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Planning Commission rejects outdoor vehicle storage lot

By Raiza Canelon/Staff Writer

The Buellton Planning Commission has rejected a proposed outdoor storage lot for boats, campers, trailers and other vehicles on Thomas Road, just east of McMurray Road and north of Damassa Road.

If property owner Jim Buell wants to get the facility built, he will have to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the Buellton City Council.

“I guess people want us to keep that land vacant and just mow the lawn,” said Buell, who added that the storage facility was the only viable business he could put on the property because of its shape.

Buell, a descendant of the family for whom Buellton was named, said this week that he hasn’t decided what to do with the property that his family has owned since 1853, but he is open to suggestions from his neighbors and the community.

The 3.4-acre lot is an irregular rectangle with fairly narrow frontage on the south side of Thomas Road, behind the Firestone Walker Brewery.

“I think there is a need for this type of business in Buellton, but not on Thomas Road. It doesn’t go with the neighborhood, and as the northern gateway to Buellton, I don’t think it would be visually appealing,” Larry Saarloos, a business owner on Thomas Road, told the Planning Commission Thursday, April 16.

The development plan for the lot east of Highway 101 was approved by Planning Director Marc Bierdzinski on Nov. 27. Guidelines in the Buellton Municipal Code say that commercial projects under 10,000 square feet can be approved administratively by the planning director.

However, that approval was appealed by Adam Firestone, and the commission had discussed the project since March 5 without any resolution, until Thursday’s 4-0 vote to uphold the appeal, with Commissioner Lois Craig absent.

“The zoning for this area is prime in Santa Barbara County and in the city of Buellton, and yes there is a need for a vehicle storage facility, but isn’t there another parcel?” said John Peckham, who represents the Connelly development just south of Thomas Road. Developers are interested in building a resort on the Connelly property, vacant land that extends north from the corner of McMurray Road and Highway 246.

“How can a resort potentially get a four-star rating if the guests look out the window and see a trailer lot?” Peckham added.

Mark Herthel, owner of Platinum Performance, who is preparing to build his own facility on Thomas Road, said that the majority of the businesses there hired the same architect and developer to create a neighborhood feel and ensure that the buildings fit the community.

“If you allow this facility to go through, you are setting a precedent for future developers. I agree there is a need for vehicle storage, just not there,” Herthel said.

Commissioner Foster Reif said he was surprised that the word ‘precedent’ hadn’t come up in the previous meetings, and agreed with the appellants that the facility should find another home.

The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday May 7, in the Buellton City Council Chambers at 140 W. Highway 246.

rcanelon@syvnews.com