A large, mixed-use project at Orcutt's eastern gateway got mixed reactions Wednesday from Santa Barbara County planning commissioners, from praise for its appealing architecture to concerns about putting residences above two of its retail buildings.

After a nearly four-hour hearing in Santa Maria, the commissioners agreed they need more answers before deciding whether to approve the Orcutt Village Marketplace project as designed.

They voted 4-0, with Commissioner Cecilia Brown absent, to continue the hearing to April 9.

Proposed for 24.7 acres along the west side of Highway 101 and north side of Clark Avenue, the project would include a three-story hotel, a 34,000-square-foot supermarket, 38 condominiums, shops, restaurants, offices, a gas station with a convenience store and car wash, and a half-acre park with gazebo near the center of the property.

Its 318,791 square feet of buildings would be slightly less than the maximum buildout for that site envisioned in the Orcutt Community Plan.

Some of those structures, especially the 72-foot-tall hotel, would exceed a 35-foot height limit specified by the land's commercial zoning, however, which bothered some commissioners.

Chairman C.J. Jackson, voicing what seemed to be the sentiment of most commissioners, said he “found a lot to like” about the project, but wanted more information about some aspects, such as how much air pollution would result from

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drive-throughs proposed for three of the businesses.

With some tweaks, Orcutt Village Marketplace probably can be approved, but maybe not with the drive-throughs included, Commissioner Michael Cooney suggested. Air pollution, he noted, was identified as a significant, unavoidable environmental impact of the project.

Commissioner Joe Valencia countered that some experts believe vehicles using drive-throughs for fast-food restaurants or other businesses spew less pollution than ones turned off and then restarted when customers complete their purchases.

Valencia said his biggest concern is the 38 condominiums, which would be on the second and third floors of two retail buildings on the west side of the property, next to the proposed supermarket. A mixed-use project with residences in not appropriate “at this particular site,” he contended.

Commissioner Dan Blough strongly agreed.

“I'm sorry, I don't think they belong there,” Blough said, referring to the condos.

He also suggested more parking may be needed than the 800 spaces proposed. Blough said he also favors limiting the hotel height to no more than 50 feet.

“I don't know of anything else along the freeway” in the Santa Maria-Orcutt area “that exceeds 50 feet high,” he commented.

Most of the public comments made by several speakers centered on concerns about opening up cul-de-sacs in the Tiffany Park subdivision, directly west of the project site, to direct access by pedestrians or vehicles heading to or from the shopping center.

Although no road connections are proposed between the two areas, the planning staff is recommending access for pedestrians and bicycles be created between the end of Jay Lane and the shopping center.

Valencia said he's opposed to that idea. So were the Tiffany Drive residents who addressed the commission.

“Forming a direct access into Tiffany Park will definitely degrade our quality of life,” asserted Roger Flocken, president of that tract's homeowners association.

“It will diminish our quality of life for many reasons,” he said, by increasing traffic, the number of parked vehicles and trash on neighborhood streets.

Except for that concern, Orcutt Village Marketplace “will benefit the whole community, if it's done right,” said Roger Mills, another Tiffany Park resident.

“I think the project's on the right track,” especially compared to previous development proposals for that property, remarked Cooney, the 1st District commissioner. “I think it's a terrific improvement for the Orcutt gateway area. I'm looking forward to tweaking it so we can come together on support.”

Chuck Schultz can be reached at 925-2691, Ext. 2241, or cschultz@santamariatimes.com.

February 14, 2008