90.1 FM San Luis Obispo | 91.7 FM Paso Robles | 91.1 FM Cayucos | 95.1 FM Lompoc | 90.9 FM Avila
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KNBX (north county KCBX) is currently off the air due to a PG&E service interruption.

SLO City Council approves Tank Farm Road project with emphasis on “affordable workforce housing”

The 280 residential units will be developed at 600 Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo
Angel Russell
The 280 residential units will be developed at 600 Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo

Nearly 300 homes will be built along Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo, after the city approved a mixed-use development project at a Tuesday council meeting.

The developer, CoVelop, said this housing development will truly be “affordable” compared to other houses on the market.

The median home price in San Luis Obispo is around $850,000 according to realtor.com, making the city a tough place to buy for many working individuals.

“We all saw that sign along the road that read, 'New homes from below one million.' And that is really the opposite of what we want to create here,” said Damien Mavis with CoVelop Real Estate Development.

Mavis said the 280 residential units coming to 600 Tank Farm road in SLO will be studios, one-bedroom flats and three-bedroom townhouses.

The plan is for the units to range between $350,000 to $700,000, which Mavis said is well below other projects currently being marketed in the community.

“So employees who once commuted from out of town now have more reasonable housing options close to work,” Mavis said.

Mavis said another big component of the project is the safety improvements that’ll be added to the stretch of roadway, with plans for protected bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.

Councilmember Jan Marx said right now, that path is dangerous.

“Every time I drive that stretch of road, I’m terrified that a bicyclist or pedestrian or a skateboarder is going to lose their balance and end up in my path," Marx said.

Stephen Peck, who is helping with the development plans, said preference will be given to those workers in the immediate vicinity when it comes to buying the homes — with part of the goal being to get people to bike and walk to work.

“We thought it might be counter-productive if it was simply occupied by those who don’t work in the community," Peck said. "We want to make sure that this project is focused on MindBody, the airport, the Sacramento Business Park so that we can maximize the number of folks using simply other than their cars.”

The project was unanimously approved, and CoVelop said they hope to begin construction as soon as possible.

Angel Russell is a former KCBX News reporter who started her career in journalism as a reporter and producer for KREX on Colorado's Western Slope; she later moved to the Central Coast to work for KSBY as weekend anchor and weekday reporter. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, and playing guitar and piano.
Related Content