The Solvang Planning Commission has approved plans for a new MRI facility at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.
The proposed 2,160-square-foot addition at 2050 Viborg Road would replace the hospital’s current mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) trailer with a permanent facility.
City staff said the new space would expand on-site diagnostic services and include minor site, utility and landscaping improvements, with no changes to parking.
During a presentation Monday from the project’s design team, Heidi Jones of Meraki Land Use Consulting described the proposal as a straightforward project that would replace the hospital’s “outdated” trailer and improve operations and conditions at the hospital.
Rosa Alvarado, an architect with 19six, said the structure would connect directly to the hospital’s existing imaging suite.
The “modest addition” would use simple forms and stucco finishes intended to match the rest of the hospital, she said, while new landscaping would supplement what is already on the campus.
According to Alvarado, the floor plan would feature the main magnet room, a control room, ancillary equipment rooms, a dressing room, and gender-neutral bathrooms for patients and staff.
She added that the old trailer would be removed after the project.
Following Design Review Committee feedback to soften the project’s edge, Alvarado said the project would preserve an existing oak tree and add two trees near the building.
With no public comment Monday evening, discussion centered on access and lighting.
Commissioner William Zigler asked whether patients would enter the new facility through the existing hospital or from outside.
Alvarado said patients would continue entering through the hospital’s main entrance and be guided through the existing imaging suite, though she said there is also an access point from the parking area.
Zigler asked about adequate lighting visibility on the sidewalk, and Alvarado said that had been accommodated in the plans.
Commissioners voiced support for the project, including praise for the landscaping and effort to preserve the oak tree.
“Having been in that trailer several times, it’s a very welcome addition,” commission chair Jack Williams said.
The commission unanimously approved the development permit and conditional-use permit amendment on a 4-0 vote.
Commissioner Aaron Peterson was absent.
