Modernity isn’t a word anyone would associate with Solvang, and the city’s Design Review Committee would like to keep it that way.
The committee, which was revamped a few years ago to allow for more wiggle room when it comes to new building design concepts in the city, was nonplussed with the audacity of a proposed apartment building to be a bit too edgy, let’s say.
“Where’s the Old-World charm in this design?” committee member Christopher Lapp asked. “Is there another building in all of Santa Ynez or Solvang that looks like this?”
He should have just asked: “For heaven’s sake, what about this design screams Copenhagen to you?”
But, alas, the building in question sits just outside of the Denmark design district, aka downtown Solvang. So he couldn’t very well ask that, could he?
Project architect Avraham Mittelman said he was under the impression that the city didn’t want Danish-style architecture outside of the Solvang Village District. In fact, he said, the city wants new projects to look different than the city’s downtown core, which is why he designed the building the way he did.
Well, it’s not that they want Danish-style architecture, Mr. Mittelman, because this project is located outside of that particular zoning area. But they do want Danish-style architecture, if you know what they mean.
While the committee members unanimously rejected the boxy, modern, sleek design of the multi-family building on Fifth Street, they didn’t give specific direction on what exactly they would approve. I’ll give you one guess: They’re looking for storybook quality design aesthetics with a bucolic European cottage feel.
Get with the times, Solvang. Boxy apartment buildings are definitely a thing, and will be a thing for the future. Square edges without a lot of additional design are also efficient, which makes them cheaper to build—aka, more affordable (something we really want in this state). In the next decade, there will likely be multiple buildings in the Santa Ynez Valley that look just like the one proposed—and according to Planning Manager Sophia Checa, the committee just approved a similarly designed building last year!
So what’s the deal with this building? It’s on the cusp. It’s adjacent to the Solvang Village District, which no one said, but I’m going to say it.
State housing law basically forbids cities from imposing subjective design criteria on housing developments. And the city’s assistant attorney warned the committee against making any recommendations that might reduce the density of the proposed housing, because the state doesn’t like that either.
Welp. That’s going to be a tricky needle to thread, so now we’ve got an ad hoc committee made up of design committee members to work with the developer and city staff to come up with an “appropriate” design for this six-unit building. Sounds like a lot of effort for such a small thing.
But that’s what Solvang is all about! A lot of effort to ensure uniformity and “Old-World charm.” It’s exhausting.
The Canary’s wings are very tired. Send airplane tickets to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2023.