The Nipomo Incorporation Committee (NICE) held a vision conference on Saturday February 12, 2011 at the Blacklake Golf Resort Clubhouse.   Approximately 45 people attended from various groups representing a cross section of the Nipomo Community.

Media including KSBY and the Adobe Press covered the event.  You can view the KSBY video clip here.  The Adobe Press published their article this morning and had a good re-cap of the morning’s events:

A broad spectrum of Nipomo residents, business owners and community group leaders attended a recent meeting to share their visions of what they would like to see if the town becomes a city.

Approximately 45 people representing some 25 organizations attended last Saturday’s incorporation workshop facilitated by the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education (N.I.C.E.) and Chamber of Commerce.

You can view several photographs of the event here. The individuals attending came up with several goals, which were written on large sheets, which you can see here.

The top goals as the Adobe Press reported were narrowed to:

The groups then came together and developed a list of the top five goals for Nipomo’s future, which included developing a more diverse and expanded tax base, and putting a greater emphasis on the community’s schools as well as youth and senior programs.

The group also listed developing hotels and/or a convention center in the community and giving Nipomo an identity as top goals, Murray said.

Also attending were various government leaders, including County and local NCSD elected officials.  Thanks to everyone to participated and assisted in the program, including NICE Steering Committee Members and Bill Morrow and Bob McGill who acted as facilitators for the event.

If you’re on Facebook, come visit and “Like” us on our NICE Facebook Page.

An adequate water supply and completion of the Willow Road interchange to support commercial growth in five areas will be key to cityhood for Nipomo, county officials told residents Saturday.

If the community does become a city, it would have to find a way to make up a roughly $300,000 shortfall the county currently experiences in a variety of costs, such as maintaining streets and parks, officials said.

But when Nipomo could feasibly become a city is in question under the current economic situation — probably not by the previous target of 2012 — and the proposal could be blocked at a number of steps along the way, officials said.

Those were just a few of the issues discussed Saturday morning at an informational meeting presented by the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education (NICE) in the Monarch Club at Trilogy Central Coast in the Woodlands development.

About 75 residents turned out to hear representatives of the county Planning and Building, Public Works and Parks departments and the Local Agency Formation Commission discuss incorporation from their points of view.

NICE has been holding such meetings periodically to educate the community about the potential for cityhood, because if all other hurdles are cleared, incorporation ultimately will come down to a public vote.

Fourth District Supervisor Katcho Achadjian said he supports incorporation because it would be the community’s decision and NICE is doing a good job of educating the public.

“The time has come (for a decision). The community has matured,” Achadjian said, noting Nipomo has already set its own growth rate cap and developed its own transfer of development credits program separate from the rest of the county.

Chuck Stevenson, manager of the Planning and Building Department’s Long Range Planning Division, said the biggest obstacles will be infrastructure, water, a limited economic base, the cost of municipal services and workforce housing.

“Businesses looking to locate to a place are looking for homes that are affordable to their workforce,” he said, and the sales taxes generated by businesses are what will make cityhood viable.

Stevenson said five areas are targeted for commercial development. Those include Olde Towne, which is largely undeveloped, and Crystal Oaks, also known as the Canada property, west of Highway 101 and north of Sandydale Drive.

The others are the south side of Southland Street; South Oakglen Avenue south of the Dana Adobe, where another freeway interchange is proposed; and the so-called Downtown Core on West Tefft Street west of the freeway.

“Willow Road (interchange with Highway 101) is critical to incorporation,” he said, because it’s needed to handle the traffic generated by new businesses, particularly the Canada property through which the Willow Road extension will pass.

But securing adequate water, workforce housing, roadways and the commercial development to generate enough sales taxes is just the start of a complex process.

Paul Hood, executive officer of LAFCO, said the agency is generally in favor of Nipomo incorporating, but it must be financially feasible.

Once city boundaries are developed, proponents must issue a notice of intent to circulate petitions, gather signatures from 25 percent of property owners and submit an application to LAFCO with a $15,000 deposit.

That fee is just the start of what could become a $200,000 process with a full environmental impact report.

A comprehensive fiscal analysis would be conducted to be sure the county would save as much on services as it would lose in revenue, which Hood said is “one of the most important and challenging hurdles.”

Hood would then analyze the city boundaries, services plan, fiscal analysis, environmental determination and terms for transferring assets and employees and would either approve or deny the application.

If it’s approved, LAFCO would hold public hearings that could take several days and a protest hearing, which could kill the plan if 50 percent of the property owners object to incorporation.

If the proposal clears the protest hearing, an election would be scheduled. Even if the plan succeeds in the election, the transition of power still could take a couple of years.

“Then the keys are handed over to the city manager and city council, and the county says, ‘See ya. Good luck,’” Hood said.

Despite the daunting task ahead, Achadjian urged NICE and the community to persevere.

“Put together the pros and cons and decide if independence is worth the cost,” he said. “There’s a lot of challenges ahead of you, a lot of education. … Don’t lose hope, don’t lose momentum. Keep the faith and move forward together.”

NICE appreicates the Santa Maria Times for attending and actually covering this community event.  NICE, as is its custom and practice invites all the local media to their community wide meetings.

Noting some 200 Nipomo residents attended,  (closer to 263, based on NICE counts during the conference) this was an incredible turnout to hear about Nipomo’s development future:

If developers build all the projects described Saturday at an informational meeting, Nipomo would have or be close to having enough tax revenue to become San Luis Obispo County’s eighth city and the largest in the South County.

An estimated 200 Nipomo area residents — about double the number anticipated — turned out to hear about nine projects at a meeting sponsored by the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education (NICE) in the Monarch Club at Trilogy Central Coast.

None of the developers could estimate the tax revenues that their projects might generate.

True, no one can precisely estimate the amount of potential tax revenues the projects might bring; however, the trend in sales tax revenue in Nipomo has been trending upward over the last several years.  Mike asked me whether I thought if all these projects came to fruition that might result in enough revenue for Nipomo’s Incorporation:

But Guy Murray, vice president of NICE, said if all were fully built,
they could generate enough, combined with other revenues, to allow a
city to pay for all the services it would have to provide.

“It would certainly close the gap (in required tax revenue), if not get us
very close,” Murray said, adding the proposed hotels would provide a
major boost through transient occupancy taxes, which would all go to
the city.

Again, we would have to calculate all the sales tax and transient occupancy tax generated by the projects.  This would be accomplished through a comprehensive fiscal analysis overseen by LAFCO during the actual incorporation process:

Exactly how much revenue would have to be generated through sales and
transient occupancy taxes won’t be known until an incorporation
application is made to the Local Agency Formation Commission, he said.

Then a $200,000 feasibility study would have to be conducted which,
essentially, would lay out the proposed city’s budget for the first
five years.

“The trick is to be as close to the line (for funding city services) as you can be,” Murray said. Too far over and the community would become a “cash cow” for the county, which would
require huge payments from the city to neutralize the county’s loss of
tax revenues.

Right now, Nipomo is in the red in terms of budget shortfall; however, that is actually the better position to be in rather than having so much surplus that the new city would be saddled with years of revenue neutrality payments to the county.

The rest of the story noted the previous NCSD preliminary feasibility study, as well as Nipomo’s projected population will be approximately 20,000 by 2012 making Nipomo the largest south county community, and if incorporated, the largest south county city:

When Nipomo Community Services District conducted a preliminary feasibility study in 2003, it indicated a city would need a $6 million budget and would operate at a 2 percent deficit that could be eliminated in four years.

In addition to sales and transient occupancy taxes, revenue would come from property taxes and other state and local taxes, licenses and fees.

NICE President Mike Eisner said originally it was estimated Nipomo could become a city in 2012, when the community’s population is projected to hit 20,000.

That would make it the South County’s fourth and largest city in terms of population, but given the current state of the economy, Nipomo can’t become a city that soon, he said.

Most of the developers said the dates for launching their projects depends upon when the economy improves and financing becomes available, although a few did have projected start dates next year.

At least one is virtually complete, with the first retail store to open next month.

But without the developments, Nipomo will remain shy of the revenues needed for cityhood.

Developers and the projects they outlined were George Newman of Nipomo Town Square, Dave Watson of King Ventures’ project on South Frontage Road, Greg Nester of the Trading Post and the Villagio Deli, Jim La Loggia and John Scardino of the Woodlands Marketplace, Rob Rossi of Blacklake and Terry Flatley of Flatley Homes’ project on West Tefft Street.

Two developers — Rob Marinai of Nipomo Commons and Tai Martin of the Longs Drugs project — could not attend, so Eisner provided brief outlines of those projects.

In a related story in the Santa Maria Times Mike briefly outlined the nine projects discussed at the Nipomo Development Conference:

Nine projects on horizon for Nipomo

By Mike Hodgson/Associated Editor

Here’s a brief look at the nine projects described by developers at the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education meeting held Saturday:

Nipomo Town Square, Mary Avenue and Juniper Street —19 acres, retail stores, professional offices, wide variety of medical services, assisted living facility with dementia support, ambulance; potential tenants include hardware store, health food/grocery store, two restaurants; groundbreaking mid- to late 2009, full buildout in 30 months.

King Ventures, South Frontage Road between Hill and Mary streets — 10 acres, 60 residential units, 35,000 square feet of retail space, 25,000 square feet of office space, 15,000 square feet of restaurant space; includes realignment of South Frontage Road to accommodate proposed southbound Highway 101 onramp in cooperation with adjacent Nipomo Commons; uncertain start date.

Nipomo Commons, South Frontage Road, north of Hill Street (former Nipomo Recreation Center site) — 5-plus acres, 38,000 square feet of commercial, 17,000 square feet of office space, 51 residential units; adjacent 72- to 83-room hotel; uncertain start date.

Flatley Homes, 691 W. Tefft St. (across from Nipomo Post Office) — 4 acres, four commercial buildings with 32,000 square feet of office space, 20 mixed-use buildings with garages and offices on first floor, two to three residential units on second and third floors; infrastructure under construction, with completion in four months; uncertain start date for remainder.

Woodlands Marketplace, center of the Woodlands project — Total of 140,000 square feet of retail and office space; 36,000 square feet of office and retail, sheriff’s department field office, 20 apartments on second floor; three separate buildings for offices, restaurants, markets or medical facilities; hotel with 200 to 200 rooms (500 permitted); 19-acre business park for light manufacturing and distribution; 3-acre park, 19-acre butterfly habitat, golf course; first phase to start in 2009.

Blacklake, from Willow Road to site of current Blacklake Golf Resort clubhouse — 1,800-square-foot three-bedroom golf bungalows, 60-room hotel, three stories above ground, one below; new entrance, reconfiguration of golf course front nine, state-of-the-art irrigation system to reduce water use; possible groundbreaking in 2011.

Villagio Deli, corner of Pomeroy Road and realigned Willow Road — 5,000-square-foot convenience store and restaurant-quality delicatessen, wine tasting of local wines, event room, outdoor eating area; golf-cart/handicapped-accessible path from Blacklake community; unannounced start date.

Trading Post, Thompson Road near Tefft Street — Seven buildings, two-story restaurant with clock tower, 400- to 3,600-square-foot single-story retail stores, three residential condominiums on south side of creek tributary, connected by footbridge; unannounced start date.

Longs Drugs extension, Mary Avenue at West Tefft Street — Retail center with Me-n-Ed’s Pizzeria, UPS Store, Mexican restaurant, vitamins and herbs store, Lemos Feed & Pet Supply, TNT’s Frozen Yogurt, Healthy Inspiration women’s exercise center, Healing Touch day spa, Wells Fargo Bank; three units still not leased; near completion, Lemos to open in October.

September 21, 2008

The front page article in it’s entirety on the front page:

Projects could make Nipomo a city

By Mike Hodgson/Associate Editor

If developers build all the projects described Saturday at an informational meeting, Nipomo would have or be close to having enough tax revenue to become San Luis Obispo County’s eighth city and the largest in the South County.

An estimated 200 Nipomo area residents — about double the number anticipated — turned out to hear about nine projects at a meeting sponsored by the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education (NICE) in the Monarch Club at Trilogy Central Coast.

None of the developers could estimate the tax revenues that their projects might generate.

But Guy Murray, vice president of NICE, said if all were fully built, they could generate enough, combined with other revenues, to allow a city to pay for all the services it would have to provide.

“It would certainly close the gap (in required tax revenue), if not get us very close,” Murray said, adding the proposed hotels would provide a major boost through transient occupancy taxes, which would all go to the city.

Exactly how much revenue would have to be generated through sales and transient occupancy taxes won’t be known until an incorporation application is made to the Local Agency Formation Commission, he said.

Then a $200,000 feasibility study would have to be conducted which, essentially, would lay out the proposed city’s budget for the first five years.

“The trick is to be as close to the line (for funding city services) as you can be,” Murray said. Too far over and the community would become a “cash cow” for the county, which would require huge payments from the city to neutralize the county’s loss of tax revenues.

When Nipomo Community Services District conducted a preliminary feasibility study in 2003, it indicated a city would need a $6 million budget and would operate at a 2 percent deficit that could be eliminated in four years.

In addition to sales and transient occupancy taxes, revenue would come from property taxes and other state and local taxes, licenses and fees.

NICE President Mike Eisner said originally it was estimated Nipomo could become a city in 2012, when the community’s population is projected to hit 20,000.

That would make it the South County’s fourth and largest city in terms of population, but given the current state of the economy, Nipomo can’t become a city that soon, he said.

Most of the developers said the dates for launching their projects depends upon when the economy improves and financing becomes available, although a few did have projected start dates next year.

At least one is virtually complete, with the first retail store to open next month.

But without the developments, Nipomo will remain shy of the revenues needed for cityhood.

Developers and the projects they outlined were George Newman of Nipomo Town Square, Dave Watson of King Ventures’ project on South Frontage Road, Greg Nester of the Trading Post and the Villagio Deli, Jim La Loggia and John Scardino of the Woodlands Marketplace, Rob Rossi of Blacklake and Terry Flatley of Flatley Homes’ project on West Tefft Street.

Two developers — Rob Marinai of Nipomo Commons and Tai Martin of the Longs Drugs project — could not attend, so Eisner provided brief outlines of those projects.

(For descriptions of the projects, see related story.)

Jim Tefft also gave a presentation on the Olde Towne Nipomo Association and its efforts to turn the area around Tefft Street and Thompson Road into a pedestrian-friendly tourist attraction.

NICE does not advocate for or against incorporation, Eisner said. Instead, the committee is dedicated to providing residents with as much information as possible about incorporation and “moving the process forward so the citizens can vote” on becoming a city.

Mike Hodgson can be reached at 739-2221 or mhodgson@santamariatimes.com.

September 21, 2008

Thanks to Mike Hodgson for actually attending the conference and following up with his two excellent stories.

The first letter was published on Sat. June 2, 2007 and written by Ethel Landers, entitled Nipomo Independence:

Nipomo independence

It is time Nipomo residents look thoroughly at the pros and cons of incorporation.

Right now, most decisions for Nipomo are made by five men who do not live or work here.

It seems like Nipomo gets what all other areas of the county don’t want; uncontrolled growth, a questionable water supply and traffic congestion.

Nipomo now has nearly 15,000 residents. Many are involved with local advisory boards. Those do a good job of airing all sides of issues. However, once the vote comes before the Board of Supervisors, often the advisory board decisions are reversed. Seems like development wins without regard to the impact on Nipomo residents.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that Nipomo is not an organized entity and it is governed by the county— five men who don’t have to live here.

But is it feasible to selfmanage? The true question is, do we have the financial resources —basically from local sales tax —and the people resources —basically from local citizen involvement — to make a successful town? If we have adequate amounts of both, it’s time to keep our taxes and our governmental decisions under local control. To get involved, go to www.nipomoincorporation.org. Ethel Landers

Nipomo

The next letter, likely published in response was published Tuesday,  June 5, 2007, written by Jim Neuman:

Why not to incorporate

Do you think we need more politicians? Do you eagerly anticipate the next tax increase? Do you want to see Nipomo developed to the extent that it looks like something that belongs in the San Fernando Valley?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re probably in favor of incorporation for Nipomo.

The most common reason given for incorporation by its supporters seems to be the desire for “local control.” Although this sounds appealing on an emotional level, it doesn’t withstand the scrutiny of logical analysis.

Incorporation is likely to lead to the problems alluded to in my first paragraph, along with a few other undesirable results.

If we, as a community, decide to incorporate, we will be making a very dangerous and expensive mistake. If this issue should ever come before us on a ballot, please vote with your head, not your emotions.

Jim Neuman

Nipomo

Finally in response to Jim’s letter, was this letter by NICE President, Mike Eisner, published by the Tribune on Saturday June 9, 2007:

Good to incorporate

I would like to thank Mr. Jim Neuman for his Letter to the Editor dated June 5 (“Why not to incorporate”). The points he questioned were very valid. However, I feel they need some slight corrections.

First, if Nipomo incorporates, there will be fewer politicians rather than more. Instead of five members of the Nipomo Community Services District and 17 members of the South County Advisory Council, there will be just five members of a City Council elected by the citizens of the community.

Next, tax increases can only be adopted by the voters —not by the City Council.

Lastly, Nipomo currently has no say on development because it is decided by five representatives of the Board of Supervisors sitting in San Luis Obispo, with only one of them trying to represent the wishes of the community.

Regardless of what is recommended by the Advisory Council, the Board of Supervisors, in many instances, ignores the community’s wishes. Who better to regulate development than the local elected representatives?

Jim, thank you for your views, and we would love for you to join Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education as an interested community resident and help us do what is proper for Nipomo.

Mike Eisner,

President of Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education

Nipomo

We will try to highlight all news coverage as well as letters to the editor in our continuing efforts to keep the Nipomo public informed about incorporation.  We thank everyone for expressing their views on Nipomo’s future.

Today’s Adobe Press has a front page article on the most recent update to Nipomo’s Incorporation movement. Reporter Todd Cralley’s article is similar to last week’s Santa Maria Times article in that it deals with incorporation; however, there are significantly different aspects to the Adobe Press article, including the proposed boundary map above.   See here for a more detailed boundary map.

Todd also notes that Nipomo’s sales tax revenues continue to increase, and discusses LAFCO’S role and Nipomo’s projected population figures. The entire article is reprinted below for future reference and educational use once it slips into the online paper’s unsearchable archives. To see further media coverage of Nipomo’s incorporation movement, please click here and scroll down to see all the stories:

Nipomo could incorporate in five years
By Todd Cralley/Adobe Staff

If all goes according to plan, incorporation may be as little as five years away for Nipomo, according to Mike Eisner, president of the nonprofit Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education.

“If all goes well, we could have it on the ballot by 2012,” said Eisner. “What we are doing is setting a flexible timeline — best-case, worst-case scenarios.

“If all things fall into place, it is possible to incorporate or at least have it on the ballot for the voters by 2012. That’s a presidential election year.”

While 2012 may seem like a long time away, just what the city will look like — its boundaries, or sphere of influence — is as close as the organization’s Web site.

The nonprofit group that meets regularly to inform the community about the pros and cons of incorporation has posted what it believes would be the city of Nipomo’s boundaries at www.nipomoincorporation.org.

“The boundaries were originally created in 2005 with the help of San Luis Obispo’s Local Agency Formation Commission but were amended to include Blacklake and The Woodlands in Nipomo’s future sphere of influence,” said Mike Eisner, president of NICE. “At this time, it was suggested that we keep our boundaries tight.”

Because the group has been working in conjunction with LAFCO, Eisner thought it best to follow the agency’s lead regarding the boundaries.

“Boundaries are arbitrarily selected by any organization seeking incorporation,” Eisner said. “We took the sphere of influence suggested by LAFCO and used that. I thought, ‘If they’re willing to agree on those boundaries already, then why would I think of doing something else?’”

Funding the city

Also released at the committee’s May 12 meeting were the area’s sales tax revenues from 2006.

According to figures released by the San Luis Obispo Auditor/Controller’s Office, revenues generated from sales tax in Nipomo for the 2006 fiscal year were just over $931,000, up slightly from $928,000 in 2005.

That is an important benchmark, according to a 2004 report by Michael Davis of Davis Co. In the report, Davis estimated Nipomo would generate $758,000 in sales tax revenue for the 2005 year.

Andrea McGarvey of the County Auditor/Controller’s Office said 568 businesses filed sales tax returns in 2006.

“We can’t incorporate without a sufficient revenue stream,” said Guy Murray, vice president of NICE. “Given what’s going on right now and the future of development in Nipomo — based on what I’ve seen — I don’t have any reason to doubt that (sales tax revenues) will continue to increase.”

Establishing a sustainable tax base is a significant goal Nipomo must achieve if it is to become a city.

“According to the Davis Report, and that’s a flawed report, it will take $6 million to get the city going,” Eisner said. “We have a subcommittee that is looking at budgets from four other cities — Guadalupe, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Pismo Beach.

“The (subcommittee) is looking at those cities’ budgets, income and expenses. What they are trying to do is take the Davis Report and expand it,” he explained.

“In truth, nothing will be done on incorporation unless this committee says (Nipomo’s) income exceeds a projected budget and we are ready to put this on the ballot.”

The organization is also trying to answer the question of population growth over the next five years. Based on those figures, Murray has reason to be happy.

“If we incorporate by the year 2012, we’ll be the largest city in South County,” Murray said. “Our population will be right about 20,000.”

That figure was determined by using available census data combined with anticipated development and growth for the area over the next five years, said Dan Gaddis, who presented the figures.

The role of LAFCO

The group also received a presentation from Paul Hood, executive officer of LAFCO.

“I thought it was important for people to understand LAFCO’s role in incorporation and ask some questions,” Eisner said.

LAFCO is the agency that will determine whether Nipomo is ready for cityhood and will handle the application for incorporation.

“There are 58 LAFCOs in California,” Hood said. “We help communities understand the process and decide what they need to do next.”

Incorporation is something that is not taken lightly at the county level, according to Hood.

“According to a California state law, a city cannot have a negative fiscal effect on the county when it incorporates,” he said. “There must be revenue neutrality.”

Eisner admits incorporation is still a long way off. The organization is, however, moving forward in it goal to collect the data needed to inform the community about the pros and cons of incorporation.

“This is a year of gathering information and putting together the data,” said Eisner. “This is a year of getting organized. 2008 and 2009 will be the time when we’ll be out on the streets educating, distributing information, answering questions and raising money.”

Part of the process of incorporating is raising the necessary fees to pay LAFCO. Typically, according to Eisner, that’s $200,000 to pay for the two-year application and review process and the for environmental impact report.

“We’re looking to put together the facts and information the public needs in order to make an informed decision,” Eisner said. “Our desire is to do what the public desires.”

Thanks again Todd for your insightful write up.

Group explores Nipomo cityhood

By Todd Cralley/STAFF WRITER

A clearer picture of the cityhood that may be in Nipomo’s future is beginning to take shape, according to the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education.

The nonprofit group that meets regularly to inform the community about the pros and cons of incorporation has posted what it believes would be the city of Nipomo’s boundaries on its Web site, www.nipomoincorporation.org.

“The boundaries were originally created in 2005 with the help of San Luis Obispo’s Local Agency Formation Commission but were amended to include Blacklake and The Woodlands in Nipomo’s future sphere of influence,” said Mike Eisner, president of NICE. “At this time it was suggested that we keep our boundaries tight.”

The organization also is trying to answer the question of population growth over the next five years. Based on those figures, Guy Murray, vice president of NICE, has reason to be happy.

“If we incorporate by the year 2012, we’ll be the largest city in South County,” Murray said. “Our population will be right about 20,000.”

That figure was determined by using available census data combined with anticipated development and growth for the area over the next five years, according to Dan Gaddis, who presented the figures.

The group also received a presentation from Paul Hood, executive officer of LAFCO, at the committee’s meeting May 12.

“I thought it was important for people to understand LAFCO’s role in incorporation and ask some questions,” Eisner said.

LAFCO is the agency that will determine whether Nipomo is ready for cityhood and will handle the application for incorporation.

“There are 58 LAFCOs in California,” Hood said. “We help communities understand the process and decide what they need to do next.”

While it may seem Nipomo is getting close to incorporation, Eisner admitted that incorporation is a long way off.

“This is a year of gathering information and putting together the data,” said Eisner. “This is a year of getting organized. 2008 is the year we’ll be out on the streets educating, distributing information, answering questions and raising money.”

Part of the process of incorporating is raising the necessary fees to pay LAFCO. Typically, that’s $200,000, according to Eisner, to pay for the two-year application and review process.

“We’re looking to put together the facts and information the public needs in order to make an informed decision,” Eisner said. “Our desire is to do what the public desires.”

Todd Cralley can be reached at 347-4580 or tcralley@santamariatimes.com.

Thanks Todd for this write up.

Nipomo: Preserving the village

BY ANNE QUINN AND ANDREA ROOKS

Nipomo is the Chumash word for village, not city, but residents fear that county planners and the Board of Supervisors secretly have the word “city” in mind when they approve projects for Nipomo.

“We’ve more than doubled in the last 10 years–the growth isn’t even linear, it’s exponential. We’re worried that it’s too much too fast, and we won’t have enough water, and our little roads won’t be able to handle all that traffic,” said John Bowen, one of 25 residents sitting on the Nipomo Community Advisory Council Board of Directors. “A lot of people have come to the conclusion that Nipomo is going to be the biggest city in the county in the next 15 to 20 years.”

The Council is made up of residents from all different segments of the community–school board members, law enforcement personnel, and members from the committee to restore the Dana Adobe. It meets twice a month and disseminates information to the public about planning documents, ordinances, and issues that affect Nipomo.

Bowen explained that because Nipomo isn’t a city, it falls under the county’s general plan for growth. But while the county averages a growth rate of 2.3 percent, Nipomo was growing at a rate of 4 to 6 percent a year, until a group of residents called Save the Mesa partnered with the Environmental Defense Center to stop it.

But putting a nix on a rapid growth rate isn’t this town’s only concern. Water–or a lack thereof–is the main focus for current residents who fear that more growth will mean overdraft of their water supply. Nipomo is close to overdrawing water from its underground natural storage, like overdrawing a bank account. And rainfall isn’t keeping up with how much gets point out.

Yet new projects still get approved. Most recently the Board of Supervisors went against county staff recommendations and approved the Craig project without an environmental impact study. The Craig project proposes to build 16 houses, each on a one-acre parcel. A remaining 32 acres will be donated for a future school site. Figuring that the water issue would be adequately dealt with during an environmental impact report for the school, the supervisors voted to allow the residential portion of the project to begin.

“The county (government) doesn’t seem to believe that south county is in an overdraft status,” Bowen said. “The county has not declined any proposed project on the basis of water.”

Nipomo’s water situation has been studied by the Department of Water Resources (January 2000); the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District (March 2000); The Santa Barbara County Water Agency; (December 1999); and Environmental Science Associates for a supplemental environmental impact report for a project called the Woodlands (July 2001).

However, in the latter EIS, the previous reports were reviewed and the conclusion was made that overdraft is more a fear for the future than a documented reality today.

The report showed that two out of nine municipal wells in Nipomo were in overdraft status due to excessive pumping, but that the aquifer itself was not in overdraft yet, and may instead be finding a new equilibrium.

While the health of the community’s water supply is in question, many residents wish the Board of Supervisors would place a moratorium on growth.

Instead, the Board of Supervisors hired Kennedy/Jenks Consultants to study options to supplement Nipomo’s groundwater supply. The study, completed last August, outlined a dozen options ranging from conserving water, which the Nipomo Community Services District already does, to hard rock drilling or buying water.

“The alternatives are pretty meager,” said Nipomo CSD Board member Cliff Trotter, who spent 35 years as a water district engineer manager in Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley before coming here.

“The best option is to buy water from somewhere else, namely Santa Maria which gets 16,200 acre-feet of water from the state each year.”

The Woodlands developers, P.H. Properties, have already exercised that option, putting themselves first in line for any available Santa Maria water. They entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the city of Santa Maria In January 1997 that basically says if and when the Woodlands project gets off the ground, the two entities would discuss a water agreement. Santa Maria would consider selling 1,100 acre-feet a year of replenishment water to the Woodlands project, said Tim Ness, Santa Maria city manager. Replenishment water has been piped into Santa Maria from the state and, in this case, used, recaptured, and treated. Ness said the city has about 8,910 acre-feet per year of such water–about half of the total 17,820 acre-feet of water it gets directly from the state every year.

It’s also an option for the Nipomo Community Services District to buy its own water from Santa Maria, Ness said, whether the Woodlands project gets water from its neighbor to the south or not. But no formal discussions have taken place yet between the CSD and Santa Maria.

Trotter also suggested that Nipomo could get a part of SLO County’s state water, which is 20,000 acre feet a year. “The county hasn’t allocated it to any communities yet. It’s going to be very political if and when they do,” he said.

Some of the biggest issues for long-time resident Donna Mills aren’t the land resources–they’re people, little people.

“Children are a resource, too,” the past chairman of the Nipomo Community Advisory Council said. “It’s just so important that when we’re looking at all the things that are being impacted, we look at that, too. Schools are being impacted by the amount of development we’re having here.”

Mills has been on the Lucia Mar School District Board of Trustees since 1991, and is the sole Nipomo representative on the seven-member board.

She said that Nipomo is feeling much of the strain in the district because one-third of the children for the Lucia Mar area, which extends from the Santa Maria River bridge to Shell Beach, live in Nipomo. All three of the Nipomo area schools are overcrowded, she said, mostly by about 200 students on campuses built for 400.

“Your capacity in the cafeteria is not going to change as the student population increases. The same thing happens with the libraries,” she said. “There are other things that are not gong to grow along with the students, so adjustments and staggered schedules have to be put into place.”

The pressing need for new schools is one reason the Board of Supervisors approved the Craig project without waiting for a water study.

But even when developers like those doing the Craig Project plan for school sites, the school district often doesn’t have enough money to build a school on that land. The developers’fees are also not enough to build a school either, so the area has to wait until a state bond is but on the ballot to get the funding. One such bond is supposed to be on the March 2002 ballot, Mills said, but even if passed, it would most likely be at least three to four years until Nipomo sees another elementary or middle school finished.

Mills said a brand new high school, slated to open soon, offers a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But even with the new school alleviating some of the overcrowding at Arroyo Grande High School, the system won’t be able to keep up with the current rate of growth, she said.

Meanwhile, residents are trying to keep growth at bay on a project-by-project basis. Nancy Allison, a Save the Mesa member, spends hours on the internet and in the library researching projects and growth issues as they emerge. Allison then hands that information off to another member of the grassroots organization so they can speak out at a Board of Supervisors meeting or other community meeting. She’s not the front lines person, but she’ll find more than enough information to fuel the battle to save the Nipomo area from over development. “If I can find the research, I love a good paper fight,” she said.

Her passion for the fight comes from her environment. For more than 12 years, Allison has lived on five acres overlooking the Santa Maria Valley. Four of those acres are landscaped with plants from all over the world, creating a lush, private jungle complete with a koi pond and exotic birds.

Right down the road from her oasis lies the 957-acre Woodlands project, now a eucalyptus grove. That and other nearby projects could directly affect Allison’s water supply and would change a lot about the bluffs she loves.

Allison objects to some of the higher density portions of the Woodlands plan. She sees many alternatives to cramming three dozen homes on a 3-acre parcel. Putting one house on one acre–the way much of Nipomo was originally zoned–would keep large trees on the lot and keep the area in ecological balance, she said.

“[People] think we have the attitude that we’re here now and want to keep everybody else out,” she said, “That’s not true. I’d welcome another neighbor. We’re not saying people can’t develop here, just keep it what it’s zoned for.”

Allison also has a stack of documents pertaining to the Woodlands project, and even though she says this particular 1,320-house development is nothing compared to the entire scope of rampant growth in the area, she’s keeping her eye on it.

One thing that concerns Allison most is a statement in the Final Environmental Draft Report for the Woodlands project that said the community’s need for golf was a factor in the supervisors’decision to approve the project.

The report states that a 1992 study determined that San Luis Obispo County has an “unmet recreational need of 225,000 rounds of golf each year” and that “this project will help to meet that need.”

Earlier in the same section, the report states: “The Board of Supervisors finds that the benefits of the project outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental impacts to the extent that they become ‘acceptable.’”

The estimated annual sales tax revenue from the 45 holes of golf proposed in the project was estimated to be $108,803 per year; the contribution to county property taxes is estimated to be in excess of $5.4 million each year once built.

But Pam Murray, a Nipomo area resident since 1958, thinks that Save the Mesa members and others need to have a stronger sense of history when it comes to Nipomo planning issues, particularly the Woodlands project.

“One of Nipomo’s problems is that a lot of people who moved into the new growth communities now want to pull up the ladder and not let anybody else in,” she said.

Murray chaired an earlier Nipomo advisory council called NAAG (Nipomo Area Advisory Group), which in turn facilitated hundreds of community meetings held in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when the South County Area Plan was being developed.

The South County Area Plan, which includes Nipomo, was completed in April 1993. It calls for Nipomo to be zoned mostly residential with lots that increase in size outward from the town core, which has several multi-family zoned parcels.

P.H. Properties, the developer of the Woodlands project, participated in hundreds of the public meetings regarding the South County Area Plan, Murray said, and their proposed project was shaped by public opinion and incorporated into the plan. P.H. Properties acquired the 957-acre Nipomo property zoned for industry in 1988 through a corporate merger. The developer quickly found out was that residents did not want all 957 acres developed for industry. According to Murray, a town survey, financed by P.H. Properties, was conducted. The outcome of the survey and the meetings was a concept of Nipomo’s future she calls the rural villages concept.

“The idea was to develop a series of self contained villages zoned for residential, offices, and commercial that would be linked with bike and bridle trails,” she explained. The community was 70 percent behind it, she said, and Woodlands was to be the first of those villages.

Based on community input, the Woodlands project was designed as a self-contained community with a high-tech commercial park similar to Irvine, surrounded by residences and recreational uses.

“They proposed to hard wire the entire complex so residents could telecommute,” Murray said.

Today, the project, which is only on paper, still contains some commercial development, but a lot of the original concept was altered to include more residences and more golf. The plan calls for 1,320 new residential units, a 500-room resort, a 9-acre commercial village core, a 22-acre business park, 45-holes of golf, a 12-acre public park including an 11-acre butterfly preserve, two 24-acres of “flex-zoning,” for business parks, bike and bridle trails.

“I think people don’t realize that they sometimes need to embrace a large corporation that is willing to come in and do all the work and build the necessary infrastructure,” Murray said. “If you don’t, it gets developed piecemeal and that is worse. What they planned would lay as gently on our land as possible. If they keep fighting it, they are going to get greenhouses on all 957 acres and they will have to clear cut the land. Or they are just going to get affordable housing there.

“What I think the community needs to do is develop their people resources–have these people become overseers rather than opponents so they make sure these developers do the things they say they are going to do rather than make 5,000 excuses,” Murray added. “It would take better care of Nipomo than all the uproar in the papers.”

Battles won by community activists in the war to slow down growth in Nipomo are impacting the Woodlands project despite the fact that it had already been approved and was written into the South County Area Plan. If the County adheres to the 2.3 percent growth cap in Nipomo it would take the developer 200 years to complete the Woodlands. For this reason they are asking for an exception to the growth management ordinance.

Many in Nipomo feel that they might as well incorporate and become a city, so they would have better control over growth.

Guy W. Murray, a local attorney, heads up a committee advocating incorporation for Nipomo. “Everybody here has the same vision of Nipomo–large lots with low density rural development. The question is what is the best way to maintain that?” he said. “My feeling is that local government will do it best. We don’t even have a supervisor who lives in Nipomo. Right now when people in Cambria vote for their supervisor, they are voting for someone who will make decisions for Nipomo. My feeling is that the people who are making planning decisions should be the ones who have to live with the effects of their decisions.”

Yet Nipomo probably won’t become a city in the near future thanks to a state law passed in 1992 that requires communities to prove “revenue neutrality.” This means that before they incorporate, communities must prove that the County won’t lose substantial amounts of revenue, an almost impossible task.

All scenarios seem to point to Nipomo as a place that will continue to boom. The only question left now to debate is how. Æ

Anne Quinn is a reporter for New Times. Andrea Rooks is a reporter for New Times sister paper, the Santa Maria Sun.

Her opening paragraphs yank the reader through history via imperialism, wars of independence and exploration, then drops us off at the gateway to San Luis Obispo County: Nipomo:

It’s no longer the days of world exploration, imperialism, and wars for independence- at least not in the US, The West has been explored, Alaska purchased, a Constitution written, and boundaries drawn. All those heroic leaders who laid the groundwork for our great country live only in books. In short, all the exciting stuff has already happened.

But, perhaps pessimism has made us nearsighted. Though many of our present institutions seem stable – or even stagnant- the truth is the laws aren’t fixed, the borders aren’t permanent. A good reminder of this comes from that unassuming, southernmost community in San Luis Obispo County that is standing up to the status quo: Nipomo. Notice the term community. No, Nipomo is not a city. Not yet. Like Cambria, Avila, and San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County, and Los Alamos, Orcutt, Santa Ynez, and, until recently, Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, Nipomo is just another unincorporated community. Nipomo is particularly interesting, however, because its borders have never really been defined, its status is unknown by many, and its recent growth is setting it on a path toward city hood.

I really like that backdrop to Nipomo’s incorporation–gives it a proper sense of importance–one I think it deserves. One of the most critical points Relth makes in her article is that the timing for Nipomo’s incorporation, assuming financial feasibility is ripe, in order to avoid the revenue neutrality alimony payments of other communities:

Since Cambria makes so much money for the county now – with hotel taxes and sales taxes
- it would be prohibitively costly for them to “divorce”; whereas, had they incorporated
earlier on, before the Revenue Neutrality act and before they became such a cash cow, they
would have had their freedom and control for a much lower rate.

Cambria and Goleta (which is now incorporated, but paying millions in alimony to Santa Barbara County) make such good examples, because Nipomo is still at the stage of development and growth where they could secede without having to pay back.

Check out the entire article. My understanding is that the Central Coast Magazine is readily available.  For example, you can purchase the magazine at any of the locations listed below.  If for some reason you don’t find a copy, I have uploaded the article here: Centeral Coast Magazine On Nipomo Incorporation

Locations to purchase Central Coast Magazine:

Paso Robles
Pioneer Shell & Food Mart
Wayside Liquor & Deli
One Stop Super Market
Food 4 Less

Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach AM/PM
Esquire News
Scolari’s

San Diego
Quick Stuff

San Luis Obispo
Crossroads
San Luis Chevron
Sidewalk Market
Borders Books and Music
Mission News
Padre Liquor & Deli
Campus Bottle Shoppe
SLO Fresh Markets
Spirit of San Luis
El Corral Book Store
Food 4 Less
Scolari’s

Santa Maria
Magazines ‘n’ More

Solvang
Book Loft
Nielsen’s Market

Vandenberg AFB

Arroyo Grande
JJ’s Food Company
Spencer’s Fresh Market
7-Eleven at 830 Grand

Atascadero
Carlton Hotel
Spencer’s Fresh Market
Food 4 Less

Buellton
Sister Essential

Cambria
Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop

Cayucos
Cayucos Super Market

Lompoc
Printed Matter

Los Olivos
Los Olivos Country Store
Los Olivos Grocery

Morro Bay
Bottle Liquor
Spencer’s Fresh Market

Orcutt
Spencer’s Fresh Market
Old Town Market

Nipomo cityhood backers persevere

By Randi Block/Staff Writer

The push to make Nipomo a city and gain more local control over planning issues is making progress as a committee was recently formed to research the steps necessary to make the idea a reality.

A dozen Nipomo residents formed a steering committee last month to explore a feasibility study that could determine whether the community brings in enough revenue to fund all of the services a city would need, said Guy Murray, a Nipomo resident who has been leading the incorporation push.

The group also talked about forming a nonprofit organization so residents will be able to donate money to the effort, which may cost around $200,000 before incorporation could receive approval from the San Luis Obispo County Local Agency Formation Commission.

“This is a conversation that’s been going on a long time, and this is the most interest and amount of different people I’ve ever seen involved in this process,” Murray said. “It’s been a discussion in the community since the late 1990s, and this steering committee and nonprofit is a huge step forward.”

The steering committee was named the Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education (NICE) and has 15 members, including Merle Ackerman, Kevin Beauchamp, Al Daurio, Clyde Cruise, Bonnie and Mike Eisner, Dan Gaddis, Jim Harrison, Ingmar Lauringson, Keith MacGregor, Bob and Lynn McGill, Joe Tomei, Susie Hermreck and Murray.

The group plans to meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Nipomo Library on West Tefft Street. Also, group workshops will be held quarterly with the first one scheduled for April.

Meetings will be open to the public, and Murray said residents are encouraged to attend and offer comments on different incorporation topics.

One of the first tasks to be tackled will be to update and supplement the initial feasibility study, which needs to take a more detailed look at Nipomo’s growth patterns, Murray said. That may be accomplished by hiring an outside incorporation expert, but it’s unclear how the group would pay for the consultant, he added.

A number of subcommittees – aimed at everything from forming a nonprofit organization to public outreach – were also formed, and they are looking for additional public participation.

Anyone interested in offering comments about incorporation or getting involved with the effort can e-mail Murray at nipomolaw@aol.com.

For more information, visit www.nipomoincorporation.org.

Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or rblock@santamariatimes.com.

March 6, 2007

Thanks to Randi Block for researching and writing this news update!

The Tribune noted:

Group to study cityhood for Nipomo forming

-Larissa Van Beurden-Doust

The Tribune

Fifteen people have formed a committee to study the feasibility of Nipomo becoming a city.

The group met for the first time Feb. 27, and decided to name the committee NICE – or Nipomo Incorporation Committee for Education.

Committee members include Merle Ackerman, Kevin Beauchamp, Clyde Cruise, Al Daurio, Bonnie and Mike Eisner, Dan Gaddis, Jim Harrison, Susie Hermreck, Ingmar Lauringson, Keith MacGregor, Bob and Lynn McGill, Guy Murray and Joe Tomei.

Others are needed to serve on a variety of subcommittees of the group, which include fundraising, public relations, press packets and community development.

This is an exciting time for our community, with a great deal of work ahead. We hope you will join us.