Biz Buzz: Local developer moves ahead with Eureka housing project

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• Editorial: Serra Meadows project is good news for housing

  Editorial: Serra Meadows project is good news for housing

  Few industries have been as hard hit by the recession as home building, and our county has been no exception.

  Consider: Countywide, we are on track in 2011 to have the lowest number of new homes under construction since at least 1990. During the first six months of the year, only 132 building permits for single- and multifamily homes were pulled. For the same period last year, there were 302.

  In some communities, residential growth is practically at a standstill.

• 177 new homes slated for construction in San Luis Obispo

  177 new homes slated for construction in San Luis Obispo

  Plans to build San Luis Obispo’s largest residential development in seven years are being revived and could bring 177 new homes to the Margarita area in the southeast part of town.

  The residential development, called Serra Meadows, is the most significant new project within the city since the collapse of the housing market.

  The land, originally owned by Craig Cowan and Richard DeBlauw, was purchased in January by Resmark Equity Partners — a private equity firm based in Los Angeles — and will be developed by Camarillo’s MD2 Communities.

• Pismo Beach breaks ground on low-income housing project

  Pismo Beach breaks ground on low-income housing project

  A groundbreaking ceremony was held today in Pismo Beach at the site of the city’s first low-income housing project.

  The project at 360 Park Ave., near Ira Lease Park, will include 14 units built specifically for those who meet certain income levels, a community room, a laundry facility and meeting space.

  In March, the City Council and the Pismo Beach Redevelopment Agency approved a development agreement with San Luis Obispo-based Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, which will design, construct and manage the estimated $4.3 million project.

• Climate change a hot topic in county

  Climate change a hot topic in county

  A wide variety of opinions about climate change and how the county should respond — ranging from a belief that the county is not doing nearly enough to fight global warming to fears that the plan would be a step in turning the sovereignty of our country over to the United Nations — were aired before the Board of Supervisors this week.

  By a 3 to 2 vote, the supervisors approved a plan Tuesday that will map out how the county will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2020.

  The item elicited two hours of discussion, including local wine grape growers saying the plan could lead to burdensome new regulations.

• Marketing firm moving up a level

  Marketing firm moving up a level

  Level Studios, a San Luis Obispo-based company specializing in digital integrated marketing and product development, is expanding its local presence.

  The company plans to build a new and larger headquarters here, with the potential to double its existing workforce, a company spokeswoman said.

  “We are investing in building a new property in the area,” spokeswoman Alexandra League said, noting that one of the potential locations is near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.