Atascadero council approves Del Rio Ranch master plan for RV resort and commercial center with added safety conditions

Atascadero City Council voted 4-0 Feb. 3 to approve a master plan of development, related General Plan and zoning amendments, a housing-element change and specific plan amendments for the Del Rio Ranch project — a hotel/commercial node and a primarily high‑end RV and glamping resort near the El Camino Real and Del Rio Road intersection.

The decision completes the city-level approvals that will allow the applicant to seek building permits. Councilmember Funk moved to approve staff recommendations with strengthened language in the project’s sight‑distance condition; Mayor Pro Tem Darris seconded. The motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Newsom absent.

Why it matters: the project converts a portion of land previously listed as high‑density residential to commercial, removes the site from the city’s housing inventory, and creates a tourist‑focused destination the city says will generate transient‑occupancy tax (TOT) revenue and commercial activity at a key gateway intersection.

Planning staff described the approved plan as a mixed development that places three‑story commercial buildings with publicly accessible ground‑floor space at the El Camino Real/Del Rio intersection and locates a high‑end RV resort and 70 glamping units within the site’s topography. Planning manager Kelly Gleason told council the project also includes about 22,000 square feet of commercial space at the corner, 98 RV spaces and various amenity areas including pools and a clubhouse. She said hotel and transient uses will be subject to TOT and ‘‘cannot accommodate stays of greater than 29 days’’; staff will require a deed restriction reflecting that limit.

Traffic and neighborhood safety were the most sustained concerns in council questions and public comment. Council members pressed staff and the applicant to address sight lines where an RV exit aligns near Obispo Road and along Del Rio Road. Public Works Director Nick DeBarr said the city and applicant must meet city engineering and AASHTO sight‑distance standards and that final design will require traffic engineering analysis and possible mitigation such as grading, vegetation removal, signage, pavement markings or flashing warnings.

Council adopted clearer language for condition 41 requiring the developer to perform all measures recommended by a licensed traffic engineer and approved by the city engineer; the motion included an explicit, non‑exhaustive list of possible mitigations (grading, tree trimming, vegetation removal, traffic signage, pavement markings, alternative egress and other traffic safety enhancements including flashing signs). The language also bars driveway access onto Del Rio Road that fails to meet adopted sight‑distance standards.

Applicant representatives said they had prepared preliminary sight‑distance exhibits and that, with limited grading and vegetation removal in non‑development areas, they believe the required sight lines can be achieved. The applicant also said it would study and, if needed, add an upper‑site turnaround to provide an alternative egress for the top RV spaces; the council left that element as a design feature to be determined during final engineering unless the sight‑distance study requires it.

Other notable project details and conditions the council discussed: - Screening: applicant materials show a terraced, landscaped screening wall along Del Rio Road to reduce the visibility of RV sites; planners described the wall sections as terraced and staged and estimated current design intent at roughly 14 feet in places (grading‑dependent). Council and applicant noted extensive landscaping and articulation would be used to break up massing. - Repair/service area: condition language limits the on‑site repair area to minor RV servicing for resort guests (cosmetic/limited servicing and golf‑cart servicing), not a separate full‑service repair facility. - Transient use/TOT: staff required a deed restriction to prevent stays longer than the permitted transient period and confirmed TOT applies to hotel, glamping and RV transient uses. - Setbacks and specific plan amendments: the council approved a southern setback modification from 30 to 20 feet where glamping units encroach slightly into the previous setback and accepted other specific plan map updates.

Planning staff described the action as the final local approval so the developer may proceed to building permits once final engineering, conditions and recordations are satisfied. Several nearby residents urged further caution about sight lines and traffic; the council directed staff to require the traffic measures written into the newly amended condition and to verify compliance through the encroachment and plan‑check processes.

The motion to approve the three staff recommendations — the General Plan/zoning amendments, housing element amendment, and adoption of the Master Plan of Development with the modified condition language — passed 4-0 (Councilmember Funk, Councilmember Peake, Mayor Pro Tem Darris and Mayor Roboe; Councilmember Newsom absent).

Plans and permits must still complete engineering review and encroachment permitting before construction begins. Staff said remaining technical submittals will include a final sight‑distance study, grading and drainage design, and any traffic‑safety measures required by the city engineer.