Lawsuit targeting Nipomo’s Dana Reserve is a ‘tragedy’ for young home buyers | Opinion

Recent news of the Nipomo Action Committee’s (NAC) lawsuit to stop the Dana Reserve — the most affordable master-planned community ever proposed in county history — is no surprise. But it is still a tragedy for those struggling to afford to live in our communities.

The Dana Reserve includes 1,053 homes designated as missing middle, workforce, moderate, low or very low income housing, tens of millions of dollars of needed infrastructure and down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers.

It will save existing Nipomo Community Sservices District ratepayers substantial money on their water and sewer bills, and it includes 84 deed-restricted affordable housing units for teachers and school staff.

The NAC’s suit is a fight to stop or delay all of this.

And as we all know, delays translate to higher development costs that ultimately lead to higher home prices.

We write to correct the record and highlight the legitimate harm this lawsuit and those who encourage it will do to those of us eager for more housing.

Pulling back the curtain

The NAC’s sales pitch will tell you they are environmentalists who want “sensible” development, but a quick pull back of the curtain tells a more disappointing story.

The NAC’s inception can be tied back to Alison Martinez’s (the organization’s executive director) efforts in 2021, when she and other founding neighbors sent the county a hand-signed letter. They requested that if this project were to go forward, their road, Hetrick Avenue, be closed to through traffic.

The county denied this request. Martinez responded with fiery passion:

“It is our collective neighborhood response to not support the Dana Reserve project if the road closure is not approved and we will appear and voice our concerns at any upcoming public hearing.”

Thus, the NAC was born for the explicit purpose of protecting their own interests.

Now, following the approval of the project, the NAC is abusing the California Environmental Quality Act to delay or stop the project, despite CEQA having nothing to do with their opposition.

Alternative proposal

Additionally, the NAC has cried foul and attempted to rewrite history by saying they were given a green light to create a plan with which to restart the multi-year process of development. This is false, and contrary to the direction of the Planning Commission.

Let us correct the record.

In the Planning Commission hearing, District 4’s Planning Commissioner —who voted in support of Dana Reserve — said she received an email with a request that certain community groups be able to create one more alternative proposal. She asked if the NAC could develop one additional alternative to show the Board of Supervisors, with the direction that this proposal (1) not slow down the approval process and (2) that the neighbors work in good faith (i.e. not just in their own interests).

The NAC seems to have forgotten her conditions. Within their plan, the NAC (1) Requested the supervisors restart the approval process and send their plan back to staff and the Planning Commission for consideration, which would restart the multi-year design and entitlement process. And (2) They didn’t design in good faith. They reduced the count and percentage of affordable units, and left large areas of land near their homes undeveloped even when minimal tree impacts would occur.

Oh, and one more thing, their plan was completely infeasible. It resulted in a net loss of $23,726,325, according to an analysis by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.. It just doesn’t work.

And did they really even want their new plan developed?

The NAC brought a lawyer to the Board of Supervisors hearing, and spread fear that no water could be supplied to this property. Can a group really say they are acting in good faith for “reasonable” development when they bring a lawyer to argue that no development whatsoever is allowed? That is disingenuous.

Supervisor Paulding should ‘correct the record’

Most discouraging of all - A quick read of the NAC’s recent op-ed, newsletters and website (stopdanareserve.com, not buildreasonably.com, or even NAC.com), will make it clear that the NAC views the behavior of a specific supervisor as encouragement for their actions.

In fact, it is clear that the actions of Supervisor Jimmy Paulding have emboldened, if not led, the NAC in their quest to delay or prevent this needed housing. And can you blame the NAC for interpreting in this way?

Supervisor Paulding continuously promoted the NAC’s mistruths and misunderstandings as facts during the hearing, often over the direct counter-statements of county staff. Even worse, Supervisor Paulding’s lengthy pre-written speech during the Dana Reserve hearing appears to now be used as the guiding light to the NAC’s suit against this housing project and the county itself.

In the context of this relationship, each day this suit continues is a day that reminds all housing advocates that a sitting supervisor seemingly emboldened a group to sue to prevent a project that provides desperately needed homes for people like us.

We hope Supervisor Paulding will correct the record on his misstatements. It is the right thing to do for the young families in this county being hurt by the NAC’s actions.

There is so much negativity and misinformation encouraging further delays to this needed housing. People of all ages from all over the county — including many from Nipomo — came out to speak in support of this project.

NAC, that is what you are fighting against.

We are already your county neighbors. We live here like you do, and we contribute to the community we are all fortunate to live in. Don’t price us out. Your messaging is that these new neighborhoods will ruin your home, but they won’t.

Imagine the young families waking up to celebrate Christmas. Imagine the sidewalks on Halloween. The live music at the restaurants. Your “concerns” have all been addressed, but you continue to ignore the facts: There is no added fire risk. There is enough water. School needs are fully funded. The infrastructure will address traffic concerns. Heck, this development will even save you some money on your bills.

Your true colors are showing, and it isn’t a good look. CEQA is now the last straw at which you are desperately grasping.

These homes will get built, but it’s actions like these that will add to the price for each of us trying to make it work here. And we are starting to wonder if pricing us out has been your goal all along.

Responses to Dana Reserve approval by Kaytlyn Leslie on Scribd

Generation Build is a Central Coast housing advocacy group with more than 200 members. Board members are Mackenzie Dias, Madison Beeghly, Riley Sherlock, Tim Fulnecky and Michael Massey.