Tiny motel planned for SLO County beach town clears final hurdle in appeal process
A tiny new motel planned near the beach in Cayucos cleared its final hurdle in the appeal process.
On Friday, the California Coastal Commission unanimously rejected an appeal filed against a two-story, 4,200-square-foot building proposed to be built on a vacant lot on South Ocean Avenue about two blocks from the beach.
That means developer Uriah Donaldson gets to keep the coastal development permit awarded to his project by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department and now apply for a building permit.
The project will include two motel units, one residential unit and seven parking spaces, according to the staff report.
The parking lot would be accessed from East Street via a 161-foot driveway, ending in the seven-space lot behind the motel that includes one for accessible parking and another for electric vehicles.
“If you want people in your restaurants, if you want people to sustain your economy, you need to provide a place for people to stay,” commissioner Mike Wilson said at the meeting.
Coastal Commission denies appeal for new motel
On Oct. 4, 2024, San Luis Obispo County’s Planning Department hearing office approved a coastal development permit for the project, a decision that was appealed by a group of Cayucos residents.
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors then voted to deny the appeal on July 8, so the Cayucos residents appealed that decision to the California Coastal Commission.
The appellants argued that the development needed more parking spaces.
At the Friday meeting, former Cayucos Citizens’ Advisory Council president John Carsel said that a development without enough parking will force guests into public parking — making it harder for day-trippers to visit the town.
He supports adding a motel to a commercial zone, “but it has to be done right,” he said.
Commission staff, however, said the Local Coastal Program only requires the development to have seven parking spaces — four for the motel units and three for the residence. So the project is in compliance with county policy, and commission staff don’t expect it to interfere with public parking, the staff report said.
Next, the appellants said the project design didn’t adequately address stormwater runoff, noting that the property is prone to flooding and absorbing runoff from nearby developed parcels.
The county approval, however, required the developer to provide drainage plans and a Stormwater Control Plan that comply with county standards in order to receive construction permits. The commission said this effort will satisfy the requirements of the Local Coastal Program.
Finally, the group of Cayucos residents said the 161-foot-long driveway to the building must provide a turnout, as the Local Coastal Program requires one for driveways more than 50 feet long.
The commission dismissed this issue, as the county will require the developer to work with the fire department and the adjacent property owners to address the safety of parking and the driveway prior to construction, the commission’s Central Coast district manager Kevin Kahn said at the meeting.
“It seems likely that a driveway turnout could be provided along the access easement, and these contentions do not raise a substantial issue,” the staff report said.
