Paso Robles Gateway Project gets initial approval 

The Paso Robles City Council approved the initial plans for the Paso Robles Gateway Project June 16. The development includes three hotel resorts, three commercial centers, 17 multi-family residential units, and roughly 98 acres of agricultural and open space areas.

Although the project has been in the works for several years, it hit a roadblock in 2014 when the developer and city disagreed over who would pay for the street realignment portion of the project.

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• Photo Courtesy Of The City Of Paso Robles
• BUILDING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY The $120.7 million Paso Robles Gateway Project is projected to create local job opportunities and future economic activity for the city of Paso Robles.

"I've been here ever since the beginning of this and gone through all the storms with the different discrepancies and lawsuits that were going on here between the two partners and landowners, but we're here," Paso Robles City Councilman John Hamon said.

Final approval of the project is pending an annexation of more than 170 acres of land from the county, a sphere of influence amendment, a tax sharing agreement, and general plan amendment, among other things. The SLO Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) needs to approve the annexation.

The project requires reconfiguring South Vine Street to realign with Theatre Drive and constructing a bridge over a drainage area. According to the staff report, Caltrans has identified the South Vine Street realignment as part of broader improvements necessary to help alleviate local and regional congestion.

Construction of the project will total $120.7 million, and developer Quorum Realty Fund estimates that most expenditures will go to local workers and businesses, according to the staff report. Quorum Realty Fund also stated that construction will support 549 jobs in Paso Robles. Δ