Steve Martin approves development, receives a large donation
October 1, 2016
The Paso Robles City Council voted unanimously last month to approve zoning changes for a project owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick and Tom and Gwen Erskine. A month later, Gwen Erskine donated $1,000 dollars to Mayor Steve Martin’s campaign for supervisor.
On Aug. 2, the developers asked the council for approval to subdivide and rezone three parcels on the east side of Paso Robles into 14 separate lots.
Because the property was zoned parks and open space, development on the land was limited to recreational uses such as hotels, resorts and wineries. The council’s approval permits the Resnicks and the Erskines to rezone a portion of the 212 acre property from open space to industrial.
In an area dominated by wineries and hotels, the developers plan to build an industrial park with 440,000 square feet of planned industrial space and 183,000 square feet of light industrial, according to the project application.
Generally, zoning changes from parks and open space to industrial are uncommon, said Darren Nash, Paso Robles associate planner.
Before the Aug. 2 Paso Robles City Council meeting, as part of the project’s conditions for approval, the developers were required to provide a 40 foot easement for a hiking trail.
However, on Aug. 2, the council also voted to approve the developer’s request to reduce the width of a trail easement from 40 feet to 20 feet.
On Sept. 24, Gwen Erskine donated $1,000 to Martin’s campaign for a seat on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
Martin said he had no knowledge about the donation before the Aug. 2 vote.
“The donation did not come up before the issue,” Martin said. “It was a total surprise.”
Gwen Erskine did not respond to requests for comment.
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