The Goleta City Council reached a major milestone towards the completion of the much-anticipated Goleta Train Depot Project. The Council, in a unanimous 5-0 vote on January 18, 2022, certified the Goleta Train Depot Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Goleta Train Depot Project Located at 27 South La Patera Lane and approved the Project. View the staff report and presentation here.
The proposed Goleta Train Depot structure will be approximately 9,000 square feet in size and will provide a permanent, enclosed, and safe structure for Amtrak passengers to use as they wait to board or after they disembark from trains. The building will be located in the northern portion of the project site, adjacent to the railroad right-of-way, with the parking lot and driveways located in the southern portion of the project site.
The Council also received an update on the most current design of the Goleta Train Depot. The architecture of the structure will be a traditional depot design with modern elements. The structure will have large windows and columns to support a roof overhang to create protected outdoor areas around the building. An additional turnaround area will be located at the entry of the site and is designed to allow buses and shuttles to provide easy drop-off and pick-up for passengers. Electric vehicle charging stations are proposed for the site, and approximately half of the roof would contain solar panels to capture solar energy.
The proposed Depot will be designed and constructed consistent with City Resolution No. 12-65 which requires City owned buildings of 2,000 square feet or greater of conditioned space to achieve United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
Overall, the FEIR concludes that the project will not result in any significant, unmitigable impacts to the environment. All environmental impacts of the project are less than significant with the incorporation of mitigation measures. The project would result in a significant benefit to the public by creating a regional multi-modal transportation hub. In addition to the benefits of increased multi-modal transportation for the public, especially rail service, other benefits of the project include a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from alternative transportation, greatly increased site landscaping and tree plantings, improved stormwater runoff treatment, and significantly enhanced architectural and site aesthetics.
Given these benefits, City Council also approved minor deviations to the setbacks and height restriction requested for the project because they facilitate enhanced parking and circulation, the aesthetics and functionality of the building, and the enjoyment of the site by the public by way of covered bus shelters, and kiosks that provide opportunities to display information and public art.
More information on the Train Depot project is available at https://tinyurl.com/goletatraindepot.
Pictured: Rendering of Goleta Train Depot