The San Luis Ranch project calls for 580 homes (plus accessory dwelling units), a 200-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet of commercial space. Sure, we need more “affordable” housing for people who want to live here, but let’s look at what the bigger picture looks like with so many additional people in one big jump and ask these questions:
How does the SLO City Council plan to handle the next drought? Using drought resistant landscaping won’t cut it.
How does the council plan to manage the unavoidable gridlock on the Madonna Road and Los Osos Valley Road areas?
How does the council plan to manage the newly created bottlenecks on Highway 101 due to the number of cars trying to use the off-ramp and on-ramp to the freeway? It will get backed up for miles. Are there plans and funds for additional lanes on Highway 101?
This San Luis Ranch should be part of a long-term plan instead of being a knee-jerk reaction to the requests to live in SLO and a great opportunity for developers.
Christine Husk
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Jul 13-23, 2017.
While the questions are valid, you seem to be living in a fairy-tale world where proper planning is actually performed and roads are built before homes so traffic can move seamlessly and everything is wonderful. Sorry, but that’s not the way things are done in California. You’re right in that it should be part of a long-term plan, which it is because every development of this size requires long-term planning. My recollection is that several different owner’s of this property have attempted to develop it multiple times over the last couple of decades, so it isn’t as though SLO didn’t see it coming. Also, the current developer has already been working on this project for multiple years. SLO actually received the first formal application for the proposed San Luis Ranch Specific Plan project on June 10, 2015 and it was finally approved on June 7th (2 years later) by the Planning Commission. Now the City Council needs to approve it, the property has to be annexed, then it goes back to the City Council. Opportunity, for developers? Maybe, but how would you like to work on a project for several months and years and never receive a paycheck until the first house is sold, which is still another year away? I could be wrong but I believe this property is entitled as “Agricultural” so I guess the owner could just put up some fences and purchase a couple thousand pigs and let them stink up the place.
On another note on “what’s in it for us?” I’m not sure why there needs to be anything in it for you or me or any other current homeowner. This is about people who work and want to live in San Luis Obispo, of which I’m sure there are many. However, I’ll probably take full advantage of the recreational opportunities that are also being developed as part of this project. So, yes, I guess if you really want to “look at the bigger picture” there may be something in it for you.