Goleta’s Stow Grove Park will soon have the city’s first fully inclusive, universal playground. The city is asking community members to comment on the project by the end of the month.
The universal playground was supported by local representatives Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Senator Monique Limón, and Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed off on $750,000 in state funds for the project.
JoAnne Plummer is Goleta’s Parks and Recreation Manager.
“The budget was signed, and that money is secured toward that part of our Master Plan, and we’re thrilled,” Plummer said.
She describes a universal playground as fully accessible and designed to meet the needs of all ages and abilities — whether that’s physical, social, sensory, cognitive, or other needs.
“So, if you’re in a wheelchair, we’ll be able to have accessible opportunities. If you need some quiet time, there’ll be some spaces for respite and peace," she said. "There’s also the opportunity for young children to be interactive with parents and grandparents, so intergenerational opportunities."
Stow Grove has been a public park since 1920. It’s located in a quiet residential neighborhood off Cathedral Oaks Road at La Patera Lane. Plummer said the plan for the park’s renovation is still in the works, but it will definitely incorporate the many Redwood trees planted in the 1930s by the park’s namesake Edgar Stow.
“We value these trees. They produce a lot of shade, but they also produce a lot of habitat and we know a lot of people come here to look at the birds,” Plummer said.
Currently, the main playground area is divided into three separate sections that step down into heavy sand. Plummer said the new design will be a larger, more cohesive space on level ground.
“It will have swings and slides and ramps and climbing things and twisting things, and just one universal flat space,” she said.
Universal playgrounds require extra space and an accessible parking lot, she said, so not all locations qualify, but soon there will be at least one in most cities throughout the county including Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Barbara and now, Goleta.
You can view the Master Plan for Stow Grove Park on the City of Goleta’s website. It’s open for public comment until August 31, 2023.
