SLO County could get a new cannabis business — and a new high-density housing project
Grover Beach may be in line for a new cannabis business and two new affordable housing developments in the near future.
At Tuesday’s Grover Beach Planning Commission meeting, commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the construction of a new expansion to the Grover Business Park in the industrial sector of the city.
Included in the new 9,930-square-foot expansion — which will add four more 2,160-square-foot suites suites to the park — is an allowance for a cannabis manufacturing and retail space.
The commission also heard a proposal for a dense, townhome-style housing development near Grover Beach Elementary School and evaluated a new Coastal Community Builders multifamily condo project near Vons.
What could new cannabis business, industrial park look like?
Since gaining its first approval in 1998, the Grover Business Park’s four parcels have already seen significant development.
South of the new project, the development already is home to a set of businesses, including a gymnast studio and the Natural Healing Center cannabis dispensary, while the western lot serves as a construction yard and the eastern lot is still vacant.
The proposed project on the northern lot at 948 Huston St. would stand two stories high, including an indoor 639- to 650-square-foot mezzanine and additional office space in Suite D, according to applicant 948 Huston Street LLC’s representative Jason Blankenship.
“This project was already approved several years ago and it was in line for an extension, but my clients missed the extension deadlines and we haven’t made any changes to the project, if that gives you a little bit of more certainty,” Blankenship told the commission.
Originally approved for a development permit by the Planning Commission in 2019, the project has gone through several iterations.
Initially, the project was proposed as a two-story 16,125-square-foot building for the manufacturing and distribution of cannabis, but that was later abandoned and sold to new ownership, according to the staff report.
The original cannabis entitlement expired in October 2021, and the project returned to the Planning Commission the following year more closely resembling its current form, according to the staff report. The Planning Commission approved that 2022 development permit, but the permit expired earlier this year, requiring a new development permit.
The version approved Tuesday will use galvanized steel and stucco on its exterior, with an angled roof that breaks in the direction of the northern property boundary, according to the staff report.
The project is bordered by an industrial drainage basin on the western boundary and will add a 19-space parking lot for business employees and customers along the northern boundary.
As with all cannabis businesses, the project must include ventilation and exhaust systems that provide sufficient odor absorption, according to the staff report.
“As far as the smells and stuff like that, I think that all gets hammered out when you get your permits — they put you through the ringers,” Blankenship said. “This is step one.”
Multifamily housing coming near Grover Beach Elementary School
After wrapping up its vote on the cannabis building, the Planning Commission also unanimously approved a high-density residential housing project at the corner of Longbranch Avenue and South 12th Street across the street from Grover Beach Elementary School.
Split between two buildings on a 0.36-acre lot at 1220 Longbranch Ave., the new development would replace an existing residential structure and accessory structures that are proposed for demolition.
In the existing structure’s place, Building 1 will add three-story two-bedroom townhouses of around 1,500 to 1,800 square feet each, with an accessory dwelling unit on the ground floor alongside two-car garages and open patios. The second floor will include living space with a bedroom and bathroom, while the third floor includes a bedroom, bathroom and laundry room.
Building 2 will stand two stories high and also feature two-bedroom townhomes ranging between 750 and 1,300 square feet, with another accessory dwelling unit on the ground floor.
The project will also stand slightly higher than is typically allowed at 37 feet, passing the normal 32-foot limit, according to the staff report.
One of the home’s 10 residences will be set aside as affordable housing for a very-low-income household, to qualify for the state Density Bonus Law that allowed applicant Cabrillo Court Construction Co. to increase the lot’s density allowance from 12.2 density units to 13 density units, according to the staff report.
The affordable unit will be held for a household making around $60,000 a year, according to the staff report.
More multifamily housing proposed near Vons
Tuesday’s meeting also saw the commission give feedback on a new mixed-use multifamily and commercial development by Coastal Community Builders on South Oak Park Boulevard across the street from the Vons grocery store.
The plan calls for the construction of an 1,800-square-foot commercial building and 20 residential condominiums spread across three three-story buildings, featuring three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms apiece.
The condos would include 20 attached two-car garages measuring around 555 square feet each and five on-site guest parking spaces, along with 41 spaces for commercial use.
The 1.8-acre development site at 191 S Oak Park Blvd. is undeveloped on its southern half, but already is home to a pair of multi-tenant commercial buildings that encroach on the project site and that will be demolished to make way for the new project. Existing tenants include Apogee Brewing, Catalyst Craft Hair Salon, Music Motive, Hey Gorgeous Formal Wear, Occupational Therapy for Kids, Valor EVT Solar Construction, Muddy Paws Pet Grooming Salon and New Earth Health Food.
Around 650 square feet of the business’ building that overlaps with the new property would be demolished and rebuilt on the opposite side to accommodate the new development, according to community development director Megan Martin.
The project will return to the Planning Commission at a later date after incorporating the commission’s feedback.
