Isla Vista just won a $182,000 grant to create a planning program for transportation and parking in the community, announced Spencer Brandt, president of I.V.’s Community Services District board. The program will enable the newly established governing body to identify gaps in mobility and to create a list of projects to increase access to sustainable and affordable modes of transportation. Surveys, outreach, pop-up demonstrations, and funding plans will come next, funded by the state Sustainable Transportation Equity Project grant.
“This grant is the first major competitive grant we’ve applied for, and we are ready to put these funds to work for the benefit of Isla Vista,” said Jonathan Abboud, general manager of the IVCSD. He noted a large array of groups had supported the proposal, from Isla Vista Youth Projects, the county, and Metropolitan Transit District, to the Living Resource Center, COAST, the Bicycle Coalition, and I.V. Food Co-op.