Development would bring new housing, retail to SLO’s railroad district. Here’s the plan
A new development is in the works in the heart of San Luis Obispo’s Railroad District.
The city’s Cultural Heritage Commission is expected to review an application from Obispo Investments Inc. at its meeting Jan. 22 to build a mixed-use development at 1925 Santa Barbara Ave.
Currently the lot is home to a single small building.
According to assistant city planner Walter Oetzell, the new project would add three buildings, which would include a commercial suite, an accessible living unit and three housing units.
The commercial suite would be roughly 485 square feet in size, Oetzell said, located at the front of the lot. He added it could “accommodate a variety of service, limited retail and business service uses that are permitted” in the area per the city’s zoning regulations.
Behind that would be a two-story, 825-square-foot accessible living unit. The third building — also two stories and situated over a parking area — would contain three housing units of roughly 875 square feet apiece.
The project is being designed by Barry L. Williams of BLW Architecture.
According to a city staff report, the property was previously developed as a used car lot with a small office in the 1980s. More recently is was home to The Brow Shoppe.
All structures, pavement and previous work on the site will be removed to the sub-grade to make way for the new development, the report said.
The Cultural Heritage Commission is expected to review the project in a public hearing in Council Chambers at City Hall, 990 Palm St., on Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Public comment prior to the start of the meeting can be submitted in writing via U.S. Mail to the City Clerk’s Office at 990 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 or by email to advisorybodies@slocity.org.
At the meeting, the commission will issue a recommendation to the city, which will then later decide to approve or deny the project.
This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
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