Then-and-now photos: See how hundreds of homes filled SLO ranch land

Editor’s note: This is one in our new “Then and Now” series comparing historical San Luis Obispo County photos to the same locations today.

More than 30 years ago, five landowners proposed a San Luis Obispo subdivision that would run along Prado Road from South Higuera Street to Broad Street.

On March 23, 1992, the Telegram-Tribune outlined the proposal, which included 1,100 homes, six parks, a community hall, tennis courts, day-care center, gym and trails.

The El Camino Estates proposal was not approved, but part of the area eventually was annexed into the city and became the Damon-Garcia Fields on Broad Street and the Serra Meadows and Toscano developments that wrap around the stub of Margarita Avenue.

The area used to be ranch land, and cows could be seen grazing in a wet year with water flowing in the arroyos.

The 1992 photo from the South Hills also shows the Union Oil tanks now demolished on Tank Farm Road.

The image is a vast contrast to today, with homes now filling much of the area.

The current photo shows the last units of Toscano finished in foreground and the Serra Meadows in the background.

Use our photo slider to compare the how the area looked from then to now. If the slider isn’t loading, try refresing the page.

This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

David Middlecamp

The Tribune

805-781-7942

David Middlecamp is a photojournalist and third-generation Cal Poly graduate who has covered the Central Coast region since the 1980s. A career that began developing and printing black-and-white film now includes an FAA-certified drone pilot license. He also writes the history column “Photos from the Vault.”