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A proposal to turn an old lumber yard into a “glamping” resort in the beautiful Danish-themed California tourist town of Solvang has residents and city leaders ready to fight back.
Members of the city’s Design Review Committee met Thursday to discuss plans for an Airstream hotel on the 2.19-acre property of the former Solvang Lumberyard at 1783 and 1793 Mission Drive.
The proposed resort would feature 31 Airstream spots, along with a bar, lounge, hotel lobby and two hotel suites.
Plans also call for a pool, showers, restrooms and even a military-style lookout tower.
The proposal came before the committee as part of a pre-application review.
But the project is already running into resistance — particularly because the property sits in an area where city rules require historic Spanish Mission-style architecture, Noozehawk reported.
Committee members said the proposed resort would need to incorporate the distinctive design into the project.
Critics, meanwhile, say calling the project a lodging development doesn’t change what they see as a glorified trailer park.
“If it looks like a trailer park and it gleams like a trailer park, in spite of the categorization of a lodging, it’s a trailer park,” said Dennis Beebe, president of Santa Ynez Valley Citizens Council.
“I find it completely inappropriate for downtown Solvang.”
Committee member, Jennifer Johnson, objected to the proposal too.
“Even if I was going to go camping, which I did all my life growing up, I would never go in an Airstream,” Johnson said.
Local resident Susan Belloni agreed that the “glamping” potential wouldn’t fit with the character of the area.
“So, I don’t see that 31 mid-century design Chinese aluminum airstream trailers have anything in common with Spanish colonial revival architecture,” she said.
She also expressed concern the proposed lookout tower rendering looks like an “old West military fortress” that doesn’t fit.
Phil Stevens, who represented the applicant, agreed with critics about the look of the proposed project, vowing to go back to the drawing board to “strike a better balance.”
It is just the latest drama in the small town that’s recently tore itself apart over a tourism app owned and developed by Solvang mayor David Brown.
The dispute centered on ”Solvang Passport” which promoted selected businesses and attractions in the popular Santa Barbara County destination — often called the “Danish capital of America.”
Some City Council members said Brown’s involvement created an ethical problem in a town that relies on tourism.
But supporters argued the app is just another way to attract visitors and help local businesses, reported Newspress.
Brown has since removed the city-related content, added a disclaimer stating the app is not affiliated with the city, and said he is considering stepping back from managing the platform or licensing it to another company.
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