Community Energy and Cooperation
Cambria is a charming village. Most of us who live here recognize Cambria’s qualities make it an attractive draw for people looking for a slice of paradise. We value the forest and the secluded nature here. Greenspace and other land trusts do us all a great service by purchasing undeveloped properties and ensuring they will remain undeveloped. The purchase and preservation of the land now called the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is an overwhelming example of how Cambria can work together and get help from others. To meet the matching funds requirement of the American Land Conservancy, we pulled together money from special events, individual donations, funds from the County’s parks and recreation development funds (about $250,000) and a dedication of a significant amount of land by Mid-State Bank. It was a feat that eliminated 783 possible housing units.
Nearly ten years later, the critical parts played by Mid-State Bank, the County, the Preserve’s previous owners and even the magnitude of the financial burden shouldered by the American Land Conservancy all seem marginalized. It couldn’t have been accomplished without collaboration and cooperation. To thrive, we need leaders, partners and supporters from our local community, but also from the larger communities of the County, the State, the Nation and the planet.
This seems to be a lesson not learned. One of the best things about living in a small town a sense of mutual respect for others and personal responsibility that comes from nearly everyone knowing everyone else. There are no anonymous actions, since no one is a stranger. But the flip side of this heightened sense of accountability and community can be a heightened distrust of “the other” and of change. We can become urgently protective of our community, shutting out others in ways that damage precisely what we mean to protect.
How the CCSD is Protecting Our Village Atmosphere
One of the primary responsibilities of the Cambria Community Services District is to ensure a reliable water source. One of the side effects of the District’s policies in recent years has been to slow our growth to a near standstill. The CCSD board declared a code 350 water emergency on November 15, 2001, citing the fear that there may not be enough water to provide for fire protection and generous water use by current customers. This declaration grants the district broad powers to enact ordinances regarding water use and to declare a moratorium on new water connections until the situation is resolved. The Board set a cap of 4,650 water connections in July 2003 to address the concerns that a reliable source of water would cause an explosion in population. In November 2006, a District-sponsored measure to limit the urban services line passed with a large margin. Since its passage, any requests for water provided to development outside the current area served by CCSD must be approved by the voters of Cambria.
How the County is Protecting Our Village Atmosphere
There seems to be a lingering impression that protecting our village atmosphere isn’t a priority for the County. The County is the authority for land use policies, ordinances and permitting in Cambria and the rest of unincorporated San Luis Obispo County. They are legally responsible for creating and implementing policies to guide long-range community planning. The CCSD has a responsibility to manage the water resources and ensure a reliable supply for the population within the service area. The two responsibilities (land use and water) are inextricably linked, yet reside with two different independent agencies with elected Boards of directors.
This is understandable, since the 1988 North Coast Area Plan (NCAP) set the residential absorption capacity of Cambria at 17,471 and a 2000 update of the NCAP (never adopted or certified by the Coastal Commission) noted 11,701 Single Family Residences at total build-out for Cambria. Add this to the fact that just over half of all the homes in Cambria by 2000 had been built since 1980, and its easier to understand why there seemed no end to the growth explosion. ¹ The reality is that the current NCAP, adopted by the Board of Supervisors and certified by the Coastal Commission in November 2007 states that “if the Plan is never updated, the theoretical build-out is 6,130″ residences.
County and CCSD Facing the Same Direction
Since the declaration of the water code 350 emergency and moratorium, the County has incorporated additional control of growth into the policies and ordinances that apply to development in Cambria. Specifically, in 2002 the Board of Supervisors amended the Growth Management Ordinance (which is part of the LCP and must be approved by the Coastal Commission) to limit the number of new dwelling units to 1% of the current number of houses each fiscal year. Then in 2006, they amended it again to reduce the number of permits for new dwellings to 0% through June 2009. In May 2009, they extended the 0% allocation through June 2012.
The County has legislated Cambria some breathing room, almost 3 more years to get our additional water project permitted and underway before it will consider issuing permits for new residences. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the CCSD Board to re-evaluate the water code 350 declaration, moratorium and its buildout cap. These policies (the Water Master Plan) is affecting more than just those with undeveloped property, on the list or not. The moratorium is likely at least partly responsible for the sharp increase in home values during the first few years of the century as well as for the softer blow Cambria’s home values took recently.
Cambria Will Grow Slowly and Stay Small
As the moratorium continues to drag on, defending the policy choices the CCSD has made will get more difficult (and expensive.) There is a tipping point beyond which control of Cambria and its size will be completely out of our hands. We have had a tenuous grasp on it anyway, since it is the County (and to no small extent, the Coastal Commission) who makes policy and decisions regarding land use and planning.
I think the issue of containing unbridled and unsustainable growth is a red herring. The work of earlier CCSD Boards definitely made its point to the County and are reflected in its policies and ordinances. Efforts like the acquisition of the Fiscalini Ranch (which retired 783 potential units) and lot mergers (352 lots reduced as of June 2009), retirements and conservation easements are also making a real difference total number of homes that will eventually be built here.
It is now time for the District to step out of the way (or duck) and let go of its need to control land use. If the County goes forward as expected (changing course isn’t one of government’s strong points), up to 39 permits will be issued between July 2012 – June 2013 to applicants with letters of intent to serve from the CCSD. If all permits allocated are used every year, it will be 2029 before the last wait list position gets their permit. Of course, the permitting process is a bit more complex, but current County ordinances will limit the pace of new growth. Making changes to those ordinances is a lengthy and expensive process and all amendments must be certified by the Coastal Commission before going into effect.
¹[1,206 homes were built in Cambria between 1980 and 1989 and another 815 between 1990 and March of 2000. There were 197 single family units and 4 multi-family units produced between 2001 and June 30, 2008. Today, there are 3,936 housing units in Cambria. Housing data sources: 2006 North Coast Area Plan 2006 Draft, County Housing Element Draft 2009 and US Census data. ]
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