Nipomo Community Services District approves potential annexation of planned Dana Reserve development property
NIPOMO, Calif. - The Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) Board of Directors voted Wednesday on the crucial next step needed to push the planned Dana Reserve development project closer to construction.
After several hours of listening to presentations and public comment, the five-member NCSD Board approved a negotiated property tax exchange with the County of San Luis Obispo, as well as an annexation agreement plan for services with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), and required findings under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it relates to the Dana Reserve project.
Wednesday's meeting brought out a large crowd to the board chambers, with so many people in attendance, the audience spilled outside and wrapped around the building.
After a presentation from Dana Reserve developers, public comment began and lasted more than two hours, with speakers voicing their opinions for and against the project.
Ultimately, the board voted both in favor of the property tax exchange with San Luis Obispo County, as well as annexing the property into the NCSD boundary.
Since the property is not located within the NCSD boundaries, it needs to be annexed into the district in order for it to receive water and wastewater services.
"We're extremely thankful and gratified that there was so much work put into it by the NCSD staff because it's complicated," said Nick Tompkins, Dana Reserve developer. We're very thankful and happy to have a final vote."
"Obviously disappointing, especially the 5-0 vote," Alison Martinez, who opposes the project and serves as the Nipomo Action Committee director. "There's a lot of the issues still have not been addressed, of course, so the fight will continue, for our water and for the community until, a solution is found. We'll go as far as we can with that."
Wednesday's vote doesn't mean the Dana Reserve has final approval to begin construction. Up next, it needs the LAFCO board to approve the formal annexation into the NCSD.
There's also ongoing litigation from the Nipomo Action Committee, which is fighting the project in its current form.
A LAFCO study session is scheduled for Sept. 19, with a vote likely to come sometime in November or December.
if the Dana Reserve receives LAFCO approval and all legal matters are resolved, construction is projected to potentially begin within about a year from that point.
In April, after a highly-spirited two-day hearing the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve the much-debated project.
The Dana Reserve proposal is a 288-acre master-planned community with up to 1,370 residential units, 110,000-203,000 square feet of commercial and non-residential (Visitor Serving/Hotel, Education) floor area, a minimum of 55.6 acres of open space and 6.3 acres of recreation, and related circulation and infrastructure.
The project site is located on a highly visible 288-acre piece of property adjacent to Highway 101, on the west side of the freeway, just south of Willow Road. The property is passed by thousands of vehicles daily traveling on Highway 101 and is located about one mile north of Tefft Street, the main commercial corridor of Nipomo.
Since it was first proposed four years ago by local developer Nick Tompkins, the project has generated a significant amount of discussion in the Nipomo area, particularly due to the potential impacts it may create on both the community and the environment.
