Local businesses are fighting a new development in Arroyo Grande, but the project’s fate is set to be decided this week.
Nearly 100 homes could be coming to the Oak Park Professional Plaza after the Arroyo Grande planning commission approved the development earlier this year.
Businesses in the plaza, including Curl Fitness and NanoKnee, filed to appeal the approval. Catherine Judge from the gym said the center is already struggling with parking.
The parking lot was full already today before any residents were to move in. We would guess approximately 150 more vehicles would be introduced to this parking dilemma,” Judge said.
She said adding more people to the space would be a health and safety issue to the employees and customers who come to the plaza. By filing the appeal, Judge said they had the opportunity to get ahead of a potential disaster.
This is not about an inconvenience,” Judge said. “This is about life and death situations because we do deal with them.
Russell Sheppel is the property owner for the development. He said he agrees that parking is an issue in the area, but hes worked with the city on the project and gone by the book with the property.
It’s like two factors come together and it’s the City with its own planning and its own staff coming together with a developer who says, ‘I want to meet the needs of the community. What can we do here’?” Sheppel said.
Sheppel has owned the property for the proposed development for more than 25 years. He said the space has been approved for many developments, but Arroyo Grande desperately needs housing.
What does the community want?” Sheppel said. “What does it need? What is it lacking? Affordable housing is. It’s also a need within the city, a community need. It’s not going away.
The Arroyo Grande City Council will decide whether or not to approve the appeal on Tuesday night.