Froom Ranch Mixed Use Project Plan Approved

Written by Estero Bay News

September 23, 2020

Close to 600 new homes could be built as part of a project off Los Osos Valley Road.

The San Luis Obispo City Council recently approved the Froom Ranch Specific Plan that will guide the future of development on the 43.5 acres of the 109.7-acre Froom Ranch property located off Los Osos Valley Road, south of The Home Depot across from the multiple car lots. 

The Froom Ranch Plan proposes a mix of land uses, including up to 404 units of independent and assisted senior housing in a Life Plan Community known as Villaggio at San Luis Obispo.  The remaining portion of the site would include up to 174 multi-family residential units, 30,000 square feet of neighborhood commercial uses, and a hotel in addition to open space preservation, and a public trailhead park.  The project was reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission on August 12. 

The project also proposes to relocate, rehabilitate, and adaptively reuse four historic structures within the Froom Ranch Dairy Complex to the new public trailhead park, including the Main Residence, Creamery/House, Dairy (Round-Nose) Barn, and Granary.
In addition, City Council directed the developer of the project, John M. Madonna, to incorporate the following conditions into the project: 

  1. Include at least one area for active recreation in the Madonna Froom Ranch portion of the project;
  2. Include an interconnected network of pedestrian paths in the Villaggio area that connect to the public sidewalks and Froom Ranch trail;
  3. Provide additional design guidance for multi-family housing above the 150-foot elevation line to be sensitive to historic resources in the area, with a farmhouse vernacular architectural style; and
  4. No portion of Villaggio would be located above the 150-foot elevation, and the entire Upper Terrace would be zoned Conservation/Open Space.
    The project has undergone multiple additional advisory body reviews, including two early pre-application reviews in 2016; three conceptual reviews in 2017 and 2018; five advisory body reviews during circulation of the Draft EIR in 2019; review by the Airport Land Use Commission in July 2020; and review by the Cultural Heritage Committee in July 2020. Now that the Specific Plan has been adopted, annexation and development applications for land within the Specific Plan area are possible.
    Construction could start in about two years.

You May Also Like…