Buellton is preparing to turn a sparse Avenue of the Flags roadway median into a pedestrian-friendly hub.
The goal is to draw visitors, incubate businesses and anchor a future city core, officials say.
“This large, vacant, grassy median that we all know is really at the heart of the envisioned downtown,” Planning Director Andrea Keefer said. “This median is planned to be really a unique gathering space—a downtown park and a town plaza.”
The proposed design along the 500 block of the avenue would create a sequence of “outdoor rooms,” according to the city. Trees and structures would buffer car, truck and bike traffic.
Part of a much larger revitalization effort, the proposal comes as officials in the city of 5,000 residents foresee big changes along the avenue.
A 2017 plan updated a year ago invites the construction of new retail, restaurants, food trucks, hotels and housing. Rooted in Art Deco-inspired architecture, the plan spans more than 55 acres.
The City Council will consider the median proposal on Monday along with new food truck regulations. Feedback will help city planners who’ll oversee the preparation of construction drawings.
‘The way it flows’
The city Planning Commission in August embraced the concept while offering design tweaks to trellises, columns, arches and kiosks.
“The whole use of outdoor rooms or outdoor spaces, and the way that it flows, makes sense to me,” said Shannon Reese, commission chair. “The structures, it’s nice that they’re flexible. I can envision a lot of ways they could be used.”
Added Commissioner Marcilo Sarquilla: “A big ol’ arch with ‘Buellton’ over it would look nice.”
An empty lot, the San Marcos Motel and the Hotel Hygge currently flank the median on one side. On the other, Toño’s Restaurant and the Restaurant Plus supply store border the rounded rectangular stretch.
The proposed redesign makes use of the entire length and more.
At the southern end at 2nd Street, officials say pavers atop a “striped dead space” would shorten crosswalks. Two to three 600-square-feet structures there would house a visitor’s center, public restroom and seating.
Moving northward , the proposal envisions a shaded stage area for performances. It also includes food truck parking, a central fountain and shaded picnic and open spaces.
An expanded northern end would feature a plaza with four 12-by-12-foot vendor kiosks.
“The kiosks could house incubator spaces for start-up retail and food vendors,” according to the report from Keefer, adding inspiration came from a ‘Pop Shops on Main’ economic development program in Bothell, Washington. “Successful ventures could then be primed for relocation to a permanent location as prime retail space develops along the avenue.”
Budget planning
The city has earmarked $150,000 in its fiscal year 2026-27 budget for design and permitting. Officials anticipate spending $775,000 in 2027-28 on project management and construction. Project costs beyond those dates are not yet determined.
In August, officials gave an early thumbs up to a proposed commercial-residential proposal at 560 Avenue of the Flags. Rising from an open lot, it would provide 26 residential apartments and multiple storefronts.
In July, Buellton took a key step toward removing Pea Soup Andersen’s at Avenue of the Flags and Highway 246.
The City Council stripped historic landmark protections from key portions of the iconic and shuttered pea soup restaurant.
