NEWS

There are new plans in the works for the demolition of the old drive-in theater on Kellogg Avenue in Goleta.The 11.71-acre plot is currently unoccupied after the closure of West Wind Drive-in Theater in September.

SyWest proposed a project that involves the demolition of existing structures including a concessions building, freestanding movie screen, three ticket booths and an approximately 200 square-foot projector building. A pad-mounted transformer, storm drain and two dewatering wells will also be demolished in the process.

As proposed, SyWest would then construct a 70,594 square-foot industrial warehouse with 60,939 square feet of landscaping, 102 parking spaces and six loading zones.

There are currently hearings being held for the SyWest industrial building project, ensuring the safety and environmental repercussions of the build.

An Environment Impact Report is being created to present to the public regarding the construction of the building. As part of that process, the city of Goleta's environmental hearing officer will conduct a public scoping hearing on May 17. That hearing will take place over Zoom and in-person at the Goleta City Hall's council chambers, 130 Cremona Drive, Goleta.To participate via Zoom, go to www.cityofgoleta.org.

After operating for nine years, the West Wind Drive-In first closed in 2019 but reopened in 2020 when indoor movie theaters were closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The drive-in theater enjoyed a renaissance and became a setting for first-run movies and some classics. UCSB Arts & Lectures used it for its summer movie series, and Cottage Health and other organizations held special screenings there.

The drive-in theater became a packed facility and provided entertainment during a time when options were limited because of the pandemic.

When indoor movie theaters reopened, the drive-in theater remained popular for a period, but attendance fell. The drive-in theater closed permanently in September.

Earlier in 2022, Hi-Way Drive-in theater in Santa Maria closed, and a residential complex is planned there.

Once a popular part of the American lifestyle for families packing station wagons and couples on dates, drive-in theaters have faced a decline in the 21st century. The resurgence of the Goleta drive-in theater brought back scenes of families, this time packing SUVs and camping out with lawn chairs to watch the big screen.

The parking lot was mostly dirt with patches of pavement, and some vegetation at the bottom of the screen added unintentional three-dimensional effects, but fans didn't seem to mind. The digital picture and sound were good. And the theater was praised for its concessions (including delicious popcorn that came in generous portions) and personal service that featured staff providing jump starts for motorists whose car batteries died because of radios tuned in to the movie's soundtrack. (You had to remember to turn on your ignition every so often, but that wasn't necessary for hybrids.)

You could actually hear the special FM station for several blocks past the theater.

Down in Ventura, a mall now stands where the Pacific 101 Drive-in Theater once stood on Telephone Road. That theater closed in 1997, the same year the Simi Drive-In Theater in Simi Valley closed.

The Gran family, who owned the Goleta drive-in, said the closure was because of economic conditions and the changing nature of the film industry in the age of streaming and home theaters.

Some indoor movie theaters have been hit by the current age of films. The Park Plaza Theatre closed in Buellton when the pandemic began in 2020 and never reopened. And in Ventura, the Regency Buenaventura 6 discount theater is now open only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

With the closure of the Goleta drive-in and the absence of any drive-ins in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the closest drive-in theater is the Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo.A dozen or so drive-in theaters remain open in Los Angeles.

News-Press Managing Editor Dave Mason, who regularly watched movies at the West Wind Drive-in in Goleta, contributed to this story.

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