A recent ruling on proposed housing in Cayucos means the hillside development is now one step closer to taking shape.
“I’m worried about having houses in my backyard,” said Cayucos resident Dante Borradori.
Dante Borradori lives along North Ocean Avenue but plans for new housing on the hillside above his home concern him.
“I’ve seen the destruction that can happen on that hill. I’ve seen it slip and slide over the years since it was built in 1942,” Borradori said.
He says over the years, he’s had to stabilize his home many times.
“There was a lot of water running off as the type of soil it is, it doesn’t soak in very well, so we have a lot of runoff water,” Borradori said.
The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission in March approved a permit allowing work to begin on the nearly 10-acre lot above that hillside.
With the plans calling for eight single-family homes separated by 8.2 acres of open space, Borradori filed an appeal with the California Coastal Commission.
“I’ve got 82 years of experience between my uncle and myself to see what this hillside does,” Borradori said.
But his appeal was denied last week.
“Alright seeing no objection. No substantial issue is found,” Caryl Hart, California Coastal Commissioner.
A project spokesperson told Coastal Commissioners that multiple studies were done on the hillside.
According to Jamie Jones, who represented the developer Josef Steinmann at the Coastal Commission meeting, she says some of the completed reports include a preliminary geological hazards study, slope stability analysis and an engineering geology investigation.
“The reports concluded that the slopes are stable, the liquefaction potential is considered low and the potential for the project to result in bluff erosion is low as noted in the staff report,” said Jamie Jones, Kirk Consulting founder.
Coastal Commission staff said technical experts reviewed and approved those reports. Some community members say they see both sides of the development debate.
“We don’t want to see too much development here, but I think some development is okay,” said Randal Moens, Cayucos resident.
“I sure hope that they guessed right. Nowhere during the whole time had any engineers or geologists visit me and ask me any questions about what I knew,” said Borradori.
The project spokesperson told Coastal Commissioners the developer is committed to the project.
“We put a lot of effort into this project. It’s been going on for a number of years. You can call it a passion project for the owner. He’s a native to the Central Coast and he lives in Cayucos,” Jones said.
The County’s Planning Commission must still approve separate permits for each house.
