PRESS RELEASE 5/28/25
Dana Reserve: Jocelyn Brennan jocelyn@thehrmcorp.com
Nipomo Action Committee: Alison Martinez nipomoaction@gmail.com
Settlement Reached in Dana Reserve Lawsuit:
Nipomo, CA — After many months of negotiation, a legal settlement has been reached
between NKT Development, the Nipomo Action Committee (NAC), and the California Native
Plant Society (CNPS) regarding the Dana Reserve project. The settlement will create a revised
Dana Reserve Specific Plan to better balance the needs for local housing with long-term habitat
preservation on the Nipomo Mesa, while offering some accommodation for the impacts of a
rapidly growing community. The modified Dana Reserve project will now return to the County of
San Luis Obispo for review and approval.
To address their concerns about the impacts associated with population growth, changes to the
project include the reduction of housing units by 229, or approximately 16%. This reduction will
also lead to changes in the perimeter to the development layout, helping to address some
neighborhood and community concerns. Despite this reduction, the project still includes deed-
restricted, affordable housing units, with first priority given to Lucia Mar Unified School District
employees, and a full ladder of housing types to help address the region’s housing shortage.
Some of the benefits that remain are the down payment assistance program, local priority, and
on-site childcare, as originally approved.
One of the key allowances in the settlement is an additional significant offsite biological
mitigation effort, to help support long-term protection of sensitive manzanita habitats outside of
the project boundaries. The design modification in the settlement also includes protection of
some additional sensitive plant species and 195 coast live oak trees. Additionally, the
agreement will contribute financial resources that will be earmarked for public benefit specific to
Nipomo, overseen by the Nipomo Action Committee.
Nick Tompkins, Managing Partner of the Dana Reserve, said, “We have worked closely with
NAC and CNPS to modify the project in a way that is mindful of the community concerns and
still provides a meaningful ladder of housing. We appreciate our local representatives who make
land use decisions. Our hope is that the commissioners and supervisors will support the
settlement and recognize the time, effort, and compromise it took to reach this agreement.”
“We worked tirelessly in this settlement process with all parties,” said Alison Martinez, Director
of the Nipomo Action Committee. “We appreciate all the work and support of our community
members and are ready to move forward. This settlement will provide significant financial
resources to address future priorities of our community. I anticipate this settlement, as agreed,
will now proceed through the county approval process”.