When Daniel Contreras rounded out Buellton’s five-member Planning Commission, one of his first goals was to help the city make better use of existing properties that become idle for one reason or another.
“[We] have a lot of facilities and parcels that are just gathering dust at the moment, and we’re not revitalizing those areas,” he told the Sun in October. “I think it’s very important that we get to revitalize those areas before we go on to [develop] our open spaces.”
Two months later, Contreras was part of the 4-0 vote (Planning Commissioner Shannon Reese was absent) to support a project that repurposes a 40,000-square-foot warehouse, formerly occupied by a local wine wholesaler, into a self-storage facility.
“I’ve seen this property vacant for some time. So, I’m very happy that someone’s able to get this property going and do something with it,” Contreras said at the Planning Commission’s Dec. 18 meeting. “I’m really happy to see that it’s going to be utilized.”
Located at 70 Industrial Way, the warehouse was built in 2004, more than a decade before Buellton adopted its architectural design guidelines. Other than Avenue of the Flags, which dictates that developers uphold Art Deco motifs, Buellton requires new developments to follow either Mission Revival or agrarian ranch-style designs.
“These are neither,” Buellton Associate Planner Cara Miralles said about some modifications the project applicant proposed to add to the site. “Instead they’re going to complement the existing building. So, what we’re asking is basically an exception … to the design guideline requirement.”
While the developer would divide the existing warehouse’s interior space into 470 storage units, 44 additional drive-up storage units (about 8,800 square-feet in total) were proposed for the exterior.
“Because those are new, those are subject to the design guidelines,” Miralles explained.
Planning Commission members agreed that it would be better for the new storage units to complement the existing character of the building, after a brief presentation from applicant Jacob Adler.
“If we were to design them perfectly to your design standards, there would also be a mismatch between the existing facility and the new components coming in,” said Adler, who added that he’s owned the project site since August.
Before the purchase, the property was vacant for at least two years, Miralles told the Planning Commission. Its last occupant was Terravant Wine Company, aka Summerland Wine Brands.
“As much as I would like to see things more unified throughout the city, in architectural style, I do understand why you guys are asking for these modifications,” Commissioner Contreras told Adler, shortly before the commission approved the applicant’s final development plan.
“I think we all need more storage, to be honest,” Contreras added, “because I’m looking for storage myself.”
