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New housing development moves forward in San Luis Obispo

A rendering of the mixed-use development project, Bullock Ranch
Courtesy: ktgy Architecture + Planning
A rendering of the mixed-use development project, Bullock Ranch

A new mixed-use housing development is coming to San Luis Obispo after the City Council unanimously approved it.

The Bullock Ranch Mixed-Use Project, as it’s called, will be a 192-unit development on about 11 acres in southeastern San Luis Obispo between Bullock Lane and Ranch House Road.

Of the residential units, there will be 88 bungalows, 96 townhouse apartments, seven live/work units and one unit above a small commercial space. Seven units are identified as affordable housing.

City council member Jan Marx said in last week’s city council meeting she was happy to see the inclusion of affordable units in the project. But, she said, she is concerned the amount is not enough.

Michael Codron is the director of community development for the city. He said city policy incentivizes smaller, higher density developments to prioritize efficiency, but that comes with a tradeoff.

“Affordable by design — it results in more dense and smaller units within a project such as this but the offset, then, is fewer affordable deed-restricted units,” Codron said.

In addition to residential housing, the project includes a 585-square-foot commercial space, on-site parking and a community center with a fitness area, pool and playground. Much of the project is expected to be all electric.

The plans also include improvement to Bullock Lane and an added bike path.

City council member Michelle Shoresman expressed concern in the meeting about the amount of open green space available for residents to access within such a high-density housing project.

Shelly Stanwyck is the assistant community manager of Community Services for the city. She said there are four parks in the planning area that staff are working to develop, one with potential environmental benefits.

“There’s a little pocket park that actually provides an interesting opportunity with a Cal Poly class, so they’ll be working on designs this quarter for it," Stanwyck said. "It’s adjacent to some eucalyptus trees and can be good monarch habitat.”

No members of the public called in to the city council meeting to comment on the project.

The Los Angeles-based developer that owns the site, Bullock Ranch LLC, is expected to begin construction by the fall of 2022.

Rachel Showalter first joined KCBX as an intern from Cal Poly in 2017. During her time in college, she anchored and reported for Mustang News at Cal Poly's radio station, KCPR. After graduating, she took her first job as a Producer at KSBY-TV. She returned to the KCBX team in October 2020, reporting daily for KCBX News until she moved to the Pacific Northwest in July of 2022. Rachel spends her off-days climbing rocks, cooking artichokes and fighting crosswords with friends.
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