A polishing pad having a compressibility-aiding stripe buried therein is fabricated by assembling the compressibility-aiding stripe in a mold cavity, filling the mold cavity with a polymer material, and releasing the polishing pad from the mold. Embodiments include assembling a compressibility-aiding stripe comprising a solid pillar of material having a larger compressibility than that of the polishing pad body, and releasing a single layer polishing pad from the mold.