Smaller Arroyo Grande Cherry Avenue project gets thumbs-up

After two prior lengthy meetings discussed the matter ad nauseam, the Arroyo Grande Planning Commission approved an East Cherry Avenue residential and commercial development Tuesday, though the approved project is significantly smaller than initially proposed.

It will now head to the City Council for final approval.

“I believe the developers have done a very good job trying to hear the needs of the citizens and trying to put together a project that would benefit the city,” Commissioner Lan George said during discussion. “I think this is a benefit to the city. I believe that housing is a huge problem, and we don’t have enough of it.”

Significantly, the new proposal removes a three-story hotel and restaurant planned for one of the three separately owned parcels, and instead zones that lot as commercial, and it will require any future building to go to the city for approval before construction.

It also reduces the number of residential units on the second lot from 58 to 51, and adds a traffic light at Traffic Way next to the project.

According to a representative of Mangano Homes, which owns the residential portion of the project, the purchase price for the homes would start at about $500,000 for the smallest, 1,500-square-foot single-story models, and increase in cost with size.

The third and final parcel is owned by the Arroyo Grande Valley Japanese Welfare Association, which is proposing a community center, 10-unit senior housing, bed-and-breakfast guesthouse, farm stand, historic orchard and Japanese cultural gardens with walking paths. It would pay homage to the large number of Japanese settlers who played an important role in Arroyo Grande’s early development, as well as replace the former schoolhouse and community center that stood on the site for more than 80 years before it burned down in 2011 as a result of arson.

That portion of the project was largely unchanged.

Commissioners on Tuesday night stressed that they thought the original project was too dense, and continued to express concerns over water use and traffic. Once the project was scaled back and traffic-calming measures such as the traffic signal were added, commissioners were hesitantly more approving, though commissioner John Mack worried the development would result in significant changes to the city’s general plan that would be better suited to discussion at the City Council.

“We are rezoning this parcel from agricultural to multifamily, which is not in our general plan,” he said. “I would rather recommend denial, and give reasons for denial and let City Council decide on the big issues.”

The commission approved the project 3-2, with commissioners Terry Fowler-Payne and Mack dissenting.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Smaller Arroyo Grande Cherry Avenue project gets thumbs-up."