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Board denies Los Osos appeal of home addition; water‑supply concerns raised by sustainability group
Summary
The Board of Supervisors denied an appeal from the Los Osos Sustainability Group challenging a home‑addition and deck extension, after planning staff produced will‑serve letters and water‑offset conditions; appellants warned the Los Osos groundwater basin remains stressed and urged stronger basin metering and conservation measures.
The board on Aug. 20 upheld a planning‑hearing officer’s approval of a minor use permit and coastal development permit for a 1,995‑square‑foot addition and 72‑square‑foot permeable deck extension to a single‑family residence in Los Osos.
Planning staff told the board the project lies inside the urban services line, would not require new service extensions, and had obtained will‑serve letters from Golden State Water and the Los Osos Wastewater Recycling Facility. Staff said the Los Osos groundwater basin has been evaluated and that the project would be required to comply with water offset requirements to ensure neutral net effects. Staff recommended denial of the appeal and proposed adding an indemnification condition to the permit.
Appellant Patrick McGivney (Los Osos Sustainability Group) argued that recent Department of Water Resources reporting and local monitoring show chloride levels rising and evidence of seawater intrusion, and that significant portions of basin pumping remain unmetered. McGivney said will‑serve letters do not demonstrate basin sustainability and urged strict metering and implementation of the $5 million conservation program associated with the Los Osos wastewater project. He asked the board to defer approvals until the basin is demonstrably sustainable and metering of non‑purveyors is in place.
The board reviewed staff’s findings and environmental screening and denied the appeal, upholding the hearing officer’s approval with the revised conditions presented in staff exhibits. Supervisors noted the need for ongoing basin management work and that the county and purveyors must continue monitoring, offsets and conservation measures.
What happened next: The board’s action allows the addition to proceed under the hearing officer’s conditions, including the water‑offset requirement; appellants said they will continue to press for stronger basin metering and community‑scale conservation to address seawater intrusion.
