Commission recommends Santa Lucia Preserve amendment allowing formal driveway and member events at Redwood Grove after edits

The Planning Commission on June 10 unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors consider an addendum to the Santa Lucia Preserve's certified EIR and an amendment to existing permits that would re-designate Lot 98 as racho land and authorize a formal driveway to provide access to the Redwood Grove for member events.

Staff described the project as an amendment to a previously approved combined development permit for the Santa Lucia Preserve that would allow the Redwood Grove to be used as an additional private event location (member-only gatherings), add a driveway with a turnaround, and reconfigure designated open-land boundaries. Staff noted the addendum found no new significant environmental impacts and recommended approval with minor revisions to the resolution.

Commissioners pressed staff on conservation easements and timing: staff said the San Lucia Conservancy (the preserve conservancy) holds existing conservation easement boundaries and would have to authorize any amended deed of conservation; staff and the applicant added language requiring submission of plat maps and legal descriptions to Public Works for review and approval prior to Board consideration. Staff said reconfiguration would slightly increase open land under conservation by 0.2 acres.

Discussion also focused on operational conditions: (1) whether catered food and beverage service should be allowed, (2) whether temporary decorative lighting should be limited or require dark-sky downlighting, and (3) whether a county-wide condition (condition 6) requiring county oversight of events across the preserve was necessary. Applicant representatives and preserve staff emphasized that the Redwood Grove and club amenities are private, member-only facilities closely managed by multiple preserve entities, and asked that the county avoid imposing HOA-level operational control. Commissioners asked staff to remove or clarify overly broad requirements while retaining measures to ensure adequate access, emergency access, wastewater management for events, and unobtrusive temporary lighting. After a short recess for staff to redline the resolution, staff returned having removed condition 4 (lighting wording) with a clarified finding requiring any exterior lighting to be downlit and unobtrusive, removed condition 6, and clarified that Lot 98 has no utilities to support permanent cooking facilities.

Applicant counsel Joel Panzer and Santa Lucia Preserve CEO Karen Baxter confirmed coordination with the conservancy and accepted the redlines. Commissioner Deal moved and the commission voted unanimously to recommend the amended permit to the Board of Supervisors.

The recommended resolution and the addendum will now be considered by the Board; staff and the preserve will continue to coordinate to finalize the amended conservation easement documents and the required plat and legal descriptions before the Board hearing.