During Tuesday night’s Atascadero City Council meeting, the council passed a motion 4-0 to approve the Dove Creek Project, a mixed-use development across from the Dove Creek neighborhood.
When the plan was created in 2004, the intent was to include 300,000 square feet for commercial use and up to 2,000 residential units.
In the 20 years since its inception, the plan has evolved.
Now, the project will include 14,840 square feet of commercial tenant space, 20 short-term rental hotel units, and 71 residential units.
"We went from a large retail pad with a lighted parking lot to a project that had a large hotel with multiple stories to now a mostly two-story project with basically a public market," said Atascadero City Manager Jim Lewis.
Leading up to and during Tuesday's meeting, the public shared their concerns about the project, mainly focused on congestion and parking.
One Dove Creek resident, Edward Van Hoose, said he feels the land is too small to accommodate the various establishments planned.
"[It] may be too much going into a small space," Van Hoose said. "That's our biggest concern and then also how that's going to impact parking for residents."
The revised plan requires long-term residents in the Dove Creek Project community to use their garages for parking to ensure that fewer parking spaces are occupied.
Originally, the required number of parking spaces for the project was 160. The recently approved plan includes 178.
Lewis added that with the project approved, construction could soon follow.
"I think we could see construction within the next year," he said.
