A proposal to build a new hotel and apartment complex in Vandenberg Village is moving forward, drawing mixed reaction from the community.
Santa Barbara County Senior Planner Tina Mitchell said the project would divide a 5.1-acre property on Constellation Road into two lots. An extended stay hotel is proposed on one parcel, with a 60-unit apartment development planned for the other.
“The project was presented to the County Planning Commission on July 30th this year, and they recommended approval to the Board of Supervisors,” Mitchell said. “The project will be scheduled for a Board of Supervisors hearing in the coming month.”
The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision, and Mitchell said residents will have the chance to provide input at that public hearing. Notices are expected to go out in advance of the meeting, which could take place before the end of the year.
Traffic and neighborhood character have been recurring concerns among some residents.
Walter Trezza, a Lompoc resident, said he supports the idea of the project but worries about its impact on already busy roadways.
“Well, I think it’s good for the community. It’s growth. I think it’ll actually help out the local area and it’ll help out the local economy in the village,” Trezza said. “There’s always concern about that. The village will pick up more traffic… so I think there’s going to be a lot of traffic there, and they’re going to have to get that squared away.”
A traffic study conducted for the project found that nearby intersections would continue operating at an acceptable level. Mitchell said the analysis concluded that impacts to road capacity would be “less than significant.”
Still, she noted the project would create higher-than-average daily vehicle miles traveled - meaning residents and employees would likely drive farther than the countywide baseline. To offset that, the developer has proposed measures such as subsidizing bus trips and encouraging carpooling.
Mitchell said both the county and the developer have heard from neighbors since the proposal was first submitted in 2022. Several public workshops were held, leading to changes in the site design. One major adjustment was relocating the hotel farther from a vacant parcel that is slated to become a future county park. Instead, the residential portion of the project would border the parkland.
“Originally the hotel was going to be located next to a vacant lot that is the proposed site of a future county park,” Mitchell explained. “It was decided that it would be better to have the residential component right next to that future park instead of the hotel.”
Other residents say the benefits outweigh the concerns.
Steven Heuring, who also lives in Vandenberg Village, said the additional housing is needed and could ease some of the region’s housing pressures.
“I didn’t have any particular concerns about the hotel, but I was particularly interested in the fact that there’s going to [be] additional housing, which we desperately need,” Heuring said. “I’m pro. I think it’s important to have the additional housing and the revenue that the hotel’s going to bring in is going to be significant.”
Heuring added that the Patel family, who owns multiple hotels in Lompoc and is behind the development, has pledged financial support for Constellation Park — a future community park planned for land adjacent to the project.
“The Patel family is going to help out the village with regards to our park and playground that we’re trying to build,” Heuring said.
The Constellation Road site has sat vacant for decades. Mitchell said the project would activate that space with both residential and commercial use in the village’s core.
If approved, the development would bring new housing near seasonal employment opportunities, along with extended stay lodging close to Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to hold its hearing on the project in the coming months. That meeting will provide one of the final chances for residents to voice their opinions before a decision is made.
