Development Plan / Coastal Development Permit: C-DRC2025-00023 / ED25-0224
Summary
SCH Number
2026020298
Public Agency
San Luis Obispo County
Document Title
Development Plan / Coastal Development Permit: C-DRC2025-00023 / ED25-0224
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/9/2026
Document Description
A request by Willow IOS Group, LLC for a Development Plan / Coastal Development Permit (C-DRC2025-00023) to allow for the phased development and operation of an outdoor storage yard and wholesale trade establishment. Phase 1 will consist of the construction and operation of an outdoor storage yard utilizing approximately 2 acres of the approximately 2.49-acre combined site area with associated site improvements including two drainage basins, landscaping, and fencing/screening improvements. Phase 2 will consist of the construction of an approximately 943 square foot ancillary modular office unit with associated site improvements including installation of an on-site septic system and utility trenching. The project will result in site disturbance of the entire approximately 2.49-acre combined site. The proposed project is within the Industrial land use category and is located at APNs: 091-195-001 & 091-195-002, accessed from an existing private road (Liberty Lane), off of Highway 1, within the Callendar-Garrett Village Reserve Line. The project is within the South County Coastal Planning Area.
Contact Information
Name
Dane Mueller
Agency Name
County of San Luis Obispo
Job Title
Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Mandi Pickens
Agency Name
Authorized Agent
Job Title
Angle Land Use Entitlement
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Arroyo Grande
Counties
San Luis Obispo
Regions
Southern California, Unincorporated
Zip
94320
Total Acres
2.49
Parcel #
091-195-001 & 091-195-002
Other Information
091-195-001 & 091-195-002
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
sec. 15061(b)(3), General Rule Exemption
Reasons for Exemption
Exempt Status/Findings: This project is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this project may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, the activity is not subject to CEQA. [Reference: State CEQA Guidelines sec. 15061(b)(3), General Rule Exemption].
Reasons why project is exempt: The project includes the operation of an outdoor storage yard within the Industrial land use category with access to an existing roadway network that is adequate to serve the project given implementation of recommendations included in the Trip Generation Evaluation (OEG, 2025) and Cal-Trans project referral response dated July 28, 2025 as project Conditions of Approval.
The project includes the operation of an outdoor storage yard within the Industrial land use category with access to an existing roadway network that is adequate to serve the project given implementation of recommendations included in the Trip Generation Evaluation (OEG, 2025) and Cal-Trans project referral response dated July 28, 2025 as project Conditions of Approval. The applicant has designed the grading and site improvements to minimize site disturbance, and the project has a relatively small area of disturbance of approximately 2.49 acres. The project area is located within the Callendar-Garrett Village Reserve Line and South County Coastal Planning Area of the Coastal Zone is subject to the applicable planning area standards outlined in the South County Coastal Area Plan. This project, as proposed, meets all applicable community standards for development. The project is within the Industrial land use category in an area adjacent to existing developed industrial uses also in the Industrial land use category. The proposed project is in a location visible from Highway 1, which is not a locally or state designated scenic highway in this location based upon Official Maps of the County of San Luis Obispo Land Use Element or the Cal-Trans database of designated and eligible state scenic highways. The project is required to implement fencing and screening of the proposed use consistent with the requirements of County Ordinance Section 23.04.190 – Fencing and Screening, therefore no impacts to the visual quality and character of the surrounding area would occur. The proposed project will not convert existing “farmland of statewide importance” on a vacant site to a non-agricultural use. Additionally, an Outdoor Storage Yard is a Special Use (S-7) in the Industrial land use category and is allowed subject to special standards, as conditioned. The project also includes Wholesale Trade which is an Allowable (A) use in the Industrial land use category. Given implementation of applicable operational standards, and conditions of approval, the project is considered a reasonable use of land. The project area does not fall within San Joaquin Kit Fox habitat and, therefore, does not require related mitigation measures. The project will not result in the removal of any heritage oak trees. Multiple special status species are known to occur in the vicinity of the project site; therefore, an in season Biological Resources Assessment was submitted by Dwayne Oberhoff on June 16, 2025. The Biological Resource Assessment indicates that with implementation of the recommendations included in the report, no special status animal species known to exist within the project area will be affected. Therefore, the project will maintain compliance with local policies and ordinances protecting biological resources. The project site is not in a mapped Archaeologically Sensitive Resource Area (ASA) and is not near a stream. A previous Phase 1 Archaeological Study was completed for the project site (Dills, 1988) which identified no resources on the project site or the adjacent parcels and did not recommend any additional work. The County ordinance also requires, and the project is conditioned, such that in the event archaeological resources are uncovered, construction activities shall cease. The project site is in an area with low landslide and liquefaction risk and is not within a Geologic Study Area Combining Designation based upon the site’s Official Maps of the County of San Luis Obispo Land Use Element. “Based on the project’s traffic study details and the limited scale of the proposed development, the project is anticipated to be below the SLO Air Pollution Control District’s air quality and greenhouse gas thresholds of significance and therefore, air quality and GHG mitigation measures are not expected to be necessary for the construction and operation phases of the project” (Mutziger, 2025). Additionally, the project is Conditioned to be surfaced with concrete, asphalt paving, crushed rock, or oiled earth, maintained in a dust-free condition. Existing grading and drainage regulations will adequately address surface water quality impacts during construction and permanent use of the site. The project will conform to the applicable General Plan and Area Plan standards, and no measures beyond those required by County Code are necessary to address the environmental impacts associated with the proposed project. Noise generated by the proposed use will be subject to the requirements of Section 23.06.040 – Noise Standards through the life of the project. Proposed light fixtures will be subject to the requirements of Section 23.04.320 – Outdoor Lights. All lighting fixtures will be shielded so that neither the lamp or the related reflector interior surface is visible from adjacent properties. Light hoods shall be dark colored. The project is Conditioned to be surfaced with concrete, asphalt paving, crushed rock, or oiled earth, maintained in a dustfree condition. Additionally, the project will not result in an impact to sensitive coastal resources, as there are no mapped resources onsite or in the general vicinity.
County Clerk
San Luis Obispo
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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