LOCAL: Bonetti Ranch Development Could Use More Housing

Update 12/16/2014: I've spoken with Bonetti Ranch Development people about including more housing of all levels in the development. They've told me that the city of SLO, through their housing policies, will not allow it. Specifically, they said they wanted to build 500 square foot housing units, and city policies basically made it unfeasible.

Original Article Introduction: On September 6, 2014, the Tribune published an article on the proposed Bonetti Ranch Development  located on the north east corner of Tank Farm Road and Higuera in San Luis Obispo. You can read an article on the development in The Tribune newspaper by clicking here.

Above: Corner of Tank Farm and Higuera. Left to right: Barn that will be torn down, windmill, ranch house.

The goal of the project, other than to make money for the developers (duh), is to re-create the SLO downtown that the developers grew up with. They believe that the population in SLO craves a local flavor and our downtown has been losing that to chain stores and bars. The project is inspired by locals and designed for locals. 

Above: this artist's rendering of the site comes from the Tribune article. I don't have any rights to display this image on this site - will take it down if requested to do so.

More Housing Please: The article in the Tribune goes on to indicate rather incidentally that this (significantly large) development will have four 2-bedroom housing units. This is an example of a SLO-city-influenced development that could use, in my opinion, more housing - much more housing. Yes, I understand that it is a retail development, but they are already proposing housing to be included - so why not more? In fact, the Bonetti Development will house only a tiny fraction of those employed by the proposed businesses.

Above: The 1908 Bonetti Ranch House that will be turned into a 1,500 square foot restaurant.

Note that this is NOT  IN ANY WAY a criticism of the developers. I am not a land-use expert and I have not studied the development in detail (nor do I plan to). From everything I see, this looks like a wonderful addition to the city of SLO's retail inventory. My only interest is in exploring whether it is possible to add more housing to it. No, I don't expect "affordable" housing, but any housing is better than none, and more is better than just some. 

Let's look at what is being proposed on the Bonetti Ranch site:

• 12,002-square-foot public market (sandwiches, coffee, ice cream, restaurant, juice bar, butcher, baker, taqueria)
• 5,549-square-foot brewery (Figueroa Mountain Brewery) with dining and outdoor seating
• dozen wine vendors and cheese shop
• 1,528-square-foot restaurant large outdoor dining area (built on the propertie’s 1908 Ranch House)
• retail stores
• Tractor Supply Company store (already been approved by SLO expected to be complete by spring 2015)
• pedestrian plaza
• open-air plaza
• building nearby will provide retail space and four two-bedroom living spaces.

Based on what's proposed above, at full build-out, the Bonetti Development would be expected to employ 150 to 300 employees or more. This estimate is nothing more than my S.W.A.G. (Silly Wild-Ass Guess - I thought everyone knew what that stood for - I guess not). As I have stated so often before, the city of SLO encourages business to move into the city, but does nothing to accommodate their workers - especially of the low income kind. This development will employ lots of minimum wage plus workers ($8 - $12/hour), so why not some micro-housing units for them as well? Perhaps in the 250 to 400 square foot per unit size range?

It's the last bullet that caught my eye. Awesome start: four 2-bedroom apartments that would be expected to house 4 to 16 people. Wonder how that got into the development in the first place? No matter - it's there, which means that it may be possible for that to increase? Let's hope so.

Above: Barn structure that will be torn down and a semi-replica erected in it's place.

A few more details clipped from the Tribune article:

A public market filled with local fare, a brewery, and a wine and cheese shop are among the plans for the historic Long-Bonetti Ranch, on the northeast corner of South Higuera Street and Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo.

Other amenities of the recently revealed plans for the San Luis Obispo Public Market project will include a restaurant, retail stores and a produce stand — all focused on a farm-to-table theme.

John Belsher and Ryan Petetit of PB Companies, a San Luis Obispo real estate development and investment firm, are developing the $16.5 million project under the Tank Farm Center LLC.

History of the Property: The Long-Bonetti Ranch has a history dating to the early 1900s. The ranch house, barn and other structures on the property are all on the city’s master list of historic places. The developer is proposing to demo and rebuild the majority of those because they are damaged beyond repair. The exception is the 1908 Bonetti Ranch House on the property, which will be restored and turned into a restaurant.

Click Here to go back to "Tim Waag Blog" Home Page!