SLO County’s housing crisis demands action. Delaying Nipomo Reserve sets us back | Opinion
As organizations and individuals committed to the health and economic prosperity of our county, we are deeply concerned by the ongoing litigation against San Luis Obispo County for the fully approved Dana Reserve development in Nipomo.
We are calling on the Nipomo Action Committee and the California Native Plant Society to drop their legal challenges. Dana Reserve, which spent nearly five years in the county’s review processes, represents a critical opportunity our county is ready to embrace: housing at all income levels and critical infrastructure alongside it.
The housing crisis in San Luis Obispo County is particularly acute, and the statistics we hear of represent real people in our community. Litigation against fully approved projects, especially those that have held countless public hearings and undergone meticulous environmental review, hinders our county’s progress.
Every month that construction on Dana Reserve is delayed, the affordability gap only widens; supply and demand must be a recognized principle in housing development. The tragic fires and loss of over 12,000 structures in Los Angeles are sure to place further pressure on our already limited housing supply.
Robust housing projects, especially ones with local priority, are critical to creating more housing attainability for our community.
Dana Reserve has navigated every step of our county’s approval process and has earned every required approval from local decision-making bodies.
It is a project that contributes to our county’s ability to meet state-mandated housing goals, provides down payment assistance and completes significant road and water infrastructure. It has a 2,000+ page Environmental Impact Report that holds the project to rigorous standards for mitigation against environmental impacts.
While everyone had the opportunity to share their individual perspectives and desires during public review, individual community members stalling this project at this point only undermines the community’s collective effort to address our housing crisis and sends a discouraging message to future housing developers and advocates.
We, the undersigned organizations, urge the plaintiffs in this case to reconsider the broader implications of their actions. These delays add significant cost to desperately needed new housing and important local infrastructure. That cost is borne not just by the developers, but by the entire community, especially new, first-time homeowners. Ending this litigation will send a powerful signal that San Luis Obispo County can be a place for all, a place ready to move forward with solutions and action, not prolonged delays.
Michael Massey is president of Generation Build. Co-signers are People’s Self-Help Housing; REACH; Dignity Health; Olde Towne Nipomo Association; Paso Robles | Templeton Chamber of Commerce; San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce; South County Chambers of Commerce; Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Home Builders Association of the Central Coast; San Luis Obispo Coastal Association of Realtors; Pismo Coast Association of Realtors; Whittle Fire Protection, and South County Visitor Services.