Chasing Down the Wild Target Rumor

Though Target denies they mean that a store will follow, tentative plans filed with Goleta’s planning department for the Kmart property at 6865 Hollister Avenue plainly read “Target.” However, the corporation had “no new store news to share at this time,” said Target spokesperson Jacque DuBuse. The application, which raised shopaholic hopes in Goleta this weekend, was just “one piece of a whole lot of other things,” DuBuse said.

The plans submitted are for an improvement of the interior by the tenant with a façade update, according to the documents at Goleta’s planning counter. They open the door to informal discussions on the bureaucratic details and fees that would be involved should the store go forward. If they do, Goleta will have a Target with a CVS, Starbucks, grocery aisles, domestic goods, and all the kids, mens, and womens clothing and shoes shoppers love to browse, all in more than 132,000 square feet. The plans also call for a pick-up location, tree renovation, and landscaping.

“We still have a lot to boxes to check,” DuBuse emphasized, indicating that the inquiries were only preliminary, though Target remained “really interested” in opening a store in Goleta.

According to county real estate records, a limited partnership formed by Merlone Geier Partners of San Francisco bought the property from Sears Holdings for $20 million in July 2017. Leasing agent Taylor Pham confirmed the investors had worked with Target previously on other properties. The rectangular parcel totals 8.87 acres and includes the parking lot and the building that houses Cajun Kitchen and a number of Asian restaurants and markets.