The Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan was given the green light by the San Luis Obispo County Supervisors this week.
“The Habitat Conservation Plan allows you to pay a fee for every square feet of land you disturb, and that goes into mitigating endangered wildlife for that plant or animal in some other location,” said Deborah Howe, Los Osos Community Advisory Council Chair.
Back in October, Supervisors lifted the nearly 30-year building moratorium, but other factors play into what’s needed for building to begin. That’s where the Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan, or LOHCP, comes in.
“The community plan says this is what our future community plan and the LOHCP says this is how you can do it,” Howe said.
The county will use a loan of up to $2 million to jump-start the conservation plan.
“We’re not going to spend that all out of the gate. We draw it down. As we see the activity is needed,” said Trevor Keith, County Planning director.
Fees paid into the Habitat Conservation Fund would be used to help pay back the loan. Conservation work wouldn’t begin until the loan is paid off.
“The habitat conservation plan implementation wasn’t ready in October, and it isn’t ready today,” said Jeff Edwards, Los Osos resident.
Jeff Edwards lives in Los Osos and spoke out against the plan during this week’s meeting.
“There is no urgency to take action on this today. We have to live with this for the next 25 years. Let’s get it right the first time,” Edwards said.
Los Osos Community Advisory Council Chair Deborah Howe says the town needs growth but in a balanced way.
“We’ve always had water issues and we will continue to have water issues in the future. We can only grow at a very slow rate,” Howe said.
In a 4 to 1 vote, the conservation plan was approved.
“Let’s move forward, let’s lift this moratorium. Let’s authorize some reasonable housing in Los Osos and get it done,” said Supervisor Jimmy Paulding.
The Los Osos Community Plan will still have to be approved by the California Coastal Commission before any building can begin.
