The San Luis Obispo City Council’s early review of a possible 400-unit housing project across Los Osos Valley Road sprouted the possibility of extending the Bob Jones Trail and annexing land outside city limits.
“It’s not often that we get to see at the council level a project at this early stage where we’re really just providing staff to pursue analysis of the applications,” City Councilmember Michelle Shoresman said during the council’s April 1 meeting. “There is still a lot that will happen between now and when … the shovels go in the dirt.”
That evening, the council studied a phased residential project proposed across two properties along LOVR called Broadstone Village. Property developer Landstone Properties submitted applications for a general plan amendment, rezoning, and annexation of a 44-acre parcel called Hayashi Properties.
In a 4-1 vote with Councilmember Jan Marx dissenting, the City Council passed a motion to review the general plan amendment and annexation applications; confirm staff’s recommendation to find non-general fund dollars to build an annexation-related bypass; include a 10 percent reservation for affordable housing in the applications; and conduct further study on rezoning possibilities.
“I just think this is really taking on way too much given everything the city has going right now,” Marx said.
Community members packed City Hall during the meeting. The City Council limited public comments to a maximum of two minutes per person, doing away with the three-minute option because of the number of speakers.
“I am certain that the project will be completed one way or the other,” SLO resident Lorraine Goldman told council members. “I’m asking you to consider lowering density, not maybe considering the Buckley bypass but some alternatives, which were never considered when the south end of the city was developed, unfortunately.”
Goldman lives in the Los Verdes Park II neighborhood. The Broadstone project developer proposed building the LOVR bypass adjacent to it.
Broadstone would be split into 208 senior housing units and 201 multi-family units on the north and south sites, respectively. Proposed right-of-way improvements involve a signalized intersection on LOVR serving as the primary access to both those sites, building a bypass between LOVR and South Higuera Street/Buckley Road, and constructing a Bob Jones Trail extension between LOVR and Higuera Street.
“The signalized intersection would provide primary access to the project sites and potential secondary access to the neighboring residential developments (i.e., Los Verdes Park I and Los Verdes Park II), if supported by the neighboring property owners,” the staff report said.
But facilitating the bypass’s construction and trail extension requires the annexation of the “unaddressed” Hayashi property, according to city staff. The parcel is under the county’s jurisdiction but within the city’s sphere of influence, meaning it’s an area anticipated to be developed in the next 20 years.
Apart from the bypass and trail extension, the remaining portion of the Hayashi property would be designated and zoned for agricultural operations and/or protected for open space. The SLO County Public Works Department supported the annexation in an October 2024 letter.
Complaints about the number of units also entered City Hall after staff recommended changing both the existing zones for the north site and the south site from medium-density residential and low-density residential, respectively, to high-density residential. According to the staff report, rezoning was advised “to permit the highest possible number of residential units.”
“I worry about the number of houses out there and how it’ll fit,” SLO resident Maggie St. Vincent said. “My concern is flooding my house and Los Verdes.” Δ
This article appears in Apr 3-13, 2025.