Solvang’s long-debated stance on backyard sheds now rests with the City Council to decide, as the Planning Commission recently passed along its proposal.
In October 2021, the City Council asked the Planning Commission to provide recommended revisions to Solvang’s municipal code, due to multiple complaints regarding the city’s current laws on rear-yard and side-yard sheds.
The Planning Commission held discussions on the topic during three separate meetings. On March 7, members of the Planning Commission unanimously agreed on a proposal, which Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said he hopes will help end the shed policy debacle “once and for all.”
The Planning Commission originally hoped to finalize its recommendations for the City Council in February, but instead sought clarification from staff on a few of the included revisions. One of the original revisions stated that all sheds and accessory structures must remain at least 5 feet away from the residence, in order to give firefighters space for easy ladder access.
Staff was directed to circle back with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department to confirm whether the proposed revision was required by the state fire code or based on a preference from the department. During the March 7 meeting, Assistant City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan confirmed that the amendment was recommended by the department, but is not required by law.
Commissioner Aaron Petersen then suggested that the Planning Commission reduce the space requirement between houses and sheds to a minimum of 3 feet, rather than 5 feet. Petersen based his suggestion on the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s separate recommendation that “there be a corridor clear from the ground to the sky with a minimum width of 3 feet in side-yard and rear-yard setbacks,” according to the staff report.
Petersen argued that “if all fire needs is 3 feet” for easy access, then there’s no need to enforce an extra 2 feet in the revised code, which his peers agreed should be adjusted in the Planning Commission’s proposal to City Council.
The original proposal’s spacing requirement also applied to all rear-yard and side-yard sheds regardless of size, which caused concern among members of the Planning Commission. In response, Sullivan and staff amended the requirement to only apply to sheds and accessory structures that are 9 feet or taller.
During public comment, two Solvang residents requested that the Planning Commission add an amendment to its proposal that could “grandfather in” homeowners with sheds that violate both the current code and the recommended revisions, based on varying circumstances.
Petersen said he sympathizes with community members who wish to see that happen but argued that leaving any homeowners exempt from the municipal code would complicate the situation. The request was not added to the Planning Commission’s final proposal, which moved forward to the City Council after a 5-0 vote.
