The San Luis Obispo City Council approved a mixed-use development project that will be built along Tank Farm Road.
The project will be comprised of 280 residential units including studios, one-bedroom flats, three-bedroom townhouses, and one mixed-use building with 12,500 feet of commercial space.
Eleven units will be dedicated to deed-restricted affordable units.
“The state actually defines affordable housing for us. It’s based on the county’s household income median. We look at the county as a whole to identify average household income and then the affordable housing thresholds are determined based on that as a base," said Kyle Bell, City of San Luis Obispo Community Development Department.
Bell says eligibility for affordable housing depends on household size but it is priced typically at less than 30% of a person’s income.
“There are multiple levels of affordability. You have moderate income, low income, very low income, and there’s also a category for extremely low income. So certain units are dedicated for those different thresholds depending on the projects," Bell said.
Affordable guidelines are reviewed each year and can be adjusted. For this project, the affordable units would be for moderate-income households.
The project will also include new infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“Their design would basically have your normal curb and landscape planter strip, and then sidewalk level protected bike lane, and also a sidewalk like you see on many streets," said Luke Schwartz, City of San Luis Obispo Transportation Manager.
A roundabout is also planned for the intersection of Tank Farm Road and Santa Fe Road.
“The city has a roundabout first policy for intersections. We look at those as a first option because they have proven to be more efficient in terms of congestion, delays, greenhouse gases, but also safety," Schwartz said.
Construction is set to start in phases and while there is no set date when construction will begin, city officials say the earliest it will be is next year.
