1,200 Paso Robles homes could come to a long-vacant site. Here’s what it will look like
A builder wants to bring 1,200 homes to an area of Paso Robles that’s long been ripe for development but has yet to yield any new housing.
Southern California developer Danny Brose plans to create a 1,233-home community on 356 acres of land that combines four parcels controlled by three different owners: South Chandler Ranch, Olsen Ranch, Centex and Our Town.
Brose’s Olsen Ranch 212, LLC, controls most of South Chandler and Olsen ranches. The Condict family owns the Our Town parcel and the Fuentez family owns the Centex parcel.
The city recently released draft environmental impact report and specific plan documents for the community, dubbed Viñedo.
The site is bordered by Hanson Road to the east; Fontana Road, Poppy Lane and Pioneer Trail and Winding Brook roads to the west, and Meadowlark Road to the south.
History of Paso Robles properties
The development is planned for an area of Paso Robles builders have eyed for decades with little success.
The city annexed the sprawling 826.7-acre Chandler Ranch in 1980. The nearby Olsen Ranch and Beechwood properties became part of Paso Robles in 2004.
The planned Beechwood development, which would supply an additional 915 homes, was delayed after a drought put required environmental studies on hold.
The project was still in the planning phases in 2018, according to a previous Tribune article.
The Paso Robles City Council approved a plan to split the Chandler Ranch property in 2017, when Allegretto developer Doug Ayres proposed 350 units of workforce housing.
That project has not yet come to fruition, city manager Tom Frutchey said.
A new housing development
Development in the area is finally beginning to build momentum again, following the Great Recession, he said.
Although specific plans have been submitted for the South Chandler Ranch-Olsen Ranch properties, none of the projects made it to the environmental review phase — until now, Frutchey said.
“Nothing ever got this far,” he said.
Plans for Viñedo include 168 units of high-density housing, 479 units of medium-density housing and 586 units of low-density housing, according to the development’s specific plan.
The community will also feature about 48 acres of parks, along with trails, a recreation center, a pool, commercial space and potentially even a new school.
“The purpose of the Viñedo Specific Plan is to guide and encourage the development of a high-quality and unique community that integrates context-sensitive site planning and design with innovative and indigenous architecture, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing and active new community,” the specific plan reads.
Residents have previously worried about whether the city and its depleted groundwater basin has enough water to support new development. Frutchey called that a “minor concern.”
“This entire project area is within city limits,” he said. “We’ve been planning on it for years.”
The city wants feedback from residents on the draft environmental impact report. The comment period closes on Dec. 2, and residents can access documents at prcity.com/357/CEQA-Documents or view them at City Hall.
Comments must be submitted in writing and can be emailed to planning@prcity.com or sent by mail to City of Paso Robles Community Development Department, 1000 Spring Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446.
For more information, call 805-237-3888 or visit prcity.com.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of low-density housing units included in plans for the development.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 5:15 AM.
