On Wednesday afternoon, the searing summer sun beat down over a large stretch of cleared land at the northeast corner of San Marcos Road and San Simeon Drive in the Eastern Goleta Valley. Tractors dotted the site, golden ceremonial shovels stood in mounds of dirt, and community leaders gathered beneath a canopy to mark the beginning of a long-awaited project.
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HASBARCO) and the Santa Barbara Unified School District welcomed local, state, and federal officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of the San Simeon Oaks Village, the first affordable housing project the school board has approved for district staff.
“We’re here today to celebrate what’s next and turn over a little dirt,” Bernie Baggarly, HASBARCO’s training and public information coordinator said.
The project, nearly five years in the making, grew out of Santa Barbara’s worsening affordability crisis and a unanimous desire to provide homes for school district employees, veterans, and other low-income residents. Bob Havlicek, HASBARCO Chief Executive Officer, applauded how the collaboration between the district and the school board has made the process pretty seamless…