Valley Center Road is a mess right now
but in just a few months a spiffy new road will emerge from the clutter.
Traffic will move more freely—imagine two lanes in each direction!
Left turns will be safer thanks to left-turn pockets and a raised landscaped
median on most of the road between Woods Valley and Cole Grade.
Three miles of recreational pathways, which eventually will be fenced,
will encourage walking, jogging and horseback riding between the North
and South Villages. What a difference $43 million can make!
Properties along Valley Center Road are changing too. Business owners
have been relocating their signs and parking areas.
A few extensive remodeling projects are already underway. Other renovations
are in the works. Properties are also changing hands.
New commercial and residential developments are being planned for both
the South and North Villages. In a few years, the heart of Valley Center
will be completely transformed.
Design Guidelines Promote Details that Reflect VC’s History and
Spirit
The purpose of Valley Center’s Design Guidelines is to ensure
that renovations and new construction add to the rural, small-town feel
that most residents value so highly.
Even though our Guidelines were written 20 years ago, they are remarkably
in-step with many of today’s ideas about building upon, rather
than destroying, a community’s own distinct “sense of place.”
Features of the NEW VC Road
Between Woods Valley and Cole Grade, the NEW Valley Center Road will
feature:
• Pedestrian/equestrian dirt pathways on both sides of the road;
pathway surfaces are dirt; pathway widths vary from 6–20 feet
depending on the location; pathway will be 6-inches higher than the
road surface at the same height as the curb; pathway begins behind the
curb and extends to private property; in some areas where the pathway
abuts a slope, the County has purchased an easement for that slope.
• Lodge pole fencing. The County will line one mile of this pathway,
on both sides, with lodge-pole fencing; the remaining 2.7 miles of lodge-pole
fencing will be installed as properties are developed.
• Concrete sidewalks in the South Node from Woods Valley to just
past Mirar de Valle.
• 6–inch Concrete curbs and gutters and curbed driveway
entrances.
• Asphalt surface consists of a 6–foot bike lane on each
side, two traffic lanes in each direction (12 feet wide outside lane,
11 feet wide inside lane); separated by a 14 foot wide median.
• Fewer dips and rises. Most of the new road will relate similarly
to roadside properties as the existing road, the centerline elevation
will be within 12-inches of what it is now.
However, the centerline elevation in areas close to Moosa and Keyes
Creeks will be as much as 18 inches higher than it is now. In these
spots, the view of the road from roadside properties, and the view of
properties from the road will be significantly different.
Where’s the Road Edge?
The NEW, IMPROVED Valley Center Road is being built for motorized and
non-motorized traffic.
Therefore the “road edge” actually is the outside edge of
the non-motorized pathway which abuts private properties on both sides
of the road.
Gradually private property edges will become obvious. In the meantime,
property owners might appreciate the following hints for deciphering
the cryptic codes that are written on the layers of wooden “stakes”
that are lining the edges of the construction project. Stakes marked
“R/W” (Right of Way) mark the outside edge of the Public
Right of Way; your private property begins here.
When the pathway abuts a slope, the public/private property boundary
is marked with an “S-E” (Slope Easement) stake and is outside
the “R/W” stake to show where the Slope Easement ends.
What About Landscaping?
Landscaping, signage and fencing along Valley Center Road are details
that contribute to the look and feel of the heart of town, and how well
it functions.
The Design Guidelines call for extensive landscaping of private property
along the road edge, reflecting the longstanding community goal of a
treelined Valley Center Road. (Many of the huge eucalyptus trees that
were removed to accommodate the current road widening were planted years
ago by the Optimists with the help of the Scouts, and other service
clubs.)
Except for hydro-seeding on some slopes, however, the County project
EXCLUDES ROADSIDE LANDSCAPING. Unless there is another community-wide
tree-planting effort, (any volunteers?) individual property owners will
be responsible for planting trees and other frontage landscaping after
DPW finishes the curbs driveway cuts, and pathways.
The Guidelines include a Plant Suggestion Guide that lists plants and
briefly describes characteristics and growing requirements.
Remember that not all of these plants are suitable for the relatively
extreme microclimate along Valley Center Road where winter temperatures
dip to the mid-20s routinely, and to the mid-teens at least once a decade,
and summer temperatures soar to more than 100 degrees.
Local nurseries can suggest drought tolerant AND cold hardy trees, shrubs,
grasses and groundcovers that will also do well in the soil conditions
along Valley Center Road.
It pays, in the long run, to consult with a professional and to design
an overall landscaping plan—before you plant anything. A professional
can help you select plants that suit your microclimate and your site,
and make sure they are planted correctly.
Tips that will help your design reflect the valley’s rural, arid
character are:
• Group trees, and shrubs, in natural clusters instead of in rigid
rows or geometric forms.
• Limit the use of shrubs in plantings with trees and ground covers;
lush “tropical” landscapes are out of character AND expensive
to maintain.
Signs & Fences
The county Dept. of Public Works is required to relocate on private
property, all signs and fences that the road widening disturbs—whether
or not existing signs and fences comply with the zoning code. Evidently,
DPW and Code Enforcement work independently. (This dashes the dreams
of many that the road widening would automatically eliminate the abundance
of code violations along VC Road—such as chain link fencing and
razor wire, and signs that are too-many, too-cluttered, too-big, too-tall,
and/or internally lit.)
Roadside signs and fences are as important as landscaping to the “feel”
of our community.
While Valley Center’s Design Guidelines leave plenty of room for
individual creativity, they also promote dimensions and materials for
signs and fences that have a rural flavor. The underlying big idea is
for the built environment to fit into and harmonize with the natural
environment. Generally, earth tones or secondary colors are preferred
to primary colors.
Fences, walls and gates along Valley Center Road should be constructed
of natural stone, wood, stucco, or wrought iron.
Long stretches of fence should be “broken up” by landscape
features—trees, shrubs, rock formations, or variations in topography.
Fences should not be more than 42 inches high, and walls less than 36
inches. Property developers will be asked to install lodge-pole fencing
along pedestrian pathways that abut their frontage as commercial and
residential properties are built, and remodelled.
Guidelines for signage are:
• Monument sign or a freestanding single pole hanging sign; limited
use of wall signs.
• Wood, with painted or raised letters or logos.
• Colors coordinated with buildings, limited to three, plus black
and white
• External lighting – projected & shielded.
• One sign per 250-feet of frontage; one additional sign for properties
with more than 250-feet of frontage.
• Properties with more than one establishment should consolidate
their signs into a common sign panel.
• Height limits: monument sign is 42–inches; pole sign is
10-foot pole with a panel at 8-feet.
• Area limits: monument sign Face is 18SF; pole sign face is 15SF;
wall sign is 10% of elevation area to a maximum of 100 square feet per
building
• Dimensional limits: Mon-ument Sign: Length is 6-feet; width
is 3.5 feet. pole sign: length is 4-feet, width is 4-feet.
Architectural Styles & Details
New building and extensive remodeling projects are required by the County
Zoning Ordinance to be in compliance with local Design Guidelines.
Again, the big idea is to build in a way that reflects our town’s
history and country heritage, and most importantly, retains the human
scale, variety and individualized details that typify California country
towns that have been built over time.
Valley Center’s Design Guidelines for architecture leave a lot
of room for individual preferences and creativity by encouraging a variety
of “early California” styles, as well as modern interpretations
of these. Architectural styles include Adobe, Mission, Classic Western,
and Monterey; Monterey style combines the Classic Revival architecture
that characterizes the eastern United States with early adobe and mission.
The point of the Guidelines is to assemble the sort of pastiche that
characterizes Ojai, Montecito and Old Palm Springs —rather than
the architectural uniformity, for instance, of Rancho Bernardo.
Good Examples
Good examples of properties – built or renovated recently –
that differ greatly from one another but are still in accord with the
Design Guidelines are easy to find.
On Cole Grade Road: Valley Center High School and Theater (building
and landscaping); St. Stephen Church (building, landscaping and signage);
Countryside Veterinary Hospital (building, landscaping and signage);
and the Valley Center Library (building and landscaping).
On Valley Center Road: The Country Skillet (building, landscaping, and
signage—except for the spot of neon); The Courtyard (building,
landscaping and signage); Fat Ivor’s (building); and Wynn Engineering
(building and signage).
Elements to Be Avoided
The Guidelines pointedly discourage: chain link, razor wire, unfinished
concrete and concrete block, dumpsters, artificial turf, neon and illuminated
plastic signs, and highly reflective or garish colored surfaces.
New construction and renovation project plans need to show substitutes
for these in order to comply with the County Zoning Code and secure
building permits.
Code Compliance
Code compliance in Valley Center has been a mite relaxed along Valley
Center Road since the road construction started.
People say, why put energy into landscaping, signs, and fences when
the entire heart of town is torn to shreds?
Well, true! But, this is the ideal time for planning. In a year, or
so, the road will be finished, existing properties refreshed and remodeled,
and new enterprises built. (In the last year, or so, we’ve seen
some nice looking plans at the Design Review Board!)
Some renovation projects are already in the works. Property owners who
recognize that it’s time for a makeover are getting a jump on
a friendly visit from County Code Enforcement!
The Design Guidelines can help create a distinctive and traditional
small town flavor that most residents value—but it will be Valley
Centerites who do the work! It will take everyone’s enthusiastic
cooperation to make the heart of town as attractive as possible.SIDEBAR
Valley Center’s Design Guidelines In A Nutshell
Along the Road Edge:
• Native trees, shrubs and ground covers in natural groupings.
• Lodge-pole (post and rail) fencing along both sides of the pathway
• Signage design integrated with site and building design; size
limit is 32SF; more than one business at the same address should use
a monument sign.
General Guidelines
• Preserve oaks, sycamores, natural topography and landscape features
such as rock formations
• Diverse “early California” architectural styles,
and contemporary interpretations of these styles
• Small parking areas with tree canopies for shade
• Use of stone or wood for fencing and walls
SIDEBAR
Design Guidelines History
In the late 1980s, the County Supervisors appointed a five-member Design
Review Board for Valley Center, and adopted Guidelines for site design,
architecture, signage, parking areas and landscaping in the heart of
town. Valley Center’s Design Guidelines are unique to Valley Center
and are also part of the County Zoning Code.
They apply to commercial, industrial and civic projects, and to planned
residential developments. These land uses are concentrated mainly in
VC’s two “Village” areas—along VC Road between
Woods Valley and Vesper, and from the south end of Cole Grade north
to Horsecreek Road.
Another commercial-industrial niche is located at Harvest Farms Village,
29000 Lilac Road; a third is located at the intersection of Castle Creek
and Route 395 near the I-15.
Business and property owners who are relocating parking lots, replacing
landscaping and in other ways remodeling their VC Road properties will
find lending copies of the Design Guidelines in the Valley Center Library.
Copies of this 82-page booklet can also be purchased for less than $10
from the County Department of Land Use, 15 Ruffin Rd., San Diego.
Even if your project does not require permits, you’ll find ideas
in the Guidelines that will help make your property attractive to customers
and will also contribute to a spruced-up country flavor in the heart
of town.
* * *
The Valley Center Design Review Board meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every
month in the VC Library.
Current members are: Roger Levkulics, Lael Montgomery, Gary Martin,
Susan Moore, and Robson Splane. For more information, or if you would
like to get involved in Design Review Board projects, contact Lael Montgomery
at 751-0300.
|
