Several Solvang residents are ringing alarm bells about a housing development project that’s still behind the starting line.
“This area is unique, it’s precious, it’s a place where people come because it’s so special,” Michelle Neels said. “If we start to allow development that hurts that feel, that charm, then we become Anytown, USA, and that’s not what the Santa Ynez Valley is about.”
Neels is the treasurer for the Santa Ynez Valley Citizens Council, a recently formed nonprofit made up of valley residents that tracks developments going through the city and encourages public participation.
The Wildwood Development—a 100-multi-family-unit apartment and condo development with three two-story buildings on 5.48 acres on Alamo Pintado and Old Mission Drive—grabbed the group’s attention because of traffic safety, zoning, and density concerns from the neighboring Mission Oaks Homeowners Association.
“The premise was that the application that was provided to the building department was a defective pre-application. When I say that, I mean there is a situation in this development between Wildwood and Mission Oaks,” Neels said. “There are residents who have an easement with Lot C [Wildwood], and the applicant did not get the signatures of the shared easement when he provided his pre-application.”
Neels said that the applicant needed to collect signatures from the 18 residents who share the easement before development can begin.
Josh Richman, the Wildwood developer, told the Sun that he owns the easement for ingress, egress, utilities, drainage, and landscaping.
“The homeowners association thinks I need their permission for my own easement, and that’s where we have the disagreement. The easement is in my deed. It’s my property, and they say I need their permission,” Richman said. “In our view, it’s not really an issue because an easement by definition does not require the consent of anyone to use.”
Wildwood is a Builder’s Remedy Project, which falls under a state law that allows for developers to bypass certain local requirements to streamline housing development, Solvang Planning Manager Rafael Castillo said.
The project first came before Solvang in October last year, but the developer had to resubmit its application to the city’s planning department in April and August to adjust its maps and address proposed roadway improvements.
The project application is still incomplete because the developer needs to conduct additional traffic studies to account for the higher population density in the area.
Once the city deems the application complete, the project still has to go through an environmental evaluation process required by the California Environmental Quality Act, where residents will have the opportunity to discuss environmental impact concerns.
“We are fully transparent, we have a major project page, we have every single submittal. [In] every single thing, the city has stated why we are doing what we are doing,” Castillo said.
Santa Ynez Valley Citizens Council Treasurer Neels agrees that this is important because there’s still time for the residents to air their concerns in a public forum.
“People have to understand we have time to make changes,” Neels said. “We have to make people understand that we have a voice, and we can speak that voice, and just require the developers to be responsible stewards environmentally and safety-wise for our community because none of that has been taken into consideration so far.”
Wildwood developer Richman is a Solvang native and said that he’s met with the neighbors in the Mission Oaks Homeowners Association on two different occasions to share plans with them and made changes “as a result of the comments they provided me.”
“We reduced the height of the buildings, we distributed the buildings equally across the site, we reduced the density from 109 to 100, and we changed the architectural style to be more of a contemporary ranch theme,” Richman said.
The developer and his team are still finalizing the traffic study to understand the impacts, and he said that traffic safety will continue to be addressed as it goes through the CEQA process.
“There is a dire need for housing in the area; there hasn’t been any significant housing built in this part of the valley for a very long time,” Richman said. “We are just excited to bring forward what we think is a very good project for the valley and contribute what we think will become a very pleasant walkable, bikeable corridor and a part of the valley that has a lot of amenities and services.”
This article appears in Oct 24 – Nov 3, 2024.
As a resident of Solvang, I wholeheartedly agree with Michelle Neels’ sentiments regarding the proposed Wildwood Development. Our unique charm is what sets the Santa Ynez Valley apart from other regions, and we must prioritize preserving it as we consider new developments.
The concerns raised by the Santa Ynez Valley Citizens Council regarding traffic safety, zoning, and density are valid and warrant serious attention. A development of this magnitude—100 multi-family units in a community that values its small-town feel—could dramatically alter the character of our beloved town.
It’s crucial that developers respect the existing community’s needs and engage transparently with residents throughout the planning process. While the desire for more housing is understandable, it should not come at the expense of the safety and well-being of those already living here. As we navigate these developments, let’s ensure that we hold our leaders and developers accountable for maintaining the integrity of Solvang. It’s time for our voices to be heard.
The SYV is definitely short on housing. But it has also retained a relatively quiet, quaint, small-town vibe because we’ve fended off a lot of large developments. This project starts the inevitable sprawl of higher density housing to the edges of Solvang… then up Alamo Pintado… I can picture a future where Ballard, Los Olivos, and Solvang are connected by dense housing developments. Ag zoning can only survive for so long. If not housing then ritzy resorts, using the “farm stay” loophole, will move in…
It’s hard to watch it happen.. but if we are successful in stopping all density, we end up like Montecito, a time capsule of large lots, expensive homes, where people have to commute in to work any service jobs from hours away (this is already basically happened, but it can still get worse, look at Aspen, Carmel, etc)
I dunno. What’s to be done? I guess we could’ve all had fewer kids and then housing wouldn’t be an issue.
The developer is investing a huge amount to build this. I dont see the problem. He got approval. We need housing. I understand a lot of people move to santa Ynez to retire and want nothing to ever change. People with this mindset should spend their time, energy and money buying land to hold forever. They should not ask others to do it for them!
Those of us who live and work here need jobs and places to live. We want to grow here. Have kids who can stay here. We dont want this whole area to be a rich retirement home. No real local who makes a living here sides with these nimby busybodies.
Solvang should loosen its rules so people dont need to use the builders remedy.
Lastly, everyone wants nothing else to be built as soon as they build their home. Mission Oaks was built on a far superior and even more pristine piece of land. Now they dont want more building. These hypocrites need a mirror and a glass house.