Santa Barbara County Advances $44.2 Million Orcutt Library Plan
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to advance plans for a new library in Orcutt and designated it a priority project. The board selected a more expansive design estimated at $44.2 million while keeping a smaller option available.…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 27, 2026 —
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has voted to advance plans for a new library in Orcutt, designating the project a priority as the county considers how to pay for it.
The board opted to pursue a more expansive design, estimated to cost $44.2 million, while keeping a smaller design option available. The summary of the decision does not provide the smaller option’s estimated cost or explain what features distinguish the two designs.
The proposed library would be located north of Clark Avenue, near the eastern edge of Old Town, and built alongside the OASIS Senior Center. The summary does not specify a construction schedule or say when the project might move to the next stage.
County staff will now develop a plan to address a significant unfunded portion of the project’s cost. The amount of that funding gap, the funding sources under consideration and the timeline for presenting a plan were not provided.
Advancing the plans and designating the library a priority mark steps in the county’s planning process, but the information provided does not establish that construction funding is in place. The board’s vote tally and the date of the vote were also not included.
Further details about the funding plan and the options available for the project were not provided. For now, the stated estimate for the more expansive design is $44.2 million, with the smaller option remaining available as county staff work on a plan for the unfunded portion.
Story summarized from the original created by Daniel Green, Noozhawk Staff Writer on www.noozhawk.com, see more information here.
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