City of Santa Barbara to Apply for $4.5 Million Grant Toward Ortega Park Overhaul
Community Continues to Voice Concerns over Proposed Design While City Looks to Fund $15 Million Project
The City of Santa Barbara will be applying for $4.5 million in federal grant funding toward the long-awaited — and hotly contested — Ortega Park Master Plan. The entire project is expected to cost $15 million, and will include a new synthetic turf field, a community pool area, and “all-wheel” park, although the recently approved designs have still left some Eastside residents feeling unheard and left out of the planning process.
The City Council is expected to approve a resolution this week to apply for the federal grant, which is provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and administered by the California Department of Parks toward projects that “increase outdoor recreational opportunities for the health and wellness” of residents in the state.
When the Ortega Park revitalization plan was originally approved in 2019, the city aimed on going for an $8.5 million grant, but after significant pressure from the community to preserve the park’s historic murals — which were left out of the city’s plan to renovate the park — the city missed the deadline for the grant and was ultimately denied the money.
