CityofGoleta
Source: City of Goleta
The City of Goleta is working on a Stow Grove Park Master Plan, and we need your input! Stow Grove Park, located at 580 N. La Patera Lane, is a beloved destination for local residents and visitors to Goleta. Take the survey now at www.surveymonkey.com/r/StowGroveMP. The survey will remain open through Sunday, May 22. The survey is also available to take in Spanish here.
A Stow Grove Park survey may sound familiar to you. That is because back in 2019 the City had a survey about the park to gather input on what residents enjoyed and would like to see at the park. We heard your feedback and have hired a designer to put your ideas in motion. KTUA was chosen as the consultant for this project, and they have compiled the results from the previous survey, reviewed historical documents, evaluated current conditions, and are looking for additional community input. The next phase of the project is to confirm some of the information from the first survey and fine tune additional information through this new survey.
Parks and Recreation Manager JoAnne Plummer said, “We received such a great response to the first survey, which is a true testament to how much this community treasures this historic park location. Now it is time to take what we have learned, build upon it and provide our consultants with the necessary community input to design a location to be enjoyed for many decades.”
In addition to the survey, the City is also hosting workshops on Stow Grove Park. Last Saturday, April 23rd, the first community workshop was help at La Patera School and we received excellent feedback from all in attendance.
Thank you in advance for providing your feedback and we look forward to working with you to design and create a “new and improved” Stow Grove Park. If you have questions about the project, please contact the Project Manager, JoAnne Plummer, at 805-562-5505 or jplummer@cityofgoleta.org. Learn more about the project here. For regular updates on this project, and other parks and open space related projects, please sign up for email and/or text updates from City of Goleta at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaRecreation.
Park Background
Stow Grove Park was developed when Edgar Stow first planted trees for a beautiful, shaded picnic area to share with his family, friends and neighbors. This space has remained a public picnic ground since 1920. In 1964, the Sherman P. Stow Company deeded Stow Grove to the County of Santa Barbara as a public park. When Goleta became a City in 2002, the ownership of Stow Grove Park was transferred to the City of Goleta. This location continues to be a popular destination for sports, family gatherings, fitness, bird watching and more.
In 2015, the City of Goleta conducted a Recreation Needs Assessment. During this evaluation of City facilities, parks and services, Stow Grove Park’s Multi-Purpose field was identified as an area that needed improvement and the project was approved within the City’s Capital Improvement Project Budget.
In 2021, the City of Goleta approved altering the Stow Grove Capital Improvement Field Renovation Project to instead create a Master Plan for Stow Grove Park. This change allows the City of Goleta the opportunity to create a design for improvements to the parks’ infrastructure, amenities, and more. KTUA was chosen as the consultant to develop a design that could be constructed all at once or phased based on funding availability. The final design is anticipated to be approved by the end of the calendar year.
Community member providing input at the Stow Grove Park Community Workshop on April 23, 2022
Community members discussing the project at the Stow Grove Park Community Workshop on April 23, 2022
Great job Goleta! I love Stow. Having grown up by the lake and Stow House. Fond memories.
How about a dedicated section for safe RV parking for our house less neighbors and safe facilities for them. Maybe bathroom, trash, water, electric. Maybe waste dumping? I’m not saying for tons. But maybe 10 dedicated sites and our houseless folx can apply to become residents. That way they are “part of the community” and we’re giving people a home too!!
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A GREAT PARK HAVE A PLAYGROUND, BASEBALL FIELD, PUMP BMX TRACK AND DOG PARK. RIGHT THERE YOU GET A BUNCH OF AGE GROUPS INTERESTED AND INCLUDED. HISTORICALLY THESE ARE ALL GREAT USES. Playground for young kids, mom’s and dad’s and grandparents to teach and share with kids, baseball field for the older kids and parents and grand parents, bmx track was very very popular when we had one years ago, brought the community together, got kids interested in the sport, kept kids organized and away from drugs and bad things in life, and a dog park because most people love dogs. This is a winning combination.
Keep as many of the trees as possible and keep the historical picnic area(s). Kids that grew up here certainly can remember playing hide and go seek in the little forrest of redwoods and the trails and the picnic lunch thereafter. This park is a classic and epic Santa Barbara / Goleta park for locals.