This week, the county Board of Supervisors will move forward with a plan to rezone at least 16 sites to accommodate more than 7,600 units of housing on the South Coast, including some former agricultural land, school properties, and vacant lots. But a proposal by a Goleta family to transform 60 acres of orchards into a 1,200-unit mixed-income housing development — complete with its own parks, daycare, café, and pharmacy — was nixed from the list of potential rezones by the county Planning Commission at the last minute. It was a shock to many, including the family that has owned the property for decades, and leaves a large question mark as to the future of “The Orchard” development on Hollister Avenue.
Family Business
The Giorgi family has owned and farmed the piece of land at the corner of Hollister Avenue and Ward Drive for decades. Its rows of lemon and avocado trees are one of the last bits of undeveloped land left on Hollister Avenue, sandwiched between Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and Old Town Goleta, technically outside city limits in the unincorporated area of the county.