The Goleta City Council has approved a combination hotel and condo project for a prominent stretch of Hollister Avenue. The preliminary approval, which came late Tuesday after months of hearings and hand-wringing, marks a major turning point for the city. The Old Town Inn and Village is by far the largest of only a handful of projects that city leaders have approved since Goleta incorporated in early 2002.
In its 3-1 vote, the council acting as the city Planning Agency approved the 96-room three-story Hampton Inn and 38-condo complex to rise from a blighted former mobile home park at 5665 Hollister Ave a property near Highway 217 and the Goleta Valley Community Center.