Council approves removing Stow Grove caretaker cottage and relocating restroom near playground

Goleta — The City Council on Sept. 2 authorized staff to include demolition of the long-unused caretaker cottage in Phase 1 of the Stow Grove Park master plan and approved relocating the new prefabricated restroom to the southern part of the park near the planned universal playground.

Staff said the cottage is not an original park structure and that a Rincon historic resources evaluation found the building ineligible for listing on the National Register, the California Register of Historical Resources or as a local landmark. The staff report said the Park’s deed required a caretaker historically but the city no longer needs an on-site caretaker and has no current plan or funding to refurbish the building.

The restroom move followed a community workshop in which most participants preferred a location near the playground and maintenance yard fence over the restroom’s prior conceptual placement, which staff said would have obstructed views of the Redwood Grove.

Environmental and design considerations

- Historic review: Rincon’s technical review recommended the park itself be considered a point of historical interest for the period 1919–1940 but found the caretaker cottage and garage individually ineligible as historic landmarks.

- ESHA buffer and biology: The preferred restroom site falls inside the formal 100-foot ESHA (environmentally sensitive habitat area) drip-line buffer. Staff proposed situating the facility just outside a reduced 50-foot buffer in the existing developed footprint near the maintenance yard and using a prefabricated building delivered to the site to limit on-site construction a disturbance. Staff also said the project would follow required biological monitoring for bird and monarch butterfly activity and other CEQA‑required mitigations prior to construction.

- Timing and grants: Staff indicated the construction documents are in progress and that the project team plans to run plan review and the biological study concurrently; the grant tied to the project has an expiration of December 2026 and staff said the timeline aims for the park to open to the public roughly three months before that expiration, with bid and construction scheduling to follow.

Council and public reaction

Council members and commissioners who reviewed the matter said the city conducted a deliberative outreach process that included a public workshop, Parks & Recreation Commission review and a Historic Preservation Commission consultation. Several council members asked that the city acknowledge the park’s history through interpretive signage; staff said they would work with the Stowe family and the Historic Preservation Commission on interpretive elements.

Vote and next steps

Council voted unanimously to include removal of the caretaker cottage in Phase 1 and to relocate the restroom as described. Staff will prepare any necessary follow-up CEQA materials, finalize the biological study and proceed with construction documents, bidding and permit review.

Quotes

Project staff: “The structure was not an original structure at Stow Grove Park,” and “The city of Goleta put a member of their maintenance team in that cottage until 02/2016,” (staff presentation summarizing the Rincon report).

Ending

With council direction, staff will finalize the design and environmental studies for the revised Phase 1 scope and return as needed with any required CEQA follow-up before proceeding to bid.