Mayor David Silva declared that Buellton stands at a pivotal point because of a number of projects before pronouncing the small city as “simply fabulous.” 

Silva delivered the State of Buellton presentation Thursday morning at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott with about 75 people in attendance. The Buellton Chamber of Commerce organized the breakfast event, which also included handing out two awards.

“We have to say the state of Buellton is, with all of us working together, it’s just simply fabulous,” Silva said.

His presentation and questions asked by the audience afterward covered a broad range of topics and included a friendly warning for Highway 246 speeders.

Buellton has funded a motorcycle officer position amid efforts to crack down on speeders and other driving scofflaws, especially along Highway 246, the mayor said.

The new enforcement campaign will rev up in July, helping to solve one of the biggest complaints the City Council and staff hear from community members, he added.

“This is your warning to adjust your driving style now,” Silva said.

Introducing the day’s theme as “Together We’re Getting Better,” Silva described Buellton as on the cusp of a transformative moment. 

That includes the revitalization of the Avenue of Flags, essentially the city’s downtown core, amid efforts dating back decades.

“We are on the cusp of making that happen. That’s something that’s a testament to all of Buellton,” he said. “It’s always been known as maybe something would happen eventually. We’re really at the precipice of all that taking place, and we see that in the projects that are coming to fruition.” 

Displaying a slide showing a chart comparing Buellton’s per capita sales tax proceeds far outpacing others, Silva said, “Girl, we doing good” before crediting local business operators.

“That’s the ingenuity and the forward thinking and the great businesses all of you run in our town. We are a small but mighty economic driver, and I don’t think that’s celebrated enough,” he said. 

With a General Plan update in progress, Buellton has opportunities now to plot what it wants to be in 2050.

“We aren’t just a gas station town anymore,” he said, adding that Buellton is becoming a destination with restaurants diversifying.

He noted several new housing projects, including the 49-unit Polo Village Apartments to provide housing for those living in old motels along the Avenue of Flags.

The Buellton Garden Apartments, on the southern end of McMurray Road, will add another 89 units next summer with an eye toward affordable housing, including veterans and agriculture industry workers. 

The Village Senior Apartments, now under construction, will bring 50 units for senior citizens. 

While he detailed housing projects on and near McMurray Road, he didn’t mention several multistory mixed-use projects proposed for the Avenue of Flags.

The mayor’s presentation also celebrated the completion of the Buellton Library’s move from an old military building into the renovated Willemsen Dairy home.

“This has been an opportunity for us to expand our services,” Silva said, crediting “the tenacity, the grit and sometimes the intimidation of our former mayor, Holly Sierra.”

“This was years in the making,” Silva added about the library project.

Another section of the property will see the Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum develop. Plans call for the project’s completion in phases with the first one opening this fall.

The presentation wasn’t just focused on government, with another topic centered on trees.

Buellton has launched an effort to grow the tree canopy with an initiative to add 1,000 trees, “an ambitious and audacious goal,” the mayor said. The effort, championed by Councilman Hudson Hornick, involves the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden. 

The mayor also revealed a Christmas present of sorts. The city will get a 22-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce to serve as “a proper Buellton Christmas tree,” which will allow the retirement of a plastic version.

Before Silva’s talk, the Chamber of Commerce named the City of Buellton as the recipient of the Beautification Award for improvements at the old Willemsen Dairy property and home of the new library.

A recognizable name and face because of the family auto dealership’s television ads, Dan Vreeland from Jim Vreeland Ford received the Vince B. Evans Award, named for a man who gave his heart and soul to Buellton. The surprise award recognizes recipients’ community spirit.

Vreeland has been active in various facets of the city and broader Santa Ynez Valley, including Vikings of Solvang, the Buellton Rotary and more.

Through the family’s business, Vreeland has provided donations to support assorted organizations in Buellton.