HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 6g. Hermann and Fiedler - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: August 18, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager
Prepared By: Laura Fiedler, Economic Development & Tourism Manager
VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
SUBJECT: ITEM #6g - RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT NOMINATION OF FIVE
CENSUS TRACTS TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR DESIGNATION
IN THE FEDERAL OPPORTUNITY ZONE 2.0 PROGRAM
Staff received a request to provide a clearer map of the census tracts under discussion
for this agenda item. In the map on the next page (a copy is also attached), each eligible
census tract in and around the City of San Luis Obispo is outlined, shaded in blue, and
labeled with the last 5 digits of the tract number. General text descriptors also appear in
quotation marks on each tract for ease of reference, but they are not official names for
those census tracts or neighborhoods.
During the Local Authority Recommendation period which ended July 20, 2026, the
County of San Luis Obispo nominated tract 109.03 around the core of Cal Poly’s campus.
The City of San Luis Obispo nominated the remaining five eligible tracts: 111.01, 111.04,
112.01, 109.02, and 110.02. The two tracts shaded in darker blue (109.03 and 110.02)
are currently recommended by the State for designation on the draft list open for public
comment until August 28, 2026.
The state's criteria for recommendation are more expansive than the federal
government's criteria for eligibility; while federal eligibility is based on income and poverty
levels, the state is also considering renter occupancy rates, unemployment, crowding,
geographic equity, and statewide and regional economic development objectives.
It is important to note that Opportunity Zone designation does not alter or supersede any
local planning, zoning, or land use regulations. All future projects will continue to be
subject to the City’s established standards, requirements, and approval processes. The
designation simply provides an additional voluntary tool that may help attract investment
to areas where the City already anticipates housing, infrastructure improvements, and
economic development activity.
ITEM #6g - RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT NOMINATION OF FIVE CENSUS TRACTS Page 2