Humanitarian assistance agency Direct Relief broke ground on 9/29 for a new 155,000-square-foot facility. Formerly airport property purchased in August from the City of Santa Barbara for $8.7 million, the 7.99 acres will triple the space available for the nonprofit’s health services and medicines, which it has distributed to communities in crisis in the U.S. and abroad for 68 years. The plans include a 27,000-square-foot administrative building to house about 70 employees at the 6100 Wallace Becknell Road location, estimated to be completed in 2018. The group continues to raise a $40 million endowment for the facility, and donations can be made at DirectRelief.org/campaign.