New 400-unit housing development could add road, Bob Jones Trail extension in SLO
Early discussions of a new 400-home development in San Luis Obispo will get underway next week — but don’t expect to see shovels breaking ground anytime soon.
Broadstone Village, a new housing development totaling 409 homes across two parcels, is planned for the green open space immediately north and south of Los Osos Valley Road on the east side of the intersection with Highway 101.
City planner Hannah Hahn said the new development — which will be almost evenly split between multi-family residential units and senior-only housing — will also facilitate a new extension to the Bob Jones Trail down the line.
On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo City Council will get its first look at the project, kicking off a lengthy approval process that will require annexation of some county land into the city to facilitate the construction of a new road connecting Los Osos Valley Road to Buckley Road, Hahn said.
While the project is still early in its timeline, some neighbors of the project site said they were unconvinced that the project would be a good fit for their neighborhood.
Tom Mees, a San Luis Obispo Realtor and developer who lives in the nearby Los Verdes development, said he has concerns about the number of homes and amount of traffic the project could bring to Los Osos Valley Road.
“When I say ‘Location, location, location,’ it still applies,” Mees said. “This is not the right location to pop in twice the density.”
New road, Bob Jones Trail expansion to accompany development
Hahn said applicant LOVR Properties, TIC has been working with the city and doing outreach to neighboring communities since the early 2020s, getting its ducks in a row before bringing the initial plan to the City Council.
To the north of Los Osos Valley Road, 208 units of senior housing are planned on a 9.5-acre parcel, while the southern parcel is planned for 201 units of multifamily housing.
Units will range between studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes with shared common areas, and will be spread out across six buildings on the north parcel and a dozen buildings on the southern parcel, according to the staff report.
However, bringing these units online will require a significant amount of re-zoning before plans can be finalized; the north lot is zoned as an R-2 single family parcel, while the southern lot is zoned as an R-1 single family parcel, meaning both lots are only supposed to be used for detached single-family homes.
In addition to the re-zoning of the two main parcels to R-4 — which allows developers to build multi-family housing and commercial space — the project calls for the annexation of around 44 acres of county land between South Higuera Street and Highway 101 known as the Hayashi Property to make way for the new Los Osos Valley Road-Buckley Road connector.
Most of the Hayashi Property would be maintained and re-zoned for agricultural operations and open space with the exception of the new road, according to the staff report.
According to a letter from county director of public works John Diodati and director of planning and building Trevor Keith included in the April 1 staff report, the county is supportive of the annexation, indicating that the decision will ultimately fall to the San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission.
Mees said the road is of concern to him and other neighbors, and doubted the new connector could meaningfully reduce the amount of vehicles traveling on Los Osos Valley Road regardless of what the traffic study says.
“Here’s the problem: We’re already maxed out on traffic,” Mees said. “The traffic is so heavy, it’s really hard for us to make a left, come out of (Los Verdes) Park Two, make a left and go toward Costco.”
Los Verdes Park Two resident Steven Palm voiced similar concerns, adding that while opposition to the development isn’t universal, the residents closest to the planned road and project site are worried about the project’s fit.
Palm said while he likes the Bob Jones Trail, he’s also concerned that extending the trail alongside his neighborhood could bring homeless individuals through the area due to its proximity to Prado Road.
“They’re talking about building on that land they’d like to annex, which is under a concept conservation easement now, and that’s a flood zone, so it just seems like it’s a good possibility that’s going to be a more expensive road for taxpayers to maintain,” Palm said.
Traffic concerns aside, both Palm and Mees said they would be supportive of the development if it was planned with fewer units and lower density.
When could Broadstone Village be built?
Should the project gain all necessary approvals from the city and LAFCO, the development will be split into three phases.
In Phase 1, the north site will be developed with the first batch of 48 units, frontage improvements to Los Osos Valley Road, entry roads and relocation of some city water facilities.
It also includes the first 91 units built on the south site and the bypass alongside community amenities and the new road from Los Osos Valley Road to the project entry. Should the community support a secondary access to Los Verdes Park One, that will also be built in the first phase.
The second phase will see development of 62 more units on the north site, along with common spaces and amenities, while the south site will receive the remaining 110 units.
The aforementioned Los Osos Valley Road bypass and Bob Jones Trail extension will also be completed along with a secondary to Los Verdes Park Two.
In the final phase, the remaining 98 units will be built on the north site.
According to the staff report, the full build-out time for all three phases will likely span the next decade.
