A new three-story hotel and 60 homes for rent could be going up in Vandenberg Village in the coming years.
Off Apollo Way and Constellation Road, the Village Inn is amid full-scale renovations in hopes of opening by the end of the year. Just a few blocks away, another hotel could be moving in next.
“That is just a little bit down the street here on Constellation…and it is going to impact all of the businesses here in the shopping center,” said Dave Jakolski, owner of the Village Coffee Stop & Café.
He says the proposed three-story hotel in the Village is a sign of continued growth in the area that the nearby Space Force Base has fueled.
“With SpaceX out there and Firefly doing more, there is a lot more domestic business out on the Base,” Jakolski added.
Jakolski says increased activity at the Base has translated to more people coming out to Vandenberg Village, along with new developments in the area to provide accommodations for them.
Some locals, meanwhile, shared their concerns about the potential traffic impacts of a new hotel in their neighborhood.
“That is going to fill up this place, definitely. It will be pretty busy then,” said Lena Walker, who moved to the Village seven years ago. “That’s pretty big, three stories? That is pretty big.”
According to the County of Santa Barbara’s Planning and Development Department, the proposed 50,000-square-foot hotel off Constellation Road would be three stories tall with 87 guest rooms.
County officials say the applicant’s proposal also includes a request for the construction of 60 rental townhomes that would be adjacent to the new hotel.
Other neighbors worry the development may be too big for the area.
“We have had so many businesses go under. I would hate to see something else in this area not work out as well,” admitted Marilyn Gardner.
And though Dave Jakolski serves as owner of the Village Coffee Spot, he says he will also be overseeing the restaurant, as well as day-to-day hotel operations at the Village Inn once renovations are completed.
He says he is optimistic about the business opportunities both hotels will bring to the community.
“To us, it is positive, and we are looking forward to seeing some good things coming in the future here,” he told KSBY.
Jakolski expects renovations at the Village Inn will be finished in time to open by the end of the year.
We reached out to the applicant behind the hotel and residential development proposal off Constellation Road but did not hear back.
County development officials say they will spend the coming months reviewing the application and conducting an environmental review of the area.
