City of SLO donates $75,000 to Pismo Preserve project

The San Luis Obispo City Council on Tuesday donated $75,000 to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for the nonprofit’s effort to purchase the 900-acre Pismo Preserve.

The Land Conservancy sent a formal letter in May requesting that the city donate $100,000 toward the acquisition of the $12 million property for conservation, open space and passive recreation such as hiking and cycling.

City staff recommended giving $10,000, but council members, who were inundated by requests from the project’s supporters, said they wanted to give more.

The money will come from the city’s reserves.

Councilman Dan Carpenter voted against the donation, saying that the city’s open space program was deficient in the maintenance and upkeep of its own properties.

“San Luis Obispo is a regional leader in many arenas and has been for decades,” said Councilwoman Carlyn Christianson. “I do believe by spending San Luis Obispo funds on this preserve that there is enough of a nexus and a benefit to the community to make this a good choice.”

Other cities have also given the project: Arroyo Grande allocated $40,000, Grover Beach gave $5,000 and Pismo Beach awarded $900,000.

The preserve is northeast of Pismo Beach. The Land Conservancy has until the end of the month to finalize the deal. If the deal is complete, the preserve will open to the public next summer.

This story was originally published August 20, 2014 at 12:12 PM with the headline "City of SLO donates $75,000 to Pismo Preserve project."