County authorizes general‑plan amendment processing for Tiburon Way parcel and adopts streamlined Williamson Act review procedures

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors authorized processing of a general plan amendment request from Kathleen Ronsley to change a 21.55‑acre parcel at 1825 Tiburon Way from an agricultural land‑use designation to residential rural, which would allow subdivision into two 10‑acre parcels. Planning staff noted track‑level declarations recorded with Tract 681 limit water use to domestic and landscaping and effectively preclude commercial agricultural uses; the parcel is served by the Ferro de Chorro Water Company and is east of San Luis Obispo's urban reserve line.

Rachel Covezdi, representing the applicant, said this is an application similar to one approved for a neighboring lot in 2016 and argued no additional density would be created because the change would allow primary residences consistent with tract restrictions.

The board voted to authorize processing; staff said environmental review would occur during application processing and that any significant community impacts are not anticipated based on preliminary analysis.

Separately, in line with an operational performance review by KPMG, the board adopted amendments to the rules of procedure and Inland Land Use Ordinance to streamline Williamson Act (agricultural preserve) project reviews. Staff proposed replacing quarterly in‑person Agricultural Preserve Review Committee (APRC) hearings with a 30‑day written referral review to the same stakeholder agencies and organizations; on‑demand online or in‑person meetings would be held for controversial projects. The change, staff said, aims to reduce scheduling conflicts, lower application costs and shorten processing times while preserving stakeholder inputs; the board asked staff to track actual time and costs after implementation.

Supervisor comment stressed the need to monitor staff capacity and fee impacts while recognizing the proposed changes could save applicants time if implemented carefully. The board adopted the amendments and directed staff to track implementation costs and adjust fees if warranted.