Planning commission reviews Cottage Health medical office plan for 515 McMurray Road

The Buellton City Planning Commission conducted a preliminary review of a proposed three‑story Cottage Health medical office at 515 McMurray Road (the Parks Plaza Theater site), with staff and applicant representatives present to take comments; no formal decision was made.

The project would demolish the existing theater and develop a 1.48‑acre site for a mixed medical office building with specialty care and primary care uses. Staff said the building would appear as two stories from the McMurray Road frontage, operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and include on‑site parking, a bike storage room and a lobby at the rear that sits near a mapped 100‑year floodplain.

Commissioners and staff focused on the building height as the primary technical issue. Staff explained that the site’s sloping topography produces a rear elevation of about 46 feet and an east (McMurray frontage) elevation of 35 feet; using the city’s height calculation method yields an averaged overall height of 43.25 feet, which staff said is 8.25 feet above the 35‑foot limit. Staff noted the development plan process allows the commission to consider modifications to height limits if justified. Several commissioners said a modification would be reasonable because the building reads as two stories from the street and surrounding development includes the three‑story Marriott and planned four‑story hotels under the village specific plan.

Staff identified other items the applicant must resolve before a public hearing: clarification of bicycle parking capacity, confirmation of the on‑site loading zone required by code, a traffic study to be prepared by the city’s traffic consultant (ATE), public‑right‑of‑way improvement considerations, dark‑sky‑compliant exterior lighting, and final signage plans (which may be deferred). Staff also pointed out that the rear portion of the site is within the city’s mapped 100‑year floodplain and that floodproofing measures may be required as determined by the floodplain administrator.

Commissioners recommended the applicant coordinate with adjacent property owners to maintain reciprocal access easements with the Marriott, the Chumash employee resource center and McDonald’s. Several commissioners urged stronger pedestrian and bicycle connections from parking areas to the main entrance, recommended including bike racks accessible to patients (in addition to any long‑term bike storage), and asked for details on employee break areas and outdoor amenities. Staff said architectural consultant comments recommending additional massing variation to reduce the visual bulk had been provided to the applicant.

Staff said city building and safety comments have been drafted and will become conditions of approval in the public hearing resolution; public works, county fire and county sheriff comments were still pending at the time of the review. Staff stated that a formal “incomplete” letter documenting required plan revisions and missing materials will be sent to the applicant by June 13; after resubmittal and additional review, the project will return for a noticed public hearing and potential action at a later date. Story poles and other public notification steps are required at least 30 days prior to the public hearing.

Background and site context: the parcel is zoned General Commercial and, per staff, medical services, clinics and laboratories are allowed via a conditional use permit and development plan. The proposed program described by staff places specialty services and diagnostics at the second floor (which is ground level on McMurray), primary care on the third level, and parking and support spaces in the lower grade toward Highway 101. The applicant team in attendance included representatives identified as Scott Allen and Nick Henderson (Cottage), Darcy Hernandez (architect, Boulder Associates) and a landscape architect identified as Bob Cunningham.

Next steps: staff will issue the incomplete letter by June 13; the applicant will revise and resubmit plans, the traffic study scope and cost will be provided to the applicant, and the project will be scheduled for a public hearing after the resubmittal and completion of outstanding agency comments. No action or vote was taken at the preliminary review.