The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors decided Thursday to support changes that add flexibility to the City’s Residential Growth Management Policy.

"The City’s Residential Growth Management Policy in its current form could limit the amount of future approved residential projects, particularly in the proposed Margarita and Orcutt area Specific Plans," said Ron Yukelson, chair of the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, which forwarded a motion to the board on Thursday to support changes to the City’s policy.

"By encouraging the City to be flexible in its residential growth management it can add the appropriate amount of workforce housing to sustain and encourage future business and population growth without artificial limitations," Yukelson added.

The city hopes to carryover the housing supply that was allocated for a previous 36-month period to the next 36-month period. Developing housing in the specific plan areas is key to the City’s ability to meet the housing production targets of the Housing Element.  

In the 2008 General Plan Annual Report, the City Council evaluated the concept of allowing residential growth to be averaged over extended time periods, taking into account economic cycles and population growth trends.  

At that time, the Council directed staff to return with changes to the growth management policy to include vesting of residential allocations when the Orcutt Area Specific Plan comes forward for Council consideration in spring 2010. 

But when the economic recession hit, the housing production slowed, and the homes allocated to the Margarita Area in the growth management phasing schedule were not built.  

Therefore, some flexibility in the residential growth management regulations is needed to avoid having the growth management regulations restrict construction of both specific plan areas and inhibit our ability to achieve housing production objectives. 

"Averaging new housing over a longer time will allow us to develop needed housing without violating the one percent growth limit that the community has deemed appropriate," added Yukelson.