With new buildings cropping up and a ballot initiative to counter that change on the horizon, Grover Beach has almost hit its state-issued Regional Housing Needs Allocation [RHNA] numbers for the current cycle, which ends in 2028.
Grover Beach resident Kelvin Coveduck said that the city would actually exceed that goal by 2027, at the latest, with the help of Solstice, the new 28-townhome Coastal Community Builders development.
“Congratulations, we’ve met our goal, we’re there,” he told the City Council and Planning Commission at a joint March 31 meeting. “Just because you met your goal doesn’t mean you can turn builders down, but it means you can pump the brakes on that bus and use the control you do have.”
Since last fall, Coveduck has been asking the City Council to publicly discuss lowering the height limit for the Solstice project on Front Street that almost hits the coastal commercial industrial zoning district’s 40-foot ceiling.
Coveduck belongs to a citizens group called Save Grover Beach that opposed a string of new developments on the western end of downtown Grover Beach, such as the Bella Vista Villas from Empire Development and Construction and another Coastal Community Builders project called Trinity. Not wanting to wait any longer, the group is gathering signatures to qualify an initiative for the November ballot.
‘Character is not defined by the number of stories in a building. It’s defined through thoughtful design, walkability, and whether or not our city remains accessible to the people who give it life.’
—Scott Martin, RRM Design Group architect
If the measure makes the ballot, Grover Beach voters must decide if they want developers to set aside 33 percent of mixed-use buildings for commercial use, lower the height of buildings in commercial zoning districts to 40 feet, and ensure buildings in industrial zones aren’t taller than 33 feet.
According to city staff, the new developments are a result of 20 years of policy decisions like the 2011 West Grand Avenue Master Plan, the 2022 Development Code update, and the 2020-28 Housing Element.
City Attorney Jennifer Thompson said at the meeting that the joint discussion wasn’t a deliberation of individual housing projects but rather a discussion on housing and development policy like the Housing Crisis Act, the Housing Accountability Act, housing element law, and density bonus law.
“Basically, the law says that a local agency cannot adopt a moratorium, meaning a ban on housing development, nor can it place caps on housing approvals unless those things are necessary to address an immediate threat to public health and safety,” Thompson said about the Housing Crisis Act. “You’ll hear that phrase frequently tonight as we go through these laws.”
Community Development Director Megan Martin also pointed to the RHNA numbers—the total housing units each jurisdiction must plan for and accommodate through zoning and land use policies over an eight-year cycle.
She added that Grover Beach fulfilled 98 percent of its RHNA requirement, permitting 361 units since 2020.
“Success doesn’t allow us to stop; it can’t slow our housing approvals because we’ve met this target,” Martin said. “RHNA identifies a minimum need not a maximum limit.”
City Manager Matthew Bronson told New Times that Grover Beach is approaching the next Housing Element update that covers the next RHNA cycle, from 2028 to 2036. The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments advised the city to prepare for double the current RHNA target of 369 housing units.
Martin said that the city is currently unaware how the potential ballot measure could affect the RHNA. The City Council directed staff at the meeting to study the impact of the ballot imitative for future discussion.
“The concern is whether lowering heights will have an impact on the city’s ability to meet the achievable density planned for under our Housing Element and development code,” Martin told New Times. “Housing law mandates that if we lower heights, effectively ‘downzoning,’ we may have to plan for and place that density in another part of our community. We have not completed this analysis yet to know whether this is the case.”
The joint meeting saw a mix of concerned community members—with Coveduck and other group members like Debbie Peterson and Mike Wilson on one side, and former Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee, 30th Assembly District candidate Susannah Brown, and RRM Design Group architect Scott Martin on the other.
“Sprawl is not our option, not building is not our option,” Martin said. “Character is not defined by the number of stories in a building. It’s defined through thoughtful design, walkability, and whether or not our city remains accessible to the people who give it life.” ∆
This article appears in April 2-9, 2026.
I think this little city stays engaged with its community. As I read this, I kept thinkin about how this has been going on for over 20 years…that seems pretty methodical and practical. I wonder how long the folks who are complaining have lived in Grover. The Central Coast has been taken hostage by the NIMBY’S – every year folks “discover” how awesome this place is, buy a home and then want to close the gates…if they lower buildings, where are they going to build? I remember a strawberry field…is that still there? I loved those berries. I hope they don’t ruin that field, seems to make sense to put more folks downtown near the beach where they can walk to a restaurant and such.
There were, in fact, three former mayors there. Two in favor of following the people’s mandate. The other who is also supportive of the petition is Ron Arnoldsen.
Many of us who favor the petition were here 22 years ago and participated in the public input for the 12 years it evolved, which is why we oppose building any more of the 11 fifty-five- to sixty-five-foot buildings. The current activity bears no resemblance to the 2004 Vision created by the people of Grover Beach. It and the 2011 Grand Master Plan and the 2014 Local Coastal Program remain part of Grover code and can be found on the City website. The provisions of the petition not only restore that vision, but also lower the minimum ground floor height from 15 feet to 10 feet, thus allowing for more housing in the 40′ feet the people of Grover envisioned in these documents. None of the staff, commissioners, developers, and supporters of the eleven massive condo complexes participated in those 12 years of public engagement. The Petition says YES in our backyard to the mixed-use economic development that enhances our economic engine – the Coastline, our business-owners, our views from all over town, our small beach-town vibe, and affordable housing that our Vision brings to our community.
Why do city councils gather and then ruin quaint little costal towns. Do they not understand the appeal is the quaint little beach town vibe why would they want a massive building project? Do they not understand that if they do that and they block coastal views that no one will want to come there I was on the city Council in a small northern California Beach town and we have been fighting this development for years. What is it with city council members? Are they just on a power trip? If there’s one thing we could do in this country to make it better it would be to get rid of lobbyist with lots of money that come in and want to monetize every square inch.
I commend the Grover Beach City Council for holding this meeting. They explained how they are making decisions based on California’s rules and regulations and the ramifications of changing plans that have been in progress for 20 years. That section of Grover Beach could never be considered part of a “quaint beach town.” It was an ugly abomination of dilapidated buildings and weedy lots. Now it’s a breath of fresh air.