Regional Infrastructure and Affordable Housing Planning
The County is coordinating a broader regional effort to examine infrastructure and housing needs countywide and to integrate efforts to address the region’s critical housing and infrastructure shortage.
San Luis Obispo County is currently one of the least affordable places to buy a home in the United States. According to a report by the National Association of Home Builders, only 19 percent of families can afford to purchase the median priced home in the county.
Local non-profit affordable housing developers and other community stakeholders have identified a lack of critical infrastructure and insufficient local funding availability as some of the key obstacles to building more affordable housing in the county.
A cornerstone of this effort will be the collaborative efforts between the County, seven cities, San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG), community stakeholders, and neighboring counties. The results of this collaborative effort will be laid out our community’s first Regional Infrastructure and Affordable Housing Strategic Action Plan.
The Strategic Action Plan is under development through the end of 2020 and is aimed at achieving the following Mission and Goals during plan development:
Project Contacts
For more information, contact the Carolyn Berg with the County Administrative Office at (805) 781-5011.
Project Updates
June 12, 2020
The County and the seven Cities are each required to update their jurisdiction's Housing Elements to reflect how local communities are planning for the State’s Regional Housing Needs Allocations through 2028. The Housing Elements must be submitted to the State by December 2020. Interested stakeholders can engage in each agency's public review process as the draft Housing Elements become available. For more information, visit our coordination page here and click on the link to your community of interest.
February 25 - April 14, 2020
The County, seven Cities and Council of Governments approved the first major milestone of the Regional Infrastructure and Housing Strategic Action Plan - the San Luis Obispo Countywide Regional Compact. The proposed San Luis Obispo Countywide Regional Compact is an aspirational document that sets the tone and goals for future recommended plans and actions among the local agencies. It establishes a united regional framework to unlock the potential to develop an adequate supply of housing and resilient infrastructure that support our economic prosperity. It recognizes that people, water, transportation, connectivity, and housing form the foundation of the San Luis Obispo County region’s healthy, livable communities and thriving economic opportunity.
The region’s local agencies, building and development community, residents and workforce have an opportunity to unite around the Regional Compact's six shared regional goals that provide a vision to guide collaborative resolution of the issues around housing and infrastructure.
The seven Cities and Council of Governments adopted the countywide Regional Compact on the following dates:
| Date | Legislative Body |
| Feb. 25 | County Board of Supervisors |
| Mar. 2 | City of Grover Beach Council |
| Mar. 3 | City of Paso Robles Council |
| Mar. 3 | City of Pismo Beach Council |
| Mar. 10 | City of Arroyo Grande Council |
| Mar. 10 | City of Atascadero Council |
| Mar. 17 | City of San Luis Obispo Council |
| Apr. 1 | SLOCOG Board of Directors |
| Apr. 14 | City of Morro Bay Council |
July 16, 2019
The County Board gave direction to explore several potential funding strategies for affordable housing and streamline CEQA Guidelines. Staff will be moving forward with a feasibility study and polling to consider a potential regional affordable housing bond in the coming months.
July 11, 2019
The Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) and its many partners celebrated 20 new affordable housing units currently under construction in Arroyo Grande at its Wall Raising event today. HASLO hopes to improve and transform lives with the completion of this new affordable housing project. For more information on this affordable housing development or other local opportunities, contact HASLO.
July 10, 2019
County Project Manager Carolyn Berg presented an overview of the Regional Plan development effort at the EVC’s monthly Building and Development Cluster meeting.
June 10, 2019
County Project Manager Carolyn Berg gave the County Board a brief update on the Regional Plan development and initial efforts to collaborate with the cities and other housing partners.
March 12, 2019
The County Board took steps to make affordable housing more available by adopting amendments to the inclusionary housing in-lieu fee ordinance and the County’s CEQA Guidelines.
January 15, 2019
The County Board approved a project manager to lead collaborative efforts among the seven cities and County, SLOCOG, and community stakeholders to develop this plan.
December 4, 2018
The County Board gave direction to initiate efforts to develop a Regional Infrastructure and Affordable Housing Strategic Action Plan.
