Santa Margarita Fire Department N-DRC2025-00044

2026040025

San Luis Obispo County

NOE - Notice of Exemption

4/1/2026

4/1/2026

Robert Murach

Santa Margarita Fire District

Fire Chief

Project Applicant

PO Box 67
Santa Margarita, CA 93453

(805) 438-3701

smv7800@gmail.com

Sam Kinney

County Of San Luis Obispo

Planner I

Lead/Public Agency

976 Osos Street RM 200
San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

(805) 781-1417

skinney@co.slo.ca.us

93453

0.33

069-032-015 & 069-032-016

22424 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita, CA 93453

Other

15061(b)(3)

The project includes the construction the construction of a 5,890 square foot (sf) Pre-engineered steel building to serve as a fire station, apparatus bay, and administrative facility, a 3,401 square foot driveway and parking area, 3,029 square foot leach field within the Commercial retail land use category with access to an existing roadway network that is adequate to serve the project. The applicant has designed the project, grading, and site improvements to minimize site disturbance, and the project has a relatively small area of disturbance of approximately. The project area is located within the Community of Santa Margarita in the Salinas River Sub-area of the North County Planning area and is subject to the applicable sub-area standards outlined in County Code Section 22.94.030. This project, as proposed, meets all applicable community standards for development. The proposed fire station is not considered an commercial use; however, the proposed station is an allowed use within the Commercial Retail Land Use Category. Additionally, there is no existing agricultural use on the property, and the 0.33 parcel is too small to accommodate large-scale crop production. 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 or other native tree species, and there are no special status plant species known to exist within the project area. Therefore, the project will maintain compliance with local policies and ordinances protecting biological resources. The project is located within 300-foot buffer of a NHD stream. A phase one archeology report was prepared and found no evidence of archeological resources being located within the project area. In the unlikely event resources are uncovered during construction or grading activities, implementation of County Code Section 22.10.040 (Archaeological Resources) would be required, which states: A. Construction activities shall cease, and the Department shall be notified so that the extent and location of discovered materials may be recorded by a qualified archaeologist, and disposition of artifacts may be accomplished in accordance with state and federal law. B. In the event archeological resources are found to include human remains, or in any other case when human remains are discovered during construction, the County Coroner shall be notified in addition to the Department so proper disposition may be accomplished. The project area has moderate potential for liquefaction, inactive fault line, and low potential for landslide risk. The project includes a small amount of grading which is unlikely to trigger any geologic hazard. The project area is known to have high ground water and San Luis Obispo local Agency Management Plan (LAMP) identifies the area as Severe Nitrogen Impact Zone. As such, a supplemental treatment system is required to avoid impacts to the ground water. Existing grading and drainage regulations will adequately address surface water quality impacts during construction and permanent use of the fire station. 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.