The City of Lompoc held a community workshop to showcase different ways the city could grow in the future.
Five draft alternative land use scenarios show the estimated maximum number of new housing units and how density could be considered throughout the city.
Laurie Tamura, a contract planner for the City of Lompoc, said the scenarios range from about 2,000 to 10,000 additional housing units.
“The first scenario is basically the city sits with its community general plan and it ends up being about 2,000 more units. Then we go into the next scenario, which adds another 2,000 units. The next scenario after that will turn into three, will have probably 6,000 new units, 8,000 and then 10,000 more units,” Tamura said.
Tamura said each unit could represent two to three people, meaning Lompoc could see between 5,000 and 12,000 more residents as the city plans for growth tied to Vandenberg Space Force Base.
“They’re telling the community they’re going to need at least 10,000 homes in the next five to 10 years to house the employees and the contractors that are coming to this area,” Tamura said.
Tamura said, similar to other cities in the area, Lompoc is considering options such as rezoning and annexation to accommodate more housing while considering the impact on existing neighborhoods.
Ariana Borina, a Lompoc resident, says future growth does not intimidate her.
“It sounds like there’s no stopping growing here, so I hope it’s more palatable for people to come here and stay here instead of just living in Lompoc and going elsewhere to spend our money,” Borina said.
Emily Dixon, who has lived in the area for years, believes some moderate growth may be necessary to limit impacts on the community.
“Probably traffic would be my number one. One of the things me and my husband often comment about is that we don’t have to deal with traffic like a lot of people in Santa Barbara or down south, even more, L.A.,” Dixon said.
Nick Gonzales, a Lompoc resident, said he would like to see the city focus more on creating job opportunities in the future rather than just adding residential development.
“We may have a greater need for industrial and/or commercial space that might be able to bring more jobs in the community,” Gonzales said.
Tamura said the city is considering more than just housing as it plans for future growth.
“There will be more people. That’s what we’re planning for because when people come to a region, you have the right schools, you have the right parks, roadways, infrastructure, commercial centers,” Tamura said.
The city is encouraging community members to share their input through the comment section on the Envision Lompoc website.
