Buellton — Design Review

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Buellton’s zoning ordinance uses the term “Site and Design Review” to describe the city’s formal, discretionary look at a project’s site planning and architecture within the development plan process. It lives in Title 19 of the Buellton Municipal Code, alongside the Buellton Zoning map and district rules and the citywide Buellton Development Standards. In practice, Site and Design Review focuses on massing, elevations, materials, visual impacts, and how a proposal fits Buellton’s adopted Community Design Guidelines, plus related topics like Buellton Parking and Buellton Landscaping and Screening.

Where “Site and Design Review” lives in the code

• The city conducts Site and Design Review as part of the development plan permit. When Chapter 19.02 requires a development plan, the application is processed under § 19.08.120, including preliminary and final plan stages and Site and Design Review elements. The Planning Commission provides preliminary comments on site design and architectural elevations within 30 days of initial submittal; a color board is required with that first submittal .
• For projects over 25 feet tall, story poles must be erected at least 30 days before the first public hearing and remain until final action; story poles can also be required for projects 25 feet or less. A 3D physical model or 3D graphics/renderings that include surrounding structures are required at the public hearings. The City Council may waive these model/pole requirements on a written request if they wouldn’t clarify review of the project .
• Within the development plan process, conformance with the Community Design Guidelines is a required finding, and the city may impose conditions, require redesign, or approve justified modifications to height, setbacks, distance between buildings, parking, building coverage, and landscaping/screening standards to protect neighborhood character and meet the ordinance’s purposes .
• In the CS (Commercial Service) and M-1 (Light Industry) districts, preliminary and final development plans for buildings/structures totaling 10,000 square feet or less on a parcel are under the Planning Director’s jurisdiction, which affects how Site and Design Review is processed for these smaller projects .

Core submittal and review standards

• Preliminary Site and Design Review within 30 days of initial submittal, including architectural elevations and a required color board; Planning Commission may require story poles for ≤25-foot-tall projects .
• Story poles are mandatory for projects exceeding 25 feet in height, with a licensed surveyor/civil engineer certification if required, and a 3D model/graphics at hearings; Council can waive poles/models on written request with justification .
• Development plans must be consistent with the General Plan, Title 19, and the Community Design Guidelines; conditions and design modifications may be imposed to address neighborhood character and public welfare .
• Preliminary development plan approvals expire after two years (with possible extension); final approvals expire after five years (with up to two one-year extensions), unless substantial construction occurs; lapses can occur if rights aren’t exercised for a year .

Most decision-relevant rules at a glance

District-by-district: how Site & Design Review interacts with zoning

Note: Buellton’s development plan/Site & Design Review requirements apply when Chapter 19.02 requires a development plan for a use in the listed district; where content wasn’t present in the retrieved code, it is noted as “Not found in retrieved materials.”

RS — Residential Single-Family

• Purpose and typical uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: The code includes minimum lot sizes for new subdivisions by RS suffix (e.g., RS-6 6,500 sq ft, RS-7 7,000 sq ft, etc.) .
• Site & Design Review: If an RS project requires a development plan (e.g., part of a larger discretionary action), preliminary Site & Design Review occurs within 30 days of submittal with the color board, and story pole rules apply per height; otherwise, many single-family projects proceed by zoning clearance outside the development plan process (specific RS triggers for development plan were not found) .

RM — Residential Multifamily

• Purpose and typical uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Density is set by the RM suffix (e.g., RM-12 at 12 du/ac) .
• Site & Design Review: RM infill that is CEQA Class 32 and fully conforms to RM standards and Community Design Guidelines may be approved by zoning clearance; otherwise a development plan is required and must conform to the Guidelines, with Site & Design Review including potential design conditions/modifications .

PRD — Planned Residential Development

• Purpose and typical uses: Master-planned residential; requires rezoning to PRD and a coordinated plan (purpose text and permitted uses not fully retrieved).
• Key dimensional standards: No standard setbacks; setbacks and siting are set on the development plan to protect site conditions and ensure compatibility; parking must meet § 19.04.140 and additional PRD rules; open space and street standards are tailored via the development plan .
• Site & Design Review: Development plan is mandatory and must conform to the Community Design Guidelines; design is a core approval finding .

MHP — Mobilehome Park

• Purpose and typical uses: Mobilehome park use; related closure/conversion procedures appear elsewhere in Title 19 (not design review) .
• Key dimensional standards: Landscaping points to Chapter 19.06 (not retrieved); other core MHP standards not found in retrieved materials .
• Site & Design Review: If a development plan were required (not established in retrieved text), the standard Site & Design Review rules, guideline conformance, and potential conditions would apply .

CR — General/Commercial Retail

• Purpose and typical uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Site & Design Review: Within the Affordable Housing Overlay on CR parcels, residential projects must conform to the Guidelines; path is zoning clearance up to 25 du/ac (if fully conforming), or development plan otherwise, with Site & Design Review and potential design conditions/modifications .

CS — Commercial Service

• Purpose and typical uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Site & Design Review: Development plans up to 10,000 sf per parcel are under the Director’s jurisdiction; larger projects go to the Commission. In either case, Site & Design Review, guideline conformance, and possible design conditions/modifications apply .

M-1 — Light Industry

• Purpose and typical uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Site & Design Review: Same processing threshold as CS: ≤10,000 sf under Director; otherwise Commission. Site & Design Review and guideline conformance apply to development plans .

OS — Open Space

• Purpose and typical uses: Resource/open space; conditional use permits require additional resource-protection findings in OS .
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Site & Design Review: Proposals are reviewed using the Community Design Guidelines. Where a development plan is required, Site & Design Review applies and may include conditions/modifications to protect resources and neighborhood character .

REC — Recreation

• Purpose and typical uses: Recreation uses; rezoning to REC requires compatibility and General Plan conformance findings .
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Site & Design Review: Proposals are reviewed using the Community Design Guidelines; development plans (where required) undergo Site & Design Review with potential design conditions/modifications .

Overlay Districts (including AHOZ)

• Overlays flag areas needing special design or implementation considerations and are added as a suffix to the base zone on the map (e.g., RM-H). Overlay regulations apply in addition to the base district, and projects must be designed accordingly . See Buellton Overlay Districts.
• Affordable Housing Overlay (AHOZ) projects must comply with the Community Design Guidelines (not unreasonably applied). Processing may be by zoning clearance or development plan depending on density and conformance; CUPs are allowed on certain base zones with continued design guideline conformance, and development plans can request justified modifications under § 19.08.120(G)(1) .

Checklist

• Confirm whether your use in your district needs a development plan under Chapter 19.02; if yes, Site & Design Review will apply to your submittal .
• Prepare a complete preliminary submittal with architectural elevations and a color board for the Commission’s 30-day preliminary Site & Design Review comments .
• If any structure exceeds 25 ft, schedule and erect story poles at least 30 days before the first public hearing; plan for poles to remain until final action; budget/time for potential survey/civil certification .
• Prepare a 3D physical model or 3D graphics/renderings showing the project and surrounding structures for public hearings; if you seek a waiver, draft a written request explaining why poles/models wouldn’t aid review .
• Demonstrate conformance with the Community Design Guidelines; be ready for conditions/redesign to address massing, setbacks, materials, screening, and neighborhood character .
• If in CS or M-1, confirm total gross floor area to determine Director vs. Commission jurisdiction (10,000 sf threshold) .
• Where applicable, verify overlay requirements (e.g., AHOZ) and how they shape design and processing path (zoning clearance vs. development plan vs. CUP) .
• Align site planning with Buellton Parking and Buellton Landscaping and Screening standards, which are considered during Site & Design Review .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

In Buellton, “Site and Design Review” happens inside the development plan permit. If your project needs a development plan, the Planning Commission reviews your site plan and elevations early, you must show colors/materials, and taller projects must build story poles and bring 3D visuals to hearings. The city will check your proposal against its Community Design Guidelines and can require changes or approve justified tweaks to things like setbacks or height to fit the neighborhood.

Information Gaps

• Purposes and permitted uses for specific base zones (e.g., RS, RM, CR, CS, M-1) were not found in the retrieved materials.
• Complete dimensional standards for CR, CS, M-1, OS, REC, and MHP were not found in the retrieved materials.
• The text of the Community Design Guidelines themselves was not included in the retrieved materials.
• Exact Chapter 19.02 triggers for when specific uses in each district require a development plan were not found in the retrieved materials.
• Parcel-specific applicability should be verified with the City (“Verify with the jurisdiction”).

Source References

• § 19.08.120 Development plans: applicability, Director vs. Commission jurisdiction, preliminary and final plan processing, findings, conditions/modifications, time limits, and Site & Design Review requirements (color board, story poles, models/graphics)
• § 19.04.010 General Development Regulations: chapter purpose/applicability to location, design, and development; integration with district rules, with proposals reviewed using Community Design Guidelines
• RM district processing (infill by zoning clearance vs. development plan) and density standards; Community Design Guideline conformance required
• PRD district: development plan required, findings, and design guideline conformance; PRD-specific flexible standards (setbacks by plan, parking/open space/street design)
• OS and REC districts: special findings and use of Community Design Guidelines in review
• Overlay districts: purpose/applicability; AHOZ processing and Community Design Guidelines conformance (not unreasonably applied)

Retrieved passages

• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 19.08.110) High relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 19.08.120) Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 19.02.330) Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 19.02.120) Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (title for) Medium relevance show source text
• Buellton Zoning Code (§ 19.02.330) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• § 19.08.120 Development plans: applicability, Director vs. Commission jurisdiction, preliminary and final plan processing, findings, conditions/modifications, time limits, and Site & Design Review requirements (color board, story poles, models/graphics) (§ 19.08.120)
• § 19.04.010 General Development Regulations: chapter purpose/applicability to location, design, and development; integration with district rules, with proposals reviewed using Community Design Guidelines (§ 19.04.010)
• RM district processing (infill by zoning clearance vs. development plan) and density standards; Community Design Guideline conformance required
• PRD district: development plan required, findings, and design guideline conformance; PRD-specific flexible standards (setbacks by plan, parking/open space/street design)
• OS and REC districts: special findings and use of Community Design Guidelines in review
• Overlay districts: purpose/applicability; AHOZ processing and Community Design Guidelines conformance (not unreasonably applied)
• Buellton_ZoningCode.md

• Official Buellton code library