On July 18, the Atascadero Planning Commission voted to approve a permit for an RV storage lot adjacent to the Salinas River—pushing the project to its next phase of seeking City Council approval before it can begin construction.
But some residents question whether the commission is fully aware of the environmental and emotional impact building the lot may have.
“The value of this river and watershed is immeasurable, as is the damage to both the river’s wildness and its human neighbors if this plan is approved,” Atascadero resident David Broadwater said via public comment letter. “You must stop this.”
The project, initially proposed in July 2022, intends to make use of a 6-acre plot of land that runs along the Salinas River to serve as outdoor storage for 262 vehicles.
“This beautiful riparian treasure has been assaulted many times by encroaching growth—we must say no more,” Atascadero resident Marty Brown wrote in a public comment letter. “Turning this area of paradise into a parking lot will be a detriment to our water, wildlife, and passive enjoyment of future generations.”
Over the last year, the Planning Commission had city staff conduct archeological and environmental studies to determine whether the lot would have any form of potential impact on the local environment—looking specifically at the impact that waste from RVs could have on water flow and the local beaver population.
It’s those studies, however, that have residents like Broadwater and Brown pushing for an appeal to the plan.
“There is no evidence that the project has been reviewed by the qualified professionals regarding the environmental, recreational, social, and aesthetic values of the site,” Broadwater wrote. “The approval of this project was, therefore, based on insufficient and insubstantial information and grounds.”
Staff noted that it did find potential negative environmental impacts in its studies but stated that approval of the project hinged on complying with restrictions that would prevent those issues.
“The accumulation of storage containers, illegal businesses, transient camps, inoperable vehicles, feral animals, and the storage of miscellaneous junk are possible negative impacts that historically accompany this land use,” city documents from the July 18 meeting read. “Staff has added a series of conditions about site operations to ensure that the storage yard does not deteriorate over time.”
Broadwater told New Times that he intends to push for an appeal of the permit approval and that he may have some help thanks recently announced state recognition of a familiar furry friend.
On June 6, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced a formal recognition of the ecological benefits that beavers provide, highlighting their ability to build up wildfire-resistant landscapes and maintain water flow in rivers.
“Beavers help improve habitat restoration and water quality, restore ecosystem processes, and bolster wildfire resiliency,” CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said in a statement. “They are truly the Swiss army knife of native species due to their ability to provide so many nature-based ecosystem services.”
Broadwater is hopeful that beavers’ multifaceted nature will be more than enough to push for a project reevaluation.
“I’ve lived in Atascadero for 51 years. … I know this river, seen the beaver dams, the fish living in their pools, the waterfowl, the lush vegetation, and experience it as one of the most easily accessible places close to town where the wild lives,” he said via public comment letter.
“Please deny this …until an adequate analysis of the potential impact is conducted—it’s the least we owe to this river that gives us the water we use, the plants and animals retaining it, and a place where we can relax and absorb this wonderful wild space near town.” Δ
This article appears in 55 Fiction 2023.