Police Station Project Set Back by Contaminated Dirt Removal
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The new Santa Barbara Police Station and parking project has been set back due to the discovery of contaminated soil.
It was recently removed, but there is a project delay. The city says the planned opening in Spring of 2027 will instead likely be pushed to September 2027.
The site is on the corner of Cota St. and Santa Barbara St. It was known for years as the site of the weekly Farmers Market and also a parking lot used by downtown workers. Before that it was an elementary school.
The work crews found contaminated soil and the footprint was determined with 60 samples.
The dirt has been taken to special sites for this kind of waste in Kettleman City and San Luis Obispo County.
In a presentation to the Santa Barbara City Finance Committee, Construction Manager Derek Troya said 40 percent of the contingency fund for the project went to this cleanup.
The city is preparing to backfill with more money from the voter approved Measure C funds which are being used for the overall project.
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