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Design Review Committee narrows village color palette, directs staff to publish recommendations
Summary
The Solvang Design Review Committee took a page-by-page vote on a proposed color palette for the Village Design District (DD1) and directed staff to compile the majority-approved colors into the design handbook for public posting and later review.
The Solvang Design Review Committee on Aug. 21, 2025, narrowed a proposed color palette for the Village Design District (DD1) and asked staff to compile the committee-approved colors into the draft design handbook and post them for public review. The committee conducted an item-by-item poll of color chips presented in a bound booklet and returned a set of recommended colors to staff for inclusion in the handbook.
The discussion, led by a staff presentation and facilitated by Chair Esther Jacobson Bates, focused on removing neon and bright synthetic hues and selecting facade colors consistent with an “authentic Danish aesthetic,” according to staff. Lisa (staff member) presented the chips and walked the committee through the booklet page by page, recording yea/nay tallies for each swatch.
Why it matters: the design handbook will guide future storefront and façade choices in Solvang’s village core. Committee members said a curated list helps applicants and staff make consistent decisions and reduces the need for repetitive exceptions at later review stages.
Committee members said they wanted an objectively limited but usable palette. “Giving [applicants] the options will help the discussion way down the line,” Chair Esther Jacobson Bates said during the meeting. Lisa told the committee she would return a consolidated recommended palette as staff’s next step.
What the committee did: members polled dozens of swatches across yellows, oranges/reds, blues, blue-greens, greens, and neutrals. The transcript records many 3–2 and 4–1 splits; items with at least three yes votes were counted as recommended. Examples discussed on the record include unanimous or near‑unanimous approvals for lemon meringue and optimistic yellow; mixed support (3–2) for icy lemonade; approvals for ceremonial gold and rockwood amber; approval for polished concrete and impressive ivory in the reds/oranges pages; and a set of blues and blue-greens the committee generally favored. Lisa and Chair Bates agreed staff would bring back items with split votes if the committee wanted additional discussion.
Process and next steps: Lisa said staff will place the committee-recommended colors on the city website, finalize the handbook draft, and return a consolidated draft to the committee for review. The committee did not adopt the handbook as code in this meeting; the direction to staff was nonbinding and intended to produce a draft for future review.
Public input: one resident, Brian (resident), spoke briefly at the start of the meeting but did not offer substantive testimony on the palette itself. Several committee members noted they collected public input at a park outreach event, which staff said aligned with committee preferences.
Context and background: staff previously presented color options to the Design Review Committee in prior months (presentations referenced in July/June). During the Aug. 21 meeting, members emphasized exterior façade colors only; trim and a separate trim palette will return at a later date.
Ending: staff will compile the recommended palette and include it in the draft Village Design District handbook; the draft will be posted online and returned to the committee for formal review at a later meeting. No changes to city code were adopted at this meeting; the action was direction to staff to assemble and circulate the palette for the handbook.
