Nipomo's open space is in the bull's-eye of development—again 

Some 20 years ago, there was an effort to enact an innovative but controversial program in San Luis Obispo County for open space conservation purposes. This program, called a transfer of development credits (or TDC) program, had as its main goal the conservation of sites with important habitat or other conservation values.

The concept is interesting: Development potential on a given piece of property is determined, and that value—usually measured in the form of permitted dwelling units—is transferred to another location of less value as open space. Presumably this is done through local government permitting powers and does not cost a lot of money; that is all handled in the private sector.

The problem that arises is, where do you locate these dwelling units? And who wants them? They generally involve increases in density in the "receiving area," and this may not sit well with the folks in that area. So it was with Nipomo back in the early 2000s. Nipomo was seen as the place where all this proposed development could be transferred to, and everyone would be happy.

Everyone, that is, except the folks in Nipomo.

The project eventually died out because neither Nipomo nor anyone else wanted to be the receiving area. The TDC idea, it seemed, was dead.

But wait, folks. There is now a new effort, driven apparently by state requirements and one local property owner, to bring a new version of transfer of development credits to Nipomo, which is evidently still seen as the likeliest place for such efforts. It is called Dana Reserve, a 1,300 unit residential development proposed on a 288-acre site on the Nipomo Mesa adjacent to Highway 101 and south of Willow Road. This project has been the subject of an environmental impact report, which has been completed and public comments on which are now being reviewed by a consultant, with the goal of proceeding with the proposal through the county's approval process in late 2022 or early 2023.

It seems that the county needs to meet certain state-mandated housing goals (called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA). The RHNA states that SLO County must allow for some 3,200 new development units between now and 2028, outside of existing city limits. To do this, the county is looking for a place to approve a bunch of housing, and guess where they are looking? Approving this large development in Nipomo should make everyone happy, including the good people of Nipomo. Sound familiar?

So, for Nipomo, it's déjà vu all over again. Nipomo is going to be asked—or more likely told—to be the receiving area for this countywide housing problem. This one project alone would account for 40 percent of the county's RHNA requirement. Never mind that the site is zoned for rural development and is surrounded by such development; never mind that it is well wooded and that some 4,000 mature coast live oak trees and their associated habitat (as of last count) will be bulldozed into oblivion to accommodate the development; never mind that Nipomo already has a water problem that could get worse; never mind that thousands and thousands of existing undeveloped lots throughout San Luis Obispo County don't count toward fulfilling the RHNA requirement; the answer to all of the above is, "We need the housing." Oh, and by the way, none of these units have to actually be built: The entitlement simply needs to be created!

Also, the developer states that 75 of the 1,300 development units will be "affordable."

Is Nipomo to be the main "receiving area" to "solve" the county's housing "problem"? Conservationists have recommended a project half the size of the proposed one, which would, 1. preserve all or nearly all of the oak woodland and rare Burton Mesa chaparral at the site; 2. allow for on-site mitigation for those impacts that cannot be avoided; 3. greatly reduce the water demand of the project; and 4. place the emphasis on more reasonably priced units, which is the kind of housing the county really needs. Δ

Neil Havlik writes from San Luis Obispo. Send a response for publication to [email protected].