Buellton planning commissioners got their first look at a developer’s proposal to add a hotel, market/deli and coffee shop on an odd-shaped site at a key intersection in the city.

On Thursday night, the Buellton Panning Commission conducted a conceptual review of the Ed St. George proposal for 2.5 acres at 20 E. Highway 246, the southeast corner of Avenue of Flags and Highway 246.

The project would include a new market/deli encompassing about 8,500 square feet, a 1,693-square-foot coffee shop with a drive-through, and a 19,000-square-foot hotel and office with 24 guest rooms and 67 parking spaces. The hotel would have four buildings with six units each.

The developer wants to combine seven parcels into four for the Highway 246 Marketplace Project proposed within the area guided by the Avenue of Flags Specific Plan, which calls for an art deco design style.

“The detail for the art deco needs a lot of work, but right now the overall concept is OK,” Commissioner Marcilo Sarquilla.

“I like your overall layout. I like the concept of what you’re trying to propose,” Commissioner Art Mercado said.

“We’re going to expect a lot more art deco design and elements and style to it,” chair Patty Hammel said. 

The art deco features could include color on the building, she said.

“It doesn’t have to be crazy, but just trim pieces and stuff,” Hammel added.

Commissioner Shannon Reese said she appreciated the challenges faced by the developer.

“Clearly, there’s a reason it hasn’t been redeveloped already,” Reese said, adding that she didn’t oppose the proposed uses, but called the drive-through problematic. 

Commissioner Laura Romano DeFazio abstained from the discussion because of a potential conflict of interest.

The Avenue of Flags Specific Plan prohibits drive-through operations, so an amendment would be needed.

A number of easements also need to be resolved for the project to move forward, leaving St. George representative Gavin Moores to declare, “It’s a mess.”

The site also falls within a flood plain and has a creek running through a section of the property, which would require discussions and permits with multiple agencies such as the Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

“We’re up for the challenge. (We’re) not running away,” Moores said. 

They intend to turn a blight and eyesore into something to benefit visitors and residents, especially those on the west side of Highway 101, Moores said. 

“This is a severely constrained parcel, and there’s a reason it looks like it does right now and has for years,” Moores said. 

The market and deli in conjunction with the hotel nearby have been designed to match similar connections in Europe. The grocery store would provide hotel room keys to guests arriving after normal business hours. 

Three existing buildings on the site would be torn down to make way for the new structures. 

Moores said they hoped to receive planning commissioners’ comments before tackling the troublesome easements.

“We wanted to get a buy-off on building placements, building locations, building setbacks before we go in and spend hours and hours and hours addressing easements, access, drainage and stuff that we need to do,” Moores said. 

The developer also suggested that a less-than-50-foot setback from Zaca Creek would be best, a request met with a lukewarm response.

Hammel noted that the review typically focused on the concept and did not involve “a buy-in” from the panel.

If the developer submits a formal application, the Planning Commission could conduct a preliminary review before considering the proposal, Planning Director Andrea Keefer.

Planning commissioners aired similar concerns regarding the lack of art deco design features on another project recently reviewed at the north end of Avenue of Flags.