Buellton City Council approved a conditional-use permit and a five-year license on July 24 to allow Hundred Hills School to operate a Waldorf-inspired preschool through fourth-grade program on a 0.68-acre portion of the city-owned Williamson property near Riverview Park.

The council’s decision followed a full staff presentation, an applicant statement and 90 minutes of public comment in which speakers divided sharply. Planning Director Andrea Keeferst summarized the staff review and said the city prepared an addendum to the Williamson project’s mitigated negative declaration to address project-specific impacts. Keeferst said the school proposal would include four round “yurt” classroom structures (about 16 feet tall), an administrative building, one restroom building and a fenced courtyard. She told the council the plan provides up to 10 parking spaces in the new Lower Williamson parking lot, requires all routine drop-offs and pick-ups to occur there (with a single ADA space left on the upper parcel), and limits enrollment to a maximum of 50 students when fully built out in later years.

Applicant Whitney Stevenson, founder of Hundred Hills School, asked the council to approve a temporary, “incubator” location for the school while the founders pursue a permanent site. “This land could become the foundation of something extraordinary,” Stevenson told the council, describing the proposal as privately funded and rooted in a local family’s nonprofit. A second applicant speaker described the proposed program as Waldorf-inspired and said enrollment would phase in, adding grades over several years.

Supporters of the project described an unmet need for early childhood options in the valley, said the school would offer scholarships and community programming, and urged the council to approve a temporary use to incubate the school locally. Opponents said the parcel was bought with public funds for public use, called the location inappropriate for a private school, and raised concerns about traffic, neighborhood safety, potential tree removal and equity because tuition-based slots would primarily serve families who can pay.

During the hearing the applicant and others addressed a recurring concern raised by commenters: the state Surplus Lands Act. An applicant representative explained changes to state guidance and legislation and said the proposed five-year term was intended to avoid the land being treated as “surplus” under state rules; planning staff and the city manager later confirmed that a short-term license reduces—but does not eliminate—risk and that the city retains discretion over long-term use.

Council action: The council considered and approved two linked actions. First, it adopted Resolution No. 25-24 to overturn the Planning Commission’s effective denial and grant Conditional Use Permit 25-CUP-01 for a private elementary education facility at the Williamson property; the motion passed 3–1 (Vice Mayor Lewis, Councilmember Hornick and Councilmember Sanchez voting aye; Mayor David Silva voting no). Immediately afterward the council approved a separate license agreement (Resolution No. 25-25) that sets the five-year term, insurance and indemnity requirements, a $17.50-per-month license fee, the requirement that the school return the site to its prior condition at the end of the term, and a prohibition on any extension. The license vote was unanimous.

Staff and the applicant emphasized several binding conditions: a remote-dropoff requirement (all parent/student drop-offs and pick-ups must occur in the Lower Williamson parking lot except one on-site ADA space), insurance and indemnity naming the city as additional insured, a requirement that on-site improvements be removed and the site restored at the end of the license, and a five-year term with “no extension” language in the agreement.

What the council approved is not a permanent land sale or long-term disposition; staff said the city can continue long-term planning for the Williamson property while the temporary use is in place. The environmental addendum referenced in the staff report concluded the proposal would not produce impacts beyond what had been analyzed for the overall Williamson project, provided the listed mitigation and conditions are followed.

Council and staff next steps and outstanding questions: The council’s approval does not bind future councils and does not prevent the city from pursuing a permanent public plan for the Williamson parcels. Several council members signaled they want to address traffic-speed mitigation near the site if the CUP is implemented: commenters and the council cited speeding on Sycamore and Valley Dairy roads. The license requires the applicant to follow the city’s parking and drop-off restrictions; enforcement mechanisms mentioned in the hearing include school policy sanctions for noncompliance and the city’s standard enforcement tools.

Why it matters: The decision lets a small, privately funded educational program occupy a centrally located municipal parcel for up to five years while the city and community continue to plan long-term uses for the Williamson property. Supporters said it expands local school options and can seed a permanent solution; opponents said it temporarily privatizes a public green and raises traffic and equity concerns.

Votes at a glance: Conditional Use Permit 25-CUP-01 (Resolution 25-24): approved 3–1 (Lewis/Hornick/Sanchez ayes; Mayor Silva no). License agreement with SYV Waldorf (Resolution 25-25): approved 4–0.

What the license requires (high-level): term 07/25/2025–07/24/2030, no extensions allowed; $17.50/month license fee; all non-ADA drop-offs/pick-ups must use Lower Williamson parking lot; licensee must carry insurance, indemnify the city and restore the site at license end.

Documentary record: staff presentation and the addendum to the Williamson mitigated negative declaration were referenced and incorporated into the approval by the council.