Council authorizes eminent-domain resolution to build roundabout at California and Taft after years of negotiations

The San Luis Obispo City Council voted 5-0 to adopt a resolution of necessity to acquire property needed for a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of California Boulevard and Taft Street, a location council and staff identified repeatedly in city planning documents as a high-crash, congested intersection.

Transportation manager Luke Schwartz, who led the staff presentation, told council the roundabout is the city’s preferred solution in adopted plans and engineering guidance because it reduces conflict points and, according to federal safety data cited in the presentation, “on average reduces the rate of fatal and injury crashes by over 80 percent.” The project would also provide a formal pedestrian and bicycle crossing near the Railroad Safety Trail and improve access to commercial properties along that corridor.

Right-of-way details and compensation: the city said it needs two types of permanent right-of-way and shorter-term temporary easements at a multi-tenant retail property at 578 California Boulevard (a site that includes a convenience store and laundromat). Staff described the red area in project drawings as about 2,182 square feet of permanent right-of-way and a yellow area of roughly 763 square feet of temporary construction easement; the city noted about four existing trees would be removed but that the final project would plant more than 20 trees in the intersection. Staff said the city presented an appraisal-based offer in April; the most recent offer to the property owners was $313,000.

Owners and public comment: representatives of the property owners attended and asked about construction staging, driveway access and the potential for lost business if on-street parking is temporarily reduced. An owners’ representative said they had completed recent landscaping investments and asked that any required replanting match current plantings. The owners also asked whether the legal-cost figure in the staff report included compensation for property-owner attorneys; city staff clarified the cited legal amount covered the city’s costs and that owner-side legal fees would not automatically be paid by the city absent a negotiated settlement.

Construction impacts and mitigation: staff said the most disruptive phases of work would be phased to retain at least one driveway open if possible, to schedule paving work outside peak business hours where practical, and to require contractor communications and advance notices. Staff said temporary occupation of the construction easement areas would be for roughly an 18-month period, but they also acknowledged some phases could be completed more quickly and that contractor requirements would be embedded in the construction documents to protect business access.

Legal path and council decision: staff told council they had attempted multiple good-faith negotiations with the property owners since 2018, with no final agreement, which led to the resolution of necessity. The city attorney and outside counsel explained adoption of the resolution would allow the city to begin eminent-domain proceedings while continuing to negotiate; adoption does not preclude a settlement. Council member Marx moved adoption and council member Francis seconded; the ordinance-level resolution passed 5-0.

Next steps and timing: staff said construction plans are roughly 99 percent complete and that, depending on negotiations and any court action, city construction could begin as early as next summer. Staff and council asked staff to pursue continued negotiation with the property owners even as legal steps proceed.