Price Canyon development agreement gains approval

November 14, 2012

The Pismo Beach Planning Commission voted 3-2 to approve a development agreement with the owners of a Price Canyon development which allows a greater degree of certainty that the project will move forward.

Approval of the development agreement requires city council approval. The council is likely to consider approval during a January meeting, according to the staff report.

If passed, the draft pre-annexation and development agreement would provide current and potential owners of the three development areas a greater degree of certainty that a project may be completed in an orderly and predictable manner in line with its approvals for a period of 20 years.

According to the agreement, the developer’s obligations include an upgrade to the city’s waste water treatment plant to tertiary levels and to begin a recycled water program in the city at a cost of approximately $3.5 million, dedication of land for Anza Portola Park and to employ low impact development methods.

Brad Snook, Chair of the Surfrider Foundation’s San Luis Obispo Chapter, said that while the Surfrider Foundation does not recommend any particular project, it does support projects that use recycled water such as the proposed Spanish Springs development.

In early 2011, the city council voted 5-0 to approve a memorandum of agreement that also requires approval by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.

The approved proposal included the removal of the 530-acre Spanish Springs property located at the north side the proposed project that was slated to include a 124-acre vineyard, a winery, a 40-unit lodge and 44 homes. The reduction changed the area of the proposed developments to approximately 1,200 acres, comprising of two separate development projects.

The larger project, owned by an investment group managed by West Coast Housing, spans 950 acres and is slated to include 468 homes, a nine-hole golf course, conference center, wine center, vineyards, trails and open space.