Proposed Cayucos Hotel Stirs Opposition
By Sona Patel, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Apr. 5–A group of Cayucos residents vows to keep fighting a proposed mix of condos, hotel rooms and commercial space in its neighborhood, claiming the project would harm the quality of life of the small seaside town.
Cayucos Del Mar would be a three-story commercial building with four condominiums, 17 hotel rooms, plus commercial spaces and underground parking at Old Creek Road and Ocean Boulevard.
Critics say local developer Franco DeCicco’s project is too big and that it would increase traffic at that intersection in the mostly residential area at the southeast part of town near Morro Strand State Beach.
“It’s not about blocking a neighbor’s view,” resident Dirk Langer said. “It’s about blocking traffic.”
Organized as Concerned Citizens of Cayucos, the group told the Cayucos Citizens Advisory Council on Wednesday night that it has gathered more than 500 petition signatures asking the county Planning and Building Department to turn down the project at its proposed location.
“The residents have a right to oppose, and I think these issues will be addressed by an environmental study,” DeCicco said. “We understand that there are issues to be looked at, especially traffic.”
The citizens group cannot cite any legal rationale to fight the development.
Its members hope that public comment, petitions and attending meetings and hearings will get the word out that they believe the community doesn’t want to see this kind of development in this part of town.
Cayucos Del Mar is under environmental review and is expected to be scheduled for Planning Commission review within the next few months, according to county planner Mike Wulkan.
If commissioners approve the development, critics could appeal to the county Board of Supervisors, then to the state Coastal Commission.
The advisory council’s role is to make nonbinding recommendations to county officials on issues affecting the North Coast town of about 3,000 residents.
Advisory council members said they did not regret initially supporting the project. But they encouraged residents to address their concerns during public comment periods after an environmental analysis is complete.
Council members said they could not oppose DeCicco’s development because it did not violate any land-use laws.
Critics at the meeting tried to challenge that, but county Supervisor Bruce Gibson intervened and reminded them that an advisory council — like anyone else in the public — is there to offer opinions.
He explained that several procedures will be followed by the Planning Commission, which would have to decide whether a project would have unacceptable effects.
Championing the project was Bianca Koenig, a four-year resident of southern Cayucos who said it would be beneficial for parts of the town.
The development, she said, could act as a center of the community, providing a hub for local residents who could easily access a convenience store and restaurant.
Koenig said that the development wouldn’t create traffic troubles because many tourists already flock to Cayucos in their cars in peak seasons.
Langer said he has considered moving to another part of the county if the project were to move forward.
“It’s our responsibility to be involved,” Langer said. “We assume things are going to stay the way they are, and it’s hard to accept change.”
Martha Connor, chairwoman of the concerned citizens group, said many of the project’s opponents want to see the project downsized to fit with surrounding structures.
“The next thing we’ll have to do is put in traffic lights,” Connor said.
Staff writer Sona Patel can be reached at 781-7924.
What do you think of the Cayucos Del Mar hotel project?
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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