A precedent-setting proposal to develop a brand-new community south of Orcutt — creating 4,000 homes along with businesses, a school, a fire station and more — will undergo its first round of scrutiny this week.

The Solomon Hills Project on 1,903 acres between Highways 101 and 135 will go to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission for a conceptual review during a meeting starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, in Santa Maria.

The applicant, Solstra Communities California, LLC, a U.S.-based company with experience building sustainable communities in Europe, acquired the land and assets of Pacific Coast Energy Company (PCEC) in 2019.

County Planning and Development staff recommended commissioners reject the application, calling it “precedent setting in nature due to its size, scope, location, conversion of agriculturally zoned land, and the expansion of urban development outside the existing urban rural boundary line.” 

“In addition, the director found that the project raises regional issues regarding the balancing of jobs and housing and could be controversial,” the staff report said. “For these same reasons, the director recommends that the Planning Commission decline to accept the General Plan amendment and rezone applications for processing so that they may be considered by the Board of Supervisors.”

The land with rolling hills, now carpeted in green vegetation due to recent rains, sits empty save for a grazing cattle, providing a bucolic setting west of Highway 101.

The applicant has proposed creating a new urban boundary area that would be separate from the Orcutt Community Plan Area. 

“The applicant is proposing to work with the county to plan a new, geographically separate community to meet North County’s housing and jobs needs,” county planners said.

The proposal calls for up to 4,000 residential units with a range of housing types — affordable, workforce, multi-family, single-family, active adult, and executive.

A number of people have written letters noting the lack of housing and a need to increase the supply.

“Struggling to attract and retain employees due to the high cost and lack of housing stock is one of the top issues we hear from local businesses,” several local Chambers of Commerce members wrote in a letter urging planning commissioners to keep the project moving forward.

The new community would include more than housing.

 A “Village Center” with traditional retail uses would include grocery and drug stores, urgent care, post office, and other daily needs for the community. The Village Center would be within walking distance of many of the homes but also accessible by bikes. 

An office campus with approximately 500,000-600,000 square feet would serve as a centralized location for companies to grow their workforce while also providing a communal, remote workspace for residents who work remotely.

“The project conceptually includes a range of community facilities for residents, including an elementary through grade 8 school, childcare center, fire station, post office, parks, trails, and bike paths. 

The school would fall within the Orcutt Union School District and mark the first new campus in decades.

Access would occur from Highway 101 using the existing interchange at Los Flores Ranch, but a proposed a second interchange might be halfway between the Los Flores and Clark Avenue exits or at the location of the Pacific Coast Energy Company’s entrance to Solomon Hills. 

The applicant envisions another connection to the west via Highway 135, with several routes under consideration and set to be fully studied in the future. 

The internal road layout would aim to reduce the number of vehicles per capita by implementing “15‐minute city” principles – walkable and bikeable access to all necessary amenities, safe streets, sidewalks, pathways, and bicycle infrastructure.

Before beginning construction, all oil and gas extraction activities would be permanently abandoned, with plans to remove pipelines, equipment, and sumps.

On Wednesday, the commission is not approving or rejecting the General Plan amendment or rezoning, but will consider whether to accept the applications for processing. 

If allowed to proceed, the new community has many hurdles and milestones ahead, with applications to undergo planning analysis and environmental review, including a specific plan, tract maps, passing plans and development agreement. 

The agenda and other related documents can be found by clicking here.