Solvang panel reviews proposed sign ordinance revisions, directs staff to advance draft

The Solvang Design Review Committee discussed proposed revisions to the city's sign ordinance (Title 11, Chapter 13) at its Oct. 16, 2025 meeting, with staff outlining changes to nonconforming signage, abandoned-sign timeframes, enforcement and definitions and receiving direction to forward the draft to the Planning Commission.

The revisions are the third and final part of a multipart update intended to streamline permitting, create objective, content-neutral standards and maintain downtown aesthetic quality. Planning staffer Rafael Castillo said the section before the committee focuses on nonconforming signs and definitions and is meant to clarify what changes are allowed without bringing a sign into full conformity.

Castillo summarized the proposal: legally permitted signs that no longer meet new standards would remain "nonconforming" and limited maintenance would be allowed (for example, changing sign copy). The draft also lists specific prohibited modifications that would require a sign to be brought into conformity. Castillo said the ordinance would remove a longstanding provision that required…