Dana Reserve plan is unacceptable
The Dana Reserve project and the resulting excessive growth and encroachment into our natural areas will severely impact our quality of life and overall health and well-being. The increase in vehicle miles traveled and increased emissions means worsening air quality, among other things.
The county set Nipomo’s growth rate at 1.8% and the Dana Reserve project will exceed that rate. This is unacceptable, as Nipomo does not have the resources to manage the growth posed by the project. Nipomo’s demographics classify it as a community of color as roughly 56% of inhabitants are BIPOC.
It’s a well-established fact that communities like ours are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of extreme growth and urban sprawl. Sensible growth and preservation of our natural areas requires collaboration with the community, and the alternative plan is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Nipomo Action Committee.
There is wisdom within our community to help provide answers to the pressing challenges we are facing and we must do all we can to help ensure that Nipomo continues to be a vibrant, diverse and healthy place to live.
Carmen Alma Morales, Nipomo
Dana Reserve will help Lucia Mar employees
The Dana Reserve has committed to a donation of land to the Lucia Mar Unified School District. This will be for low-income housing, with priority given to educators and district employees. Providing affordable housing options for our educators and classified employees is crucial for retaining talented staff and supporting the well-being of our schools. The e xclusive negotiation agreement further underscores the developer’s dedication to collaborating with the district and People’s Self Help Housing to ensure the success of this initiative. There will be 84 rental units and the rent amount will be limited to no more than 30% of the renter’s income.
The district will incur no financial burden for the construction or management of the low-income housing development, making this a win-win situation for all parties involved.
The mitigation agreement with the developer, recently approved by the district, demonstrates a commitment to minimizing any potential negative impacts on our school facilities, ensuring that our students’ educational environment remains a top priority.
I commend the LMUSD Board of Education and the developer for working together on this effort. Together, we can create a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable future for our district employees and students.
Nancy DePue, Arroyo Grande
Editor’s note: Nancy DePue is the former superintendent of the Lucia Mar Unified School District.
Dana Reserve editorial ‘propaganda’
The Tribune editorial opinion supporting the 288-acre Dana Reserve development in Nipomo read as if it were written by the developer itself. It was so one-sided that it smacks of propaganda.
For a project of this magnitude 3,094 oak trees and Burton-Mesa chaparral would be wiped out. The scale of the destruction is breathtaking. This project would take away the sequestration of about 74 tons of CO2 per year. Surely, the wide expanse of the Nipomo Mesa could provide housing sites without committing ecocide. As The Tribune editorial puts it the “planning process is dysfunctional to the point of being nonsensical.” Let’s start over again and sell the land to a land trust for actual preservation and find other sites that are more suitable to provide housing.
Mark Skinner
Los Osos
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