Letters to the Editor
By Santa Ynez Valley Star Staff · Tue Mar 17 2020
Public vote needed before any annexation
Solvang City Council will soon consider annexation and possible new land uses for 17 parcels to the west on Highway 246, where hayfields are, and to the northeast on Alamo Pintado Road where there are now row crops and a pumpkin patch.
The first hearings on a sphere of influence/annexation report are Feb.5 for Solvang’s Planning Commission and Feb. 26 for the City Council.
Solvang would be almost 30 percent bigger if the 450 acres are annexed to its existing 1,550 acres. The 17 parcel owners were told there could be potential for retail, commercial, parkland and residential development on their land.
Solvang residents will have no vote on increasing the size of the city. Only council, LAFCO and the parcel owners will make the decision for Solvang's 5,000 residents. A few hearings and three minutes each to make comments is not enough for this major decision; we need a vote.
Both the Valley Blueprint and the SVY Community Plan make preserving agricultural land and the rural character of the valley a priority. Many Solvang and Valley residents oppose annexation due to: