Crews at Laurel Lane development struck water. And neighbors are concerned over flooding

A group of homeowners living next to an ongoing shopping center development on Laurel Lane in San Luis Obispo are concerned after the construction project uncovered a high water table.

Residents of the Lofts on Laurel, a complex of seven town homes just south of the development, say they took images of water gushing from the neighboring property after March rains, and they are worried about future flooding.

"They dug down deep and their water was gushing and we're afraid that it's going to flood our homes, especially when the rain season comes next year," said Elaine Stewart, a resident of the Lofts on Laurel. "We're also worried about mosquitos."

Stewart shared a video with The Tribune, showing a steady flow of water that she said went under a retaining wall and into an alley between their parcels.

But on a recent visit to the property, no water was pooled in the alley.

San Luis Obispo officials inspected the property and found that no violations of city code had occurred, said Michael Codron, the city's community development director.

"We haven't been able to confirm that there was any water leaving the site," Codron said. "If there's a future complaint, we’ll go out right away to monitor it."

Patrick Aurignac, the developer of the approved remodel of the Laurel Lane shopping center, said that despite unearthing a high water table at the property, he has a plan to carefully manage drainage — and during the construction process, he has built a retaining wall and employed the use of a truck that stores pumped water to keep it from flooding the neighbor's property.

The stored water is then hauled away to irrigate privately owned property in Edna Valley. His plans include revamping the Laurel Lane shopping center and also building 18 apartments on the neighboring property, close to where the Lofts on Laurel are situated. That's where digging has occurred and where the water-storage tank is placed.

"We're doing the best we can, and we're 100 percent in compliance with the city's policies," Aurignac said. "If you go look now, it's bone dry there. We're sensitive to all the neighbors’ concerns, and when our project is built, we'll have a drainage system that properly diverts the water into city storm drains."

Stewart and fellow complex homeowner Malinda Gallaher said during the height of the rain season, a storm drain outside their homes was nearly filled to the brim. They believe the neighboring excavation was the cause.

"It's scary because if it overflows, it will go directly into my garage and maybe my flooring," Stewart said. "They were digging way down deep. I don’t think they anticipated hitting this water."

Aurignac said his construction team delayed the shopping center project, largely to deal with the water situation, for about three months, but work is back on track.

"We'll be happy to work with the neighbors on any future concerns, but there's really no problem," Aurignac said.

Aurignac said that the shopping center is scheduled for completion within about three months.

This story was originally published June 9, 2018 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Crews at Laurel Lane development struck water. And neighbors are concerned over flooding."