Finding enough space for sports, particularly soccer, in Santa Maria has been an ongoing issue for more than two decades.
In 2016, the city decided to pursue funding and identify sites for a future sports complex, including one east of Blosser Road. The future complex ran into increasing construction costs as time went on, setting back the date for the needed facility to open, Community Development Director and Interim Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu told the Sun.
While costs to build a new needed sports field continue to increase, with construction costs now sitting at $15 million, the city now has about $10 million and could be ready to start construction in 2024 and 2025, Wu said.
“That’s a rough timeline and it’s fairly aggressive, but we’re eager to have this sports complex up and going in order to serve our residents,” Wu said.
The sports complex site is part of the Blosser Southeast Specific Plan, which could help develop up to 1,168 residential units on approximately 146 acres of land south of Stowell Road, west of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad tracks, and east of Blosser.
“The specific plan was amended a few years ago, but only in 2023 did we process numerous planning entitlements for future housing in the area, and we are finally at a point where we are seeing construction in this area, including the sports complex,” Wu said.
The city identified other revenue streams including, Proposition 68 funding—which is meant for park development—funding from Santa Barbara County, and a contribution from the Community Development Block Grants Program in order to meet the $15 million price tag, he said.
Recently, Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and State Sen. Monique Limón helped bring in $1 million from the state for the sports complex.
“This additional $1 million would help tremendously as we close the gap between the funding we secured and the total coast of park development,” Wu said.
In a statement, Assemblymember Hart told the Sun that he wanted to help get the project closer to fruition.
“Santa Maria is the youngest and most populous city in Santa Barbara County. Youth and families in Santa Maria deserve high-quality public parks,” Hart said in the statement. “This funding is not only an investment in the development of this park, but also an investment in improving the health, safety, and quality of life for the surrounding neighborhoods.”
Moving forward, the City Council will need to approve the transfer of the property to the city, authorize construction contracts, and receive updates on the project, interim Recreation and Parks Director Angela Oslund told the Sun in an email.
“I think we’re really looking forward to the development of the sports complex because it serves our community, and it’s a facility we have heard our residents ask for and we hear it also from many of the soccer organizations that compete for field spaces in city parks,” Wu said. “We know it’s in demand and we know the residents and organizations are eager to have this in our city. Likewise, we are eager to build this for our city.”
This article appears in Dec 21-31, 2023.