its breath at the changes, the next phase of construction is San Jose Creek Bridge. That is slated to be demolished and rebuilt, flanked by a double donut of roundabouts, with work to being in late summer. The city recently received a boost of $8.4 million from Measure A funds toward Project Connect.

Amid the changes, Old Town remains open for business, the city says in an ongoing promotion. “Don’t let the construction discourage you from coming to Old Town. There are two free public parking lots, one at Community West Bank (5827 Hollister Ave.) and another on Orange Avenue.” And the Meet Me in Old Town Goleta summertime street party resumes on Thursday, July 18, 5-7 p.m., on Magnolia Avenue, with live music by Mezcal Martini.