Ryan ChartrandThe San Luis Obispo City Council is taking steps to expand the city limits southward into the Margarita area by 620 acres. The Margarita area, the pass between Prado Road and Broad Street, is the first section of county land proposed to be annexed by the city in a three-phase process.
On May 1, the City Council approved an application for the first phase of the project to be sent off to the countywide Local Agency Formation Commission, which has the final say in whether or not the city can annex the area. In order for the growth to be approved, the commission needs to designate the area as in the sphere of influence of San Luis Obispo.
“The City Council has been doing comprehensive planning for this for over 20 years,” city planner Michael Codron said. “The land outside the city should be developed with urban services; annexing the land ensures one clear development standard.”
The city wants to annex the land in order to develop specific plans for the areas with uniform zoning and infrastructure to avoid sprawl in the areas surrounding the city.
The city’s long-term plan includes annexing the airport, which is currently operated by the county.
Although the newly annexed areas would be eligible for city water and sewer services, they can also choose to continue operating on well and septic systems. Becoming a part of the city would also give the new residents the services of the city fire and police departments.
However, with the services, home and business owners would also be facing more taxes and higher costs for property development.
“The annexation would allow us to control our own destiny and provide a clear boundary for the city,” said Kim Murry, deputy director of long-term planning for community development. “Benefits for the annexation include allowing us to control the type of growth out there; city and county standards, while similar, are not always the same.”
The city plans on finalizing the application and sending it to the Local Agency Formation Commission by July and hopes to have a response by the end of the year or early 2008. If the commission chooses to allow the expansion, the home and business owners in the area to be annexed will have a chance to protest. If there is significant opposition, more than 25 percent of residents, it could jeopardize the annexation.
Right now about 13 percent of property owners in the area under review oppose the project.
If the Local Agency Formation Commission approves the first phase of the series, the City Council plans on repeating the application process for a second phase in the spring of 2008.
“The second phase will be a little bit more homework than the first, and the third phase involving the airport has more complications as well,” Murry said.
The City Council does not have an expected completion date for the third phase.
“I think it took so long to get to this phase because there has been so much push and pull between and the city and the residents over the years. When the city was ready to make the move, the owners were not, and then when the owners were ready, the city was not. Right now is the ideal time to make the change,” Murry said.