Anonymous
Update by Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
After an eight-year-long search, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County secured a new warehouse at 80 Coromar Drive in Goleta.
With 57,000 square feet of warehouse space already built and another 20,000 square feet of existing office space, the property was ideally suited to south county’s food banking needs and required fast action.
While the space has been secured with $3 million from Foodbank reserves and a loan of $9.7 million from Montecito Bank & Trust, $15 million will need to be raised in the coming year to complete the purchase and effect needed warehouse renovation (racks, cooler/freezer equipment, adding a loading dock, replacing the roof, adding solar power and making seismic improvements).
“The cost of land and building from scratch is so prohibitive, this space was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to pass up,” explained Erik Talkin, Foodbank CEO. “We’ve been exploring ways to grow and improve our Santa Barbara facility for years, especially since we have experienced how suddenly need can increase and capacity to meet it can be impaired when disaster strikes.”
“We’ve seen in recent years what happens when a transport channel into the county gets blocked, as with the Montecito Debris Flow that shut down the 101,” Talkin added. “But if 101 and 154 were blocked by, say, a major earthquake, we wouldn’t be able to move food between north and south county. Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria would face a real crisis of food access.”
The Foodbank’s current space — adjacent to the Ben Page Youth Center on Hollister Avenue, and leased from the County of Santa Barbara – is only 9,000 square feet and holds only 15 percent of the food needed to feed those facing hunger in south county. The current warehouse necessitates that food be trucked down daily from the Foodbank’s primary facility in Santa Maria.
And space limitations result in tens of thousands of pounds of healthy donated produce being turned away from wholesalers in Los Angeles due to inadequate cold storage.
Meanwhile, the Foodbank continues to provide nearly double the food annually that it did pre-Covid; and expects increased need to continue for 18 to 24 more months as the long-term impact of the Covid-19 economic crisis unfolds.
Ongoing community support is essential to maintain necessary food sourcing and distribution.
The Foodbank has occupied its current for so long, few remember that it was formerly a fire station. It cannot be expanded because the space is slated to fill other county needs.
The Foodbank is currently conducting feasibility studies and working with private partners, corporations and foundations to establish a base fund to finalize purchase of the new warehouse. A campaign for public support will launch in 2022.
Community members who wish to support those facing hunger may donate at FoodbankSBC.org.
Source: Hayes Commercial Real Estate
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County purchased a 77,900 SF warehouse/office property at 80-82 Coromar Dr in Goleta for its own use. The price for the off-market sale was $12.7 million.
Liam Murphy and Greg Bartholomew of Hayes Commercial Group represented the Foodbank in the transaction, which is the culmination of a five-year search for the perfect facility. Dave Pintard of Pintard Commercial Real Estate and Kristopher Roth of Hayes Commercial Group represented the seller.
“In the past 18 months Foodbank has doubled the amount of food and services it provides to the residents of Santa Barbara County,” Murphy said. “We are honored to help Foodbank acquire this property, which will enable them to continue to increase their services, including accepting and distributing food to alleviate food scarcity and insecurity.”
Built in 1984, the property consists of two buildings on a 4.3-acre parcel. The prominent location near the corner of Hollister Avenue and Los Carneros Road is in the heart of Goleta’s business corridor, with easy access to the freeway. 80 Coromar Dr is a 57,600 SF warehouse building with twenty-foot ceilings, and multiple loading doors, providing an ideal hub for Foodbank’s South County distribution operations. 82 Coromar Dr is a 20,300 SF office building to house their operations team.
Foodbank plans to occupy a portion of both buildings and lease additional space to other non-profits and businesses working to improve the community. Questions about leasing the available space can be directed to Liam Murphy or Greg Bartholomew.
As stated on its website, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s mission is to end hunger and transform the health of Santa Barbara County through good nutrition.
In support of this mission, Hayes Commercial Group contributed a $10,000 matching grant to the Foodbank’s “hunger action month” fundraising campaign.
The only thing that need to change is people need to move to lower cost areas and not demand others support them to live in high cost premium areas. It is so simple and it is so obvious -do not live beyond your means. It is old wisdom. So the only change is going back to common sense lifestyle choices.