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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/21/2026 Item 6i, Tway - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: July 21, 2026 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Timmi Tway, Director of Community Development VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM #6.i – 2026 ANNUAL MONITORING FOR THE AVILA RANCH DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, MITIGATION MEASURES, AND PROJECT CONDITIONS Staff received the following questions regarding the annual monitoring report for the Avila Ranch Development Agreement, Mitigation Measures , and Project Conditions. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics : 1) There is discussion in a couple places about drainage issues. On Page 229 of the packet, it describes (under item c) some pooling of water and some pumping mitigation measures that are being performed. Is this related to the same problem that is addressed on page 234 of the packet, rela ted to Basin A? I’m just trying to understand if there are other drainage issues on the site besides Basin A because this came up a lot when I was on the Zone 9 Committee. The drainage issues that have recently been experienced that are noted on page 229 are not related to Basin A. The pumping of stormwater noted on page 229 is related to the temporary condition on the site created by the mass grading that is currently underway. City staff have worked closely with the applicant to determine the best way to ensure that drainage issues are addressed before the permanent infrastructure is finished. 2) From Page 231 of the staff report, can you explain a little more about how this works? ITEM #6.i – 2026 Annual Monitoring Report for Avila Ranch Page 2 The developer is required to construct certain public improvements per the terms of the entitlement approval, Conditions of Approval, and mitigation measures. The project’s Development Agreement, and Reimbursement Agreements (Public and Private) establish terms for the developer to be reimbursed for costs exceeding their “fair share” for certain eligible improvements that they construct. For improvements eligible for public reimbursement, the developer largely receives reimbursement in the form of credits towards their Citywide Transportation Improvement Fee (TIF) and Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR) Subarea TIF fees that are due with each building permit until they have exhausted all available credits, at which point they pay into the TIF programs. 3) The report states that the fire chief has decided we need a station in Avila Ranch that can accommodate a 3-person company rather than a 2-person company. I don’t know if you can answer this, but what is it that dictates this? Also, what is the difference in cost that the city General Fund will have to cover because this is not part of the DA. The upgrade for Fire Station 5 from a two -person EMS unit to a three-person Fire Engine is driven by extended response times to that area and need for fire suppression services. While modern residences are being built with additional safety measures, typical home furnishings and storage of hazardous materials (fuels and batteries) often lead to exponential fire growth. Because the best chance for a successful outcome is a fire suppression response while the fire is in its initial growth phase, it was necessary to increase the station staffing from a two- person EMS only unit to a three-person Fire Engine that can address these fire suppression needs. The Avila Ranch Developer is responsible for the costs of constructing a two - person station, per the Development Agreement. The City will be responsible for the cost increase associated with the slightly larger station and apparatus bay necessary to accommodate a fire engine with a Firefighter, Engineer, and Captain. The current estimate is that the City will be responsible for approximately $440,000, which is the construction cost difference between a two - and three- person station.