A proposed workforce housing project on Lompoc Unified School District property near Maple Continuation High School drew emotional and divided public comment during a recent school board meeting, with residents raising concerns about neighborhood impacts while supporters pointed to staff retention and housing shortages.
Several residents urged the district to reconsider the location, saying the proposal could change the character of the neighborhood and affect families who have lived near the campus for decades.
“It just makes me very, very sad. I won’t get to see the children in my old age, you know, talking about school and coming home with their projects,” said June Mitts, a Vandenberg Village resident during public comment.
Others questioned whether the proposed housing would truly serve teachers and school staff.
“It’s not going to be teachers that live there. It’s going to increase crime in our little neighborhood [and] traffic, and I just wanted to back up the community,” said Martin Perez, who lives in Vandenberg Village.
Supporters of the proposal, including representatives from local education groups, said the district is facing real challenges when it comes to hiring and keeping educators due to limited housing options on the Central Coast.
“Our geographic isolation and the limited supply of affordable housing makes it so that a lot of newer teachers entering into the profession aren’t able to accept job offers here,” said Skyler Peterson, president of the Lompoc Federation of Teachers.
Peterson added that staffing instability can directly affect students.
“This turnover affects not just staff, but students too. We need more affordable housing options in our community for our employees,” according to Peterson.
In a written statement provided to KSBY, Lompoc Unified Superintendent Clara Finneran said the proposal is still in an early stage.
“While we are in an exploratory phase right now, we are very excited about the possibility of workforce housing for Lompoc Unified School District employees. This creative approach, which other districts have successfully implemented, increases staff retention, attracts excellent new staff, and contributes positively to property values and community well-being,” Finneran said.
The district also addressed online backlash and what it described as misinformation circulating about the proposal.
“We appreciate the community’s engagement and remain committed to transparency, open dialogue, and thoughtful decision-making as this process continues,” the statement said. “Several recurring misconceptions have emerged online and during public comment. These include incorrectly referring to the site as La Mesa Elementary, assuming that Maple Continuation High School would cease to exist if the project were to move forward, characterizing the proposal as low-income housing, and questioning whether there is a legitimate need for the project.”
The statement continued, “In reality, the site is Maple Continuation High School, and if a project were approved, Maple’s educational program would be relocated, not eliminated. The housing being explored is workforce housing governed by state law, with priority given to Lompoc Unified employees.”
District officials also reiterated that no final decision has been made.
Officials said if the district moves forward with the next steps for the Jupiter Avenue site, it will require additional studies, opportunities for community input, and formal board approval.
The district says the proposal remains exploratory and that community engagement will continue as discussions move forward.
