Wilson Ranches Grading Permit (GRAD2026-00053 / ED26-0117)
Summary
SCH Number
2026080325
Public Agency
San Luis Obispo County
Document Title
Wilson Ranches Grading Permit (GRAD2026-00053 / ED26-0117)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/11/2026
Document Description
A request for a Major Grading Permit (GRAD2026-00053) to allow for the construction of approximately 1,725 linear feet of a 16-foot-wide agricultural road. The proposed agricultural road will disturb approximately 62,339 square feet (1.43 acres), including 1,958 cubic yards of cut and fill. The proposed parcel is within the Agriculture land use category and is located at the corner of Cripple Creek Road and Highway 41, in the El Pomar Estrella Sub-area of the North County Planning Area.
Contact Information
Name
Brandon Simonds
Agency Name
Wilson Ranches, Inc.
Job Title
Property Owner
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Name
Monserath Casillas-Rios
Agency Name
County Of San Luis Obispo
Job Title
Planner I
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Unincorporated Creston
Counties
San Luis Obispo
Regions
Southern California, Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Cripple Creek Road and Highway 41
Total Acres
126
Parcel #
035-301-004 & 035-331-001
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
The project includes grading for the construction of an agricultural road within the Agriculture land use category with access to an existing roadway network that is adequate to serve the project. The applicant has designed the grading and site improvements to minimize site disturbance, consisting of a small area of disturbance of approximately 1.43 acres of the approximately 120-acre property. The project area is located within the El Pomar Estrella Sub-area of the North County Planning area and is subject to the applicable sub-area standards outlined in County Code Section 22.94.040. Additionally, the project is proposed to be placed in an area that is not categorized as prime farmland and will not convert prime farmland to a non-agricultural use.
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.
The project site is located within the San Joaquin kit fox (SJKF) range and lies at the outer edge of the County’s mapped regional movement corridor for SJKF. However, SJKF have not been observed in the area, and the Biological Resources Assessment (BRA) prepared for the project (David Wolff Environmental, LLC, 2026) confirms that the non-native annual grassland and existing site conditions have a low-probability of providing denning and foraging habitat for the species. As such, a habitat evaluation was deemed not necessary by the biologist . Additionally, the BRA identified potential habitat for a limited number of other sensitive wildlife species, specifically nesting birds, the American badger, and occasional foraging by golden eagle, although no special-status wildlife occurrences were observed on-site. No special status plant species were observed during floristic and rare-plant surveys. Therefore, based on the findings of the BRA, and due to the limited site disturbance associated with the road, potential project impacts will be less than significant with the incorporation of avoidance and minimization measures such as pre-construction surveys and non-disturbance buffer zones, which are incorporated as conditions to this project.
Although there is a stream located near the project site, no site disturbance will occur near the stream and no impacts to the stream are anticipated.
The applicant had a Phase I Archaeological Study prepared by Padre Associates (June 2026), where they stated that no cultural resources were identified within the project site and that the impacts from the agricultural road will not affect cultural resources. In the unlikely event resources are uncovered during 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.
Finally, the project area has low potential for liquefaction, lateral spreading, or landslide based upon the site’s soil quality and condition and the absence of groundwater in the soil. The Geotechnical Engineering Report prepared by Mid-Coast Geotechnical, Inc. (January 23, 2026) contains geologic elements with recommendations for construction that will be incorporated into the project.
County Clerk
San Luis Obispo
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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