Residents are fighting back against a proposed self-storage facility in Goleta, arguing that it isn’t compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods.
The facility, planned for 7780 Hollister Avenue, would span 166,740 square feet and offer 1,322 storage units. One resident said it looks like “prison guard towers.” Another said the buildings bring too much urbanization to rural western Goleta.
“If they were to build this, we look out from our bedroom window, we would see a wall,” said Robert Miller, who lives across the street from the site.
The proposed site neighbors the Ellwood Mesa Sperling Preserve, Ellwood Elementary School and Westmont of Santa Barbara, an assisted living facility. It is also down the road from the Sandpiper Golf Club.
Story poles were put up for the facility ahead of an Aug. 11 meeting with the Design Review Board. The board first reviewed the proposal in April 2025.
The proposal calls for three one-story buildings and three two-story buildings for storage, and a two-story manager’s office. Each storage unit is around 100 square feet.
A 494-space parking space would be demolished for construction, and the tallest building is around 29 feet in height. The facility would have 14 parking spaces and be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Troy White, a project representative for TW Land Planning & Development, LLC, said in an emailed statement that developers responded to neighbors’ concerns by scaling the project down by around 18% of its original size. He said the property has been a commercial and industrial parking lot for more than 30 years.
Developers proposed a barn-like roof design and board and batten exterior to align with Goleta’s architectural character, White said in the statement.
“As homes get smaller and garages disappear, secure storage is a service this community needs,” he said.
Miller, who has lived in a townhouse by the property since 2014, said he believes the development is unnecessary because Goleta has several other self-storage facilities in more commercial areas. Other services nearby include Goleta Valley Self Storage, SmartStop Self Storage and Patterson Plus Self-Storage.
Robert Miller was a former Goleta Planning Commissioner and his wife, Anne Miller, is a current member of the Planning Commission.
For Councilmember Stuart Kasdin, whose district encompasses the property, he questioned if a self-storage facility was the best use of the property. He said his constituents are more concerned about housing.
“It just strikes me that it doesn’t seem like the highest and best use of the land,” he said.
“When I look and think of places that have a view of the ocean,” Kasdin said, “is really the best use to have self-storage?”
Councilmember James Kyriaco, whose district covers Southeast Goleta and Old Town, said there has been a broader push in the region to create more self-storage facilities as more people shift toward living in small-sized units.
However, Kyriaco said he feels that more self-storage in Goleta isn’t something residents have been asking for.
“The most successful developers, in my experience, are the ones that really reach out to the community and reach out to local officials and try and get a sense from the community what the needs are,” Kyriaco said. “I’m not convinced yet that this is what has happened with this proposal.”
Mark Kram, another resident who lives across the street from the property, said he believes the development could disrupt people looking to hike nearby. He said many hikers park on Las Armas Road—adjacent to the proposed site—to access a trail by the Bluffs, a neighborhood by the site.
“You can just walk out to a beach and not see anybody else,” he said. “There’s reason that people moved here to get away from the urbanization—and I’m one of those people.”
Despite concerns from neighbors, Kram said he is hoping to hear out the developer’s ideas and come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
“We don’t want to just stop everything,” he said. “We just want to have something that adds value to our community.”
