Housing development could bring thousands of new residents to Nipomo
A large metal cattle gate blocks access to an empty field sandwiched between Willow Road and Sandydale Drive in Nipomo.
Looking out across this undeveloped 288-acre parcel off Hetrick Avenue, you can almost imagine what it was like when it was first gifted to Capt. William G. Dana in the mid-1800s as part of the 38,000-acre Rancho Nipomo land grant.
Oak trees and vegetation stretch as far east as the eye can see, and small creatures rustle in the grass while birds caw overhead. On the opposite end of the parcel, hundreds of cars rush up and down Highway 101, the modern-day descendant of the El Camino Real or “King’s Highway” that connected California’s missions in Dana’s day.
In the next decade, this field could be home to more than 1,200 new homes.
A group called the Dana Reserve LLC, led by San Luis Obispo County developer Nick Tompkins, has submitted documents to the county outlining the proposed Dana Reserve, a 1,270-unit housing development that could add thousands of new residents to the Nipomo area.
The housing project would feature a mix of multi- and single-family homes, affordable housing units, commercial business spaces, a hotel, parks, public recreation areas, a neighborhood barn, horse trails and an education center, according to documents provided to The Tribune.
“Our idea is to pull together something that is truly unique,” Tompkins told The Tribune in a June 23 interview. “A thoughtful, fully integrated project.”
Proposed Nipomo housing project features 1,270 homes
The new development would represent a massive addition to Nipomo, which already features several large housing developments, notably those centered around golf courses such as Monarch Dunes and Black Lake.
Dana Reserve would not feature a golf course, Tompkins said.
It would instead be designed around 12 distinct neighborhoods, each with parks, homes and identities unique to them, he said.
Tompkins was hesitant to disclose anticipated price ranges for the homes, though he noted that the lower end would start at about $360,000 for smaller properties like condos and would likely increase up to about $750,000 for the larger single-family homes.
He also added that several of the homes in some of the neighborhoods would be offered as rentals.
In total, the development will likely feature 75 affordable housing units, 173 condos, 210 town homes and 812 single-family homes, according to a map of the proposed project. Lot sizes for the single-family homes would range between 4,000 square feet and 7,000 square feet.
Per the county’s average household size calculations, the new development would likely add more than 3,000 people to Nipomo’s population.
Additionally, the documents submitted to the county predict the development would lead to an estimated increase of about 1,143 students in the Lucia Mar Unified School District, which serves the South San Luis Obispo County area, including Nipomo.
Each neighborhood would feature its own park, but one of those neighborhood parks could eventually be transitioned into an elementary school if the need arises, Tompkins added.
Dana Reserve commercial area would have restaurants, hotel
One of the most important elements of the Dana Reserve plan is a mixed-use village commercial area adjacent to Highway 101.
Tompkins said this area will likely feature various commercial elements such as restaurants, a daycare center and some sort of healthcare provider. A small grocery store is another possibility, he said.
The village would also feature a hotel, probably in the 80-to-100 room range, though Tompkins said his group has not yet entered negotiations with any specific hotels or groups.
According to a map of the site, an additional element of the commercial area plan calls for some sort of education center on the site, though Tompkins declined to disclose details of that aspect of the proposal, saying specific details have yet to be confirmed.
Oak trees to be removed, conservation area proposed
Because the plan calls for oak trees on the undeveloped property to be removed —Tompkins said he was unsure of the exact number — the Dana Reserve LLC group has purchased a 385-acre property across the highway in the hills overlooking Nipomo that Tompkins said he hopes to have set aside as a conservation area.
The large property would be established as a sort of Nipomo alternative to the Pismo Preserve, with views of the Mesa and the Pacific Ocean and public hiking trails.
The preserve would be maintained by a local nonprofit group, and would be open to the public for docent-led hikes.
The group has also committed to replanting trees on the Dana Reserve property, to help make up for the loss of oak trees.
What about water use?
In California, water is always a topic of conversation when it comes to new developments — and the Dana Reserve is no different.
In a presentation to the Nipomo Community Services District Board of Directors on Wednesday, consulting engineer Rick Sweet said the proposed development would be expected to use about 370 acre feet of water per year. (An acre foot is 326,000 gallons, or about enough water to cover a football field one foot deep.)
That represents a roughly 19.8% increase over Nipomo’s current water use.
Last year, the district pumped about 901 acre feet of groundwater and received 960 acre feet from Santa Maria, via a long-term water agreement between the two districts.
Though the district’s water use would increase, Tompkins said it could actually be beneficial to the NCSD to bring on the new development, saying the district is already contracted to increase the amount of water it receives from Santa Maria.
The district will have to increase the amount it receives to at least 1,668 acre feet per year in 2025, according to an independent water assessment provided by Tompkins to The Tribune. It currently has rights to up to 2,168 acre feet of water from Santa Maria, but has not been taking its full allotment, according to the assessment.
Given that the district is believed to have to pump a certain amount of groundwater per year to maintain integrity of its systems, the extra water from Santa Maria would be plenty to supply the development and the rest of the Nipomo district, Tompkins said.
At full build out, the development would also bring an estimated $31 million into the NCSD’s coffers from connection fees for water service and sewage, according to the water assessment.
What is the timeline for SLO County development?
Though Tompkins said the group wishes to move “very quickly” on getting the development up and running, it is likely still several years away from completion.
In a timeline presented during the Nipomo Community Services District meeting Wednesday, Dana Reserve representative Laurie Tamura said regulatory proceedings, including environmental impact reports and a necessary annexation of the Willow Road property into the NCSD boundaries, could be completed by as soon as December 2021.
Once fully approved, the project would be completed in three phases over a span of approximately seven years, Tompkins said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the number of units of each housing type available.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 3:27 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)