Grover Beach convention center delayed
March 15, 2014
After two decades of discussions and votes to allow the construction of an 11,000 square foot conference center and 150-room lodge in Grover Beach, two recent appeals have stalled the project.
In April, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a plan to construct the project near the entrance to the Ocean Dunes. Two members of the California Coastal Commission members then appealed the project.
Members Steve Kinsey and Mary Shallenberger said they are opposed to the project because it does not prohibit a seawall from being built in the future.
In addition, San Francisco attorney Thomas Roth filed an appeal on behalf of Friends of Oceano Dunes over San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Charles Crandall’s ruling that the APCD has the authority to regulate off-road vehicle activity on the Oceano Dunes.
Friends of Oceano Dunes argued that the APCD used flawed scientific practices and failed to prove that off-road vehicle activity on the dunes has caused an increase in pollution on the Nipomo Mesa. The dust rule requires the California Department of Parks to reduce the amount of particulate matter blowing from the Oceano Dunes to Nipomo Mesa or face fines of $1,000 a day.
Friends of the Dunes, though not opposed to the project, has also voiced concerns that the relocation of a RV dump station will impact access to the dunes.
The project, currently expected to cost in the $30 million range, is slated to boost the economy in the struggling beach community through increased tax revenue and income from tourism.
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