Burton Ranch housing development in Lompoc to move forward after 15 years

The Burton Ranch housing project was approved by the Lompoc City Council all the way back in 2007, but a dispute over utility services stalled its development for the past 15 years.

That is, until last Tuesday when a compromise was agreed upon for the project to move forward.

"The city and the developer and the district have been negotiating to come up with a solution and I think we have now come up with that solution," Brad Hagemann, general manager of the Mission Hills Community Services District, told KSBY.

Following a decade-long disagreement over whether the City of Lompoc or the Mission Hills Community Services District would cover water services for Burton Ranch, the solution was a combination of the two.

"We are dividing up the water and wastewater services," Hagemann added. "The CSD will provide water services through their existing water infrastructure, and the wastewater will be collected in the subdivision, and the district has an agreement with the City of Lompoc to treat the wastewater."

The 150-acre Burton Ranch project site, located right off Highway 1 and north of Hancock College's Lompoc Valley Center, will include 476 single- and multi-family homes, as well as a community park.

Hagemann says the development is expected to boost business for Mission Hills by 25%, just in time for the opening of the newest restaurant in the neighborhood.

"We are currently going to be opening a restaurant here soon, doing pizzas and still catering as well," said Vilay Saeiko, owner and founder of Savory & Sweet Eats.

She says she began her catering business during the pandemic, adding that she hopes the addition of her new restaurant, as well as the incoming Burton Ranch project bring a spark to Mission Hills and the greater Lompoc community.

"I think that will definitely be big for business, as well as bringing more homes to our community, which has been much needed for a very long time," Saeiko added.

The developers of Burton Ranch were unable to meet for interviews Monday, but their community resources representatives sent KSBY a statement that said in part:

"We are pleased that the Mission Hills Community Services District Board and Lompoc City Council were able to resolve the water and sewer service dispute that has delayed bringing these needed homes to Lompoc."

Meanwhile, Hagemann says he believes the resolution will satisfy the needs of all parties involved.

"The city has capacity at their wastewater treatment plant and could use more customers frankly. For the developer, it was the cheapest solution to get the wastewater into a treatment system. And for the District, again providing water services," he said.

Groundbreaking on the project is expected to begin next year.

KSBY also reached out to City of Lompoc officials for details on their traffic study on the project but did not receive a response by publishing.