A proposed space park in Lompoc has been granted another year extension, as city leaders say the developer needs more time to secure financing and complete environmental requirements before construction can begin.
The project, led by Pale Blue Dot Ventures and estimated to cost $135 million, has faced multiple extensions since first being approved. The latest extension was approved by the Lompoc City Council without public comment.
“It was on consent calendar and there was nobody that even got up, you know, to say anything positively or negatively, but it’s kind of standard practice,” said Lompoc Mayor James Mosby.
Mayor Mosby said the economic landscape has played a role in the slower timeline.
“In today’s roller coaster economy that’s been happening, you know, it’s kind of expected,” he said. “We anticipate that he’s going to be able to pull this off.”
Some community members say they support the concept and hope the project will bring more recreation and educational opportunities to the region.
“I appreciate people trying to do things in Lompoc. Just overall more things for the children to do is always a positive,” said resident Chelsie Dehavilland.
Others, however, say the repeated delays have made them hesitant.
“Personally, voted against it at the time. I’ve always felt that it’s not the transformation that the Lompoc Valley needs,” said resident Doug Ludden. “Extension after extension after extension, and if it was financially viable, the money would have already flown into it.”
The proposed park would be located near Allan Hancock College’s Lompoc campus, and the college says it sees potential benefits if the plan moves forward.
“As a community college with robust STEM programs, Hancock is hopeful the project will progress to a point where the college can partner to build programming in space-related fields that will benefit our students and the region,” the college said in a statement.
Pale Blue Dot Ventures founder and CEO Steven Franck responded to questions about the timeline, saying, “We are about 90 percent complete with our creative effort.”
He added, “We are working on our project description, which is quite a significant document and project milestone.”
Dehavilland says delays don’t necessarily mean the project won’t move forward, especially with a development of this scale.
“I fully understand that things take time and budgets don’t come together the way that we hope they do,” Dehavilland said.
The city says the developer must meet additional requirements by next year. If progress isn’t made, officials say they may explore other options for the site.
