LUAC backs reconfiguration of two Big Sur campgrounds.

Nearly every seat was filled at the Big Sur Multi-Agency Facility on March 10. It’s uncommon to see a Land Use Advisory Committee meeting at this level of capacity, LUAC members noted. They sat alongside the two people in the hot seat, there to defend a project involving popular campgrounds in Big Sur.

Robin Bot-Miller, COO of EOS Investors – the company that owns Big Sur Campground and Cabins, Riverside Campground and Cabins, and the Pheneger Creek Community Housing Project – was flanked by Mike Linder, a consultant for EOS and a Big Sur resident. Their proposal aims to modernize the sites while addressing years of deferred maintenance.

“We’re now five years in,” Linder said. “The Coastal Commission forced us to come forward with this massive project, so here we are with all three properties in one big project… I think this is a change for the better.”

LUAC members thanked the presenters for what they described as a thorough and thoughtful proposal that worked within existing land-use codes. They unanimously recommended approval of the plan, which will head to the County Planning Commission.

Linder said traffic, tourism impacts and housing concerns guided the proposal, which he described as a redevelopment rather than new development.

The plan adds 24 housing units, bringing the total employee housing to 30 units. Of those, 28 would be reserved for employee housing and two would be set aside for people who work in the community.

The number of visitor-serving units will shrink, from 130 to 107, with those 23 becoming tent-only sites. A key difference for the other sites is that visitors would no longer be able to bring their own RVs. Instead, they would be fixed “park-model units,” functioning like trailers but legally considered RVs because they would have wheels and the ability to be removed.

A total of 61 tent-only campsites are proposed – 50 at Riverside Campground and 11 at Big Sur Campground – with 13 designated as affordable. Linder argued these changes, in addition to the creation of a cafe, would help reduce traffic and keep visitors on site.

“I completely understand the project in a different light,” LUAC member Christina DiPaci said. “There’s going to be a major improvement and it’s going to change how Big Sur interacts with Riverside. It’s a thoughtful and considerate approach, and a change needs to happen.”