| September 2023NewsletterJuly and August 2023 were the hottest months EVER recorded worldwide! At a time when the World Economic Forum recommends the restoration of trees across the globe to curb climate change, San Luis Obispo County is considering an urban development in rural Nipomo that will destroy over 3000 mature oak trees, the habitat that depends on them and the cooling they provide.The first step in using trees to slow climate change is to Protect the trees we have. By holding onto the big, old trees, more carbon and other pollutants is removed from the air (trees eat carbon). Yes! We are faced with unprecedented challenges: climate change, social inequity, and an acute housing affordability crisis. We need to re-imagine the way homes and neighborhoods are built, which will enable us to address these interconnected challenges while also advancing equity, community health and ecological well-being. Collectively we can design developments that revitalize communities, restore ecosystems, and give places the ability to better adapt to whatever changes the future holds. Let’s be leaders in doing the right thing given these challenges–not continue to do “business as usual” which is what has gotten us into the dangerous predicament we’re in now in the first place.Please attend the September 28 Planning Commission and Study Session meeting at 9a.m. at the SLO Co. courthouse | “Let’s not subscribe to the false narrative pitting precious natural habit against critical affordable housing.”– Herb Kandel,Guest editorial The San Luis Obispo TribuneYes! WE HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS! That’s what the pro-Dana Reserve camp keeps using as their argument for the densest urban housing development in the county’s history. Yes, San Luis Obispo County is currently one of the least affordable places to buy a home in the United States. According to a report by the National Association of Home Builders, only 19 percent of families can afford to purchase the median priced home in the county. BUT GUESS WHAT FOLKS! We DO NOT have a housing crisis for above-moderate income buyers. IN FACT, THE COUNTY HAS SURPASSED ITS GOAL FOR THAT KIND OF HOUSING BY OVER 1500 UNITS!Please look it up here Trilogy has contributed to the need for above moderate-income homes by bringing 1300+ homes with the median price of $1.2 million. BlackLake has contributed to that stock with a median home price of $685,500. WE NEED HOUSING FOR OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS– The folks who harvest and pack up our food, provide medical assistance, and others deemed essential (yet so often are paid the least) and would not destroy the very thing that makes Nipomo a treasured place to live. To find solutions that truly benefit those on the margins, we need a preservation ecosystem that brings together industry expertise, local officials,tenants, and the community. |
OUR COMMUNITY SPOKE UP and OUR VOICES WERE HEARD….
At the recent South County Advisory Council Special Meeting, 40 Concerned citizens and neighbors spoke up and made a powerful case against the Dana Reserve Project! They spoke for the possibility of a housing plan that works for the entire community – A sustainable plan that provides affordable housing, critical infrastructure, and environmental protection and preservation!
THE SOUTH COUNTY ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDS
DENIAL OF THE DANA RESERVE PROJECT!
One by one, people spoke eloquently and passionately expressing their heartfelt concerns over population density and traffic, lack of critical infrastructure, public safety, air quality, destruction of oak tree and unique sensitive habitat, and lack of conformity with surrounding developments.
THE OVERWHELMING CONSENSUS IS THE LACK OF INPUT BY RESIDENTS TO THE DANA RESERVE PROJECT AND THE RUSH TO GET THE PROJECT THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS!
Show Up and Help Shape a Positive Future for Nipomo!
The SLO County Planning Commission is scheduled to review, discuss, and take
input from the community. Based on this input they will make recommendations
to the County Board of Supervisors!
Wednesday, August 30, 9 am and Thursday, August 31, 9 am
1055 Monterey Street, Downtown SLO
The Nipomo Action Committee is requesting residents, concerned citizens and
friends to attend the planning commission meeting. We are organizing carpools
and a Fun Bus for those that want to enjoy the commute with friends, save on gas
and avoid the hassle of parking. Details to follow!
Write your letters to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors NOW !
For More Information: www.stopdanareserve.com
Get Your Green T-Shirts: Suequilting@gmail.com
Get Your Yard Signs: Nipomoaction@gmail.com
August Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 3
The Dana Reserve (DR) mega-development claims they want to do their part to ease the housing crisis, yet they are not addressing the real need as identified by the Regional Housing Needs Allocation RHNA which clearly states the county has ALREADY surpassed its goal for “above moderate-income” homes constructed, by over 1500 houses. What we need is housing for the very-low to moderate income population.
In one of the most dense urban housing developments yet in Nipomo, the Dana Reserve proposes another organization shoulder the cost to build 104 units right next to 101, which follows the traditional model of positioning lower income families in high traffic, noise and polluted sections of lands. The balance of the homes will cost between $600K-$1.2 million, adding to the surplus of housing for higher income families in SLO County. This amounts to less than 10% of the overall number of homes being proposed.
In a recent Guest editorial in The Tribune, Herb Kandel makes an important point, “Let’s not subscribe to the false narrative pitting precious natural habit against critical affordable housing.”
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Dr. Stephanie Pincetl PhD, Professor and Founding Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities within the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, was the guest speaker at Nipomo Action Committee’s community meeting on July 9. Dr. Pincetl has written extensively about California land use, environmental justice, habitat conservation efforts, water and energy policy. Her book, Transforming California, the Political History of Land Use in the State, is the definitive work on land use politics and policies of California.
Dr. Pincetl has also written a letter to the Co. Board of Supervisors. In her letter, among other criticisms of the Dana Reserve, she points out an important aspect of the development process: “As the developer is not the builder, there is no assurance that the land uses proposed will be those the builder follows through with, further, there is no evidence that this development will incorporate the highest and most sustainable building and other practices.”
“The proposal … will generate absolute vehicle miles traveled, destroy oak habitat that is not substitutable or mitigable … and perpetuate segregation and exposure of lower-income populations to higher sources of emissions.” You can access her letter on the Supporters page of our website.
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LOCAL VOICES BEING HEARD AT SCAC TOWN HALL MEETING
On July 24, Supervisor Jimmy Paulding was present for, and introduced a process of community input on the Dana Reserve. The developer, Nick Tompkins, made a 30-40 minute presentation, and then the public was invited to make comments. About 250 people attended, and about 75% of those who spoke, were against the Dana Reserve as it is currently being proposed. The South County Advisory Council (SCAC) will be making a decision on whether or not to recommend this development to the Planning Commission, before their meeting on August 30 and 31st.
Final EIR to be released to public on August 4. It will be available on the County’s website.
NAC has a committee of experts ready to begin analyzing the EIR and preparing for public comments and/or possible legal action. The CA Native Plant Society (CNPS) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) have already submitted very detailed and scathing criticisms of how anemic and inadequate the DRAFT EIR is. You can access the letters here on the Supporters page of our website.
Next Public Meeting on Dana Reserve Sunday August 6th at 4:00 p.m.
Community Room at Blacklake (498 Colonial Place, Nipomo)
Please take the time to access both letters from CNPS and CBD letters for key talking points for your letters to the Planning Commission. Contact the NAC nipomoaction@gmail.com, if you’d us to send you another list of important issues and talking points for your letters. Letters should be sent ASAP!
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Dave Congalton Hometown Radio: Opponents to the proposed Dana Reserve housing project in South County
For More Information: www.stopdanareserve.com
Get Your Green T-Shirts: Suequilting@gmail.com
Get Your Yard Signs: Nipomoaction@gmail.com
