Pedestrians strolling along the De Anza trail in Atascadero could expect a change of scenery if a proposal to place an RV storage facility on Atascadero Mutual Water Company’s property near the Salinas River is approved.
During the Nov. 15 Planning Commission meeting, several residents and the Northern Chumash Tribal Council expressed their concern over environmental impacts, safety issues, and how the project would impact the trail’s scenery.
“There is no good reason for a commercial establishment going in next to a historic trail,” Atascadero resident Cleis Slezak wrote in a letter to the city. “Not only would it be an eyesore, but it sets a bad precedent for further development where there should be none.”
Since a failed attempt at constructing a BMX facility in 2007, the site at 6805 Sycamore Road has been left largely untouched—with the exception of the occasional storage yards that have leased the space from the Atascadero Mutual Water Company. The area has been used as an open space for people to play with their dogs and fly model airplanes, according to Atascadero Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore.
While Dunsmore told New Times that the proposed project wouldn’t bring a ton of economic benefits to Atascadero, it does have some benefits. For one, it gives people a place to put their cars, RVs, boats, and more.
“They tend to end up getting stored in undesirable locations in front yards, a lot of side property lines, or somewhere out in the street, blocking something. And so when they have a place to put them, that’s a great thing,” he said. “We might be able to clean up certain areas in the city by having expanded opportunities for private storage.”
If the project does receive a green light, that would mean realigning the De Anza trail, a point of contention for many trail users. In an email to the Planning Commission Gina and Briano Planeta said they drive by the spot in question to take their daughter to and from school.
“On almost every pass, I see people. Sometimes it’s people walking their dogs. Sometimes it’s families walking. Often, it’s a group of folks who get together to fly their RC planes,” the Planetas said. “Rerouting a historical trail and taking away riverfront open space for RV storage seems like a very poor trade for the community.”
Dunsmore said, however, that realigning the trail wouldn’t have a detrimental effect.
“Today, it’s just a weird pull-off and a barbed wire fence; that barbed wire fence would come down and turn into a nice lower fence,” Dunsmore said. “It’d be a lot more welcoming so the De Anza trail wouldn’t be impacted. It would actually be improved with this project.”
The RV storage yard would house up to 262 vehicles, raising environmental concerns over groundwater contamination from fuel leakage, herbicide use contaminating the river, and endangering habitats.
Several members of the SLO Beaver Brigade, including Audrey Taub, spoke during the public comment period at the Nov. 15 meeting. Taub said she felt that the project didn’t align with Atascadero’s general plan.
“I think the general plan needs to rezone it to open space because water is becoming more apparent how precious of a resource it is and how we need to really design the way we live to contribute to our groundwater deep water basins rather than just keep extracting them,” Taub said.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council wrote a letter to the commission requesting an archaeological study of the site due to a likelihood of pre-colonial native settlements in the vicinity. According to Dunsmore, the water company must complete an archeological study in order to earn a stamp of approval from the Planning Commission. The project will come back before the commission at a future date. Δ
This article appears in Nov 24 – Dec 4, 2022.