For the past 20 years, Port San Luis Harbor District staff has sent letters to the California Coastal Commission asking for an extension on two of its camping areas now expected to close Nov. 16.
On Oct. 10, the district sent its most recent letter and waits for a reply, Port San Luis Harbor District Business Manager Suzanne Aguirre told New Times. If the Nobi Point and Woodyard campsites close, it would impact the district’s revenue, but the extent is unknown.
Both charge $78 a night with an $11 nonrefundable reservation fee and $5 a night for extra vehicle overnight parking. Nobi Point offers six camping sites, and Woodyard offers 13.
“It’s direct revenue,” she said. “It doesn’t bypass to the county, it’s not like a state allocation, it’s direct revenue to the district.”
Aguirre said the original agreement between the port and the Coastal Commission was that once Harbor Terrace is up and running, it would close Nobi and Woodyard due to the campsites’ blocking ocean views and a lack of demand. Harbor Terrace is incomplete and still under construction.
According to a letter the Coastal Commission sent the district on Jan. 17, 2007, Harbor Terrace is to provide a minimum of 20 marine gear storage spaces and 70 trailer boat storage spaces with an additional 10,000 square feet of expansion area to be reserved for future high priority uses.
The port’s website states that once complete, Harbor Terrace will also support walk-in tent camping, have self-contained cabins, and offer commercial space and a swimming pool, all while increasing visitor access to the area.
However Aguirre said over the past few years, the port has noticed that the demand for RV camping sites is growing.
“We have found that Flying Flags [an RV resort in Avila Beach] could be at full capacity, and we’re still getting requests for reservations,” she said. “So, the demand’s there and the need’s there, and we want to continue providing the resources to our patrons.”
In the district’s most recent letter to the Coastal Commission, it asked the regulator to reconsider eliminating the RV camping, give another extension to the campgrounds, and allow the district to bring a proposal to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to revise how to improve the area and still meet Harbor Terrace’s original project goals.
The Coastal Commission’s staff report said that the port needs to allow for more day-use and mixed activities, have more parking and bike locks, and ensure that the bluffs where Nobi Point and Woodyard are located allow for a more mixed-use environment.
While waiting for an answer from the Coastal Commission, Aguirre said the district will respect the commission’s position “wholeheartedly.”
“But again, as stewards to this area, we want to make sure that we do whatever we can to maintain equitable coastal access,” she said. Δ
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 10, 2024.