Solvang DRC backs amended plan for 1714 Mission Drive with conditions on windows, lighting and landscaping

The Solvang Design Review Committee on an unan­imous vote recommended that the Planning Commission approve an amendment to a previously approved development plan for 1714 Mission Drive, the former bank building proposed for conversion to a market and restaurant, with conditions requiring the applicant to return to the DRC with revised window treatments and half‑timber detailing, a final landscaping plan prior to issuance of a zoning clearance, and lighting that meets Solvang’s objective (dark‑sky) standards.

City planning staff described the application as an amendment to a plan approved in August 2022. The applicant seeks to reconfigure interior layouts, replace substantial brick cladding with stucco and decorative half‑timbering, and enlarge a previously permitted addition. Rafael (city staff) told the committee that the project “meets pretty much 98% of the objective standards” but flagged two issues: a long blank wall on the east elevation and exterior light fixtures that “do not meet the objective design standard.”

The applicant’s designer, Lonnie Roy, said the project changed after construction‑level review revealed unreinforced masonry in the existing brick, requiring a structural approach that limited modifications to existing exterior openings. “The reason for this change is we're only limited to modifying those exterior openings by 10% along each elevation,” Roy said, explaining why the team proposed an independent but visually continuous addition and why some windows were not included in the…