Solvang holds workshop on objective design standards and sign rules for village R3 lots

A special joint meeting of the Solvang Planning Commission and Design Review Committee on March 13 focused on how to apply objective design standards to R3 (high‑density residential) lots in the Solvang village design district and on potential changes to the city’s sign code.

At the start of the meeting, Chair Williams called the workshop to order at 6:04 p.m. Staff member Rafael (staff) led most of the presentation and described the session as “a participatory workshop,” asking the public and commissioners to respond to polls via a QR code or menti.com. Rafael said the workshop followed feedback from a summer 2024 business survey and council direction to address specific aspects of objective design standards in the R3 zone.

The meeting centered on two connected issues: whether certain R3 lots should be included in the village design district and how to write objective standards that ensure new residential projects are visually consistent with neighboring properties in the village. Rafael explained that recent state law…