Published: Monday, Jun. 22, 2009
Arroyo Grande may get new police station site
County Board of Supervisors may swap and rezone city- and county-owned properties
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closeThe Arroyo Grande Police Department might have a site for a long-awaited new station if the county Board of Supervisors agrees Tuesday to move forward with a plan that would swap and rezone some city- and county-owned properties.
The board is expected to hear a proposal to give the city 1.5 acres of land off of West Branch Street and Rodeo Drive that could be the site of a new police station.
In exchange, the city would rezone two parcels of county-owned land, take ownership of a creek habitat corridor and the maintenance of a small county-owned street.
The deal is a mutually beneficial agreement, Arroyo Grande City Manager Steve Adams said.
“We think it’s a real win-win situation,” Adams said. “It serves a number of county goals and it helps the city.”
Building a new police station has been a city goal for years because the department has outgrown its current building.
The county might be able to build apartments or condos that could be used for subsidized or below-market-price housing if Arroyo Grande rezones county-owned parcels to allow that, according to staff reports.
The agreement could also free up the county from liability and maintenance of Pecan Place — a small street in the southern part of Arroyo Grande — and a nearby creek habitat corridor.
The proposal would also make it easier for Arroyo Grande to eventually build a recreation center, because part of the deal would allow the city to sell a portion of the land as private lots.
Proceeds of such a sale could eventually help pay for construction of a recreation center, officials said.
Besides bringing in funds, rezoning some of the land from its current commercial designation to residential makes sense, Adams said.
“The land use would be more compatible with those neighborhoods,” he said.
The City Council gave the proposal its go-ahead with a unanimous vote at a meeting late last month.
If the county board supports the plan, there will still have to be a public hearing and environmental review before the proposal could be finalized.
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