The Solvang City Council got its first look Monday at an ambitious new Parks and Recreation Master Plan for the city, including concepts for a 70-foot zipline at Hans Christian Andersen Park.
According to city staff and project consultants, the master plan is intended to guide Solvang’s parks and recreation system for the next 15 years, addressing everything from park projects and trail connections to tourism and funding.
Council members also voted unanimously to appoint Elizabeth Orona and Claudia Orona to a new committee, where they will be joined by three community members tasked with reviewing future drafts as the plan moves toward eventual adoption.
Greg Melton, principal landscape architect with Melton Design Group, said the proposal is built around a three-tier approach that focuses on maintenance needs, expanded park features and larger “visionary” projects. He said the plan was shaped by public outreach, with residents expressing a preference for shaded picnic areas, sports courts, particularly pickleball, and children’s play spaces.
The presentation included a wide range of proposals across the city’s parks, from infrastructure and safety improvements at Solvang Park to more substantial additions at Hans Christian Andersen Park.
At Solvang Park, 1630 Mission Drive, consultants proposed adding seat walls along the street to help protect park visitors from traffic, along with a second restroom, a redesigned bandstand area, and moving the Hans Christian Andersen statue to a more prominent location at the park’s front corner.
“We’re looking at building a new bandstand, centering it between those wonderful big sycamores that are out there, and enlarging some of the dance floor,” Melton said.
At Hans Christian Andersen Park, 633 Chalk Hill Road, the draft plan includes a 70-foot zipline and a 50-foot luge-style slide, along with six permanent pickleball courts, new ADA-accessible trailheads and expanded shaded picnic areas. The concepts also included a large splash pad, storybook-themed play areas and a walkable Danish village meant to make the park more of a draw for both residents and visitors.
Councilman Mark Infanti praised the overall vision, calling the designs “stunning” and “amazing,” but said he had concerns about some of the cost estimates.
Infanti said the projected $400,000 to $800,000 cost for the Solvang Park bandstand and plaza appeared too low.
“They just don’t seem that you can do what you’re proposing for that amount of money,” he said.
Melton called the estimates “draft No. 1,” and said that refined figures would return in the next iteration.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Orona said future drafts of the master plan should more clearly account for maintenance, staffing and supervision needs.
“For example, adding all that green … blanket space in (Hans Christian Andersen Park). We’re going to have to water it. We’re going to have to mow it,” she said. “The maintenance burden will increase, and we should include those in our projections when we try to prioritize.”
Melton said some of the larger features proposed for Hans Christian Andersen Park could eventually charge fees to generate revenue for the city.
Consultant Richard Hunt of Peloton Research + Economics said the city may need to rely on a mix of grants and other funding sources to help cover the plan’s larger projects. Hunt said he identified 52 potential grant opportunities and advised the city to lean on Solvang’s Danish heritage and architecture when seeking outside funding.
During public comment, residents also urged the city not to lose Solvang Park’s historic charm as the plans move forward, especially around the proposed redesign of the park’s gazebo area.
“The gazebo in Solvang Park has become iconic. … In what I’ve seen as the draft plan, the gazebo is not iconic,” resident Ian Jacobsen said.
Future drafts are expected to return with more detailed cost estimates, phasing and funding strategies as the city continues refining the long-term plan.
The next Solvang City Council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 13.