Local high school students held a protest outside a Board of Supervisors hearing on the proposed Dana Reserve housing development.
San Luis Obispo County Supervisors are deciding whether to approve a large housing project covering 288 acres in Nipomo, for residents of all income levels.
The students oppose the housing project because it would require cutting down nearly 3,000 oak trees. Central Coast Student Coalition founder Cesar Vasquez is leading the march to spotlight an alternative plan proposed by local activists: the Nipomo Community Map.
“It builds around the environment and around the habitat instead of completely destroying it,” Vasquez said.
Bruce Severance, a local contractor, is working with the activists and local tribes on the plan.
“Their tribes have inhabited these lands for many thousands of years, and they're interested in seeing that land being preserved for thousands of years to come,” Severance said.
However, many meeting attendees are in favor of the Dana Reserve project. Nipomo resident Patricia Duchene thinks the County’s housing crisis calls for drastic measures.
“Unfortunately for our community, we put ourselves in a position where we need to make an uncomfortable change, which is allowing for a project of this size,” Duchene said.
The board is expected to make a decision by the end of today.
