Lompoc city leaders are scheduled to receive an update Tuesday on the proposed Bodger Meadows housing development as Santa Barbara County prepares an environmental review of the project.
The proposal calls for 354 homes on about 58 acres west of Lompoc. The land is outside the city's current boundaries and Sphere of Influence, or economic influence. According to a city staff report, the project could eventually require annexation into Lompoc to receive city water, sewer and electric service.
The property has been the subject of previous growth discussions. In 2023, the City of Lompoc asked the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, to expand its Sphere of Influence to include portions of the Bailey Avenue corridor, including the Bodger property.
LAFCO denied the request, citing concerns about impacts on agricultural land.
Later that year, Bodger property owners filed a preliminary application under California's Builder's Remedy law. However, the application was filed while Santa Barbara County lacked its Housing Element—a state-required housing plan showing how the county will meet future housing needs.
Under California's Builder's Remedy law, qualifying projects submitted during the period when the county had no Housing Element cannot be denied simply because they conflict with local zoning or General Plan standards.
The county adopted a compliant Housing Element on Dec. 5, 2023, one day after the Bodger application was filed, according to city documents.
Since then, the Bodger proposal has undergone several revisions, growing from an initial 322 homes on 48 acres to 354 homes on 58 acres. Santa Barbara County deemed the application complete in February 2025.
The county is now preparing an Environmental Impact Report under the California Environmental Quality Act. Lompoc officials have asked that the environmental review also evaluate the impacts of eventually annexing the development into the city, including roads, drainage improvements, and utility infrastructure needed to serve the project.
According to the staff report, the environmental review is expected to take about one year. The project could go before the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission in mid-2027 and the Board of Supervisors later that year.
The Lompoc City Council will not take the project up for consideration on Tuesday. Instead, council members will receive a status update and review comments city staff submitted to Santa Barbara County regarding the scope of the environmental review.
