This is the fourth and
concluding part of a series about design standards for businesses along
Valley Center Road.
Previous installments discussed the purpose of the VC Design Guidelines,
features of the new VC Road once the widening is completed, signs and
fences, architectural styles and things to be avoided in new construction.
* * *
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
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 VC 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 at 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.
* * *
Note: Lael Montgomery is chairman of the Valley Center Design Review
Board and a member of the VC planning group.
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