Proposed housing at Laetitia Vineyard denied by SLO County supervisors

Saying their concerns about water during a severe drought were too great, San Luis Obispo County supervisors denied a proposal Tuesday to build 102 homes on Laetitia Vineyard & Winery property near Arroyo Grande, in an area where neighbors say some wells already are going dry.

Supervisor Lynn Compton, whose district includes the proposed agricultural cluster, reluctantly moved to reject the plan, noting, “This is a motion that I hate to make,” but added: “My issue is the water, and it always has been the water.”

The county Planning Commission considered and denied an 82-home project in February, prompting winery owner and applicant Janneck Limited to appeal the decision to the supervisors.

The supervisors considered a plan that would preserve about 1,787 acres of the 1,910-acre property in open space and divide the remaining land into 102 1-acre lots — called an agricultural cluster. One house already exists on the property.

Only Supervisor Debbie Arnold voted against the denial Tuesday, arguing that the project could actually use less water than if more acres were used for agricultural purposes or if parcels of the Laetitia project were sold off and developed.

“I think this is something that can be worked through to alleviate future water issues in that area,” Arnold said. “With nothing happening here, there’s no restriction on water use on the entire 1,910 acres.”

But she could not convince Compton or the other supervisors. Their main point of contention Tuesday was water and how the water use for the development could impact neighbors.

Several speakers who live or own property near the Laetitia winery said their wells have gone dry, and they’ve either drilled a new well or had to truck in water.

“We and our neighbors have met with mixed success in our quest for new water,” said Linda Richards, who lives south of the property. She said four wells on five parcels on her street, including hers, have gone dry, and the Laetitia development would cause further problems for existing residents.

“Laetitia, with only a vineyard operation, has already negatively impacted our water situation and all of the neighboring properties greatly,” she said.

Another speaker, Nipomo resident James Toomey, said there are 10 dry wells in the vicinity of the project.

“I ask you to look at the facts,” he said. “Neighborhood dry wells should be an indicator to you.”

Victor Montgomery, principal of RRM Design Group and representative for Janneck Limited, described state-of-the-art water conservation measures to offset water use, restrictions on outdoor water use and an on-site wastewater treatment facility to treat the water so it could be used on the vineyards.

The project’s hydrogeologist, Spencer J. Harris of Cleath-Harris Geologists Inc., said project wells were tested during severe drought conditions, and the wells showed they could meet the demand.

The county’s consulting hydrogeologist, Gordon Thrupp, agreed that the pumping tests showed the wells could provide enough water for the project, but said the long-term viability of the supply is uncertain.

Montgomery added that without the project, there could be a maximum of 42 new homes, with “who knows how many more wells … no restrictions on water use” and lost economic benefits.

A few other residents also urged the board to allow the project to move forward to boost the local housing stock, provide housing to potential new entrepreneurs and allow people to experience living in an agricultural cluster.

Jeff Eckles, executive director of the Home Builders Association of the Central Coast, said even high-end homes help with the county’s affordability problem because many of those homebuyers could be moving out of a less expensive home.

Supervisor Adam Hill did not agree. “One-hundred and two luxury homes will not have any impact” on the local housing crisis, he said. Hill, as well as Supervisors Bruce Gibson and Frank Mecham, said they were worried about whether the project would cause water problems for existing residents.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen within a reasonable time frame, and 10 years is nothing,” Gibson said. “The houses will be there for 60 to 80 years.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Proposed housing at Laetitia Vineyard denied by SLO County supervisors."