The future of the 288-acre, 1,370-residential-unit Dana Reserve project in Nipomo is still in question with one more day of hearings to go.
The new Dana Reserve Specific Plan which has undergone changes to help fit Nipomo community needs and recommendations, was presented to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The Nipomo Action Committee (NAC), a community non-profit organization led by Allison Martinez, was in full force hoping that the impacts on the surrounding area are enough to sway the Board in favor of delaying approval through revisions.
"We stand for a balance with housing, the environment, the community infrastructure,” Martinez stated.
Things like public safety and resource management were top of the list for both Supervisor Jimmy Paulding and the NAC.
On the other side, developer and applicant Nick Tompkins and NKT Commercial shared an hour-long presentation on the project, emphasizing how they feel the project would help with the county’s growing housing crisis.
“Providing the affordability and the infrastructure, I stand proudly behind the proposal,” Tompkins said in an opening statement.
The plan proposes 1,370 residential units, 30 percent of which will be designated for very low, low and moderate-income affordability.
“We can provide a leg up for those families," Tompkins explained.
Also addressed was the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the county. If the project is approved, it would reduce the RHNA significantly in the categories of very low, low and moderate-income level housing.
However, Martinez and the NAC have their own number in mind in a plan that they also brought to the table during public comment.
“We came up with 800 homes," Martinez said.
The project has been in the works since 2018 when the county identified the area as a location to move the needle on housing in the area.
Much of the public comment came from Nipomo residents citing concerns over water and land use which included the proposed removal of 3,000 trees. It also included concerns over possible traffic and lack of support for Nipomo’s law enforcement and fire department coverage.
The final proceedings take place Wednesday morning when the applicant’s plan could be approved or delayed and subject to more revisions.
Wednesday's hearing begins at 9 a.m. at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center and concludes at 5 p.m.
