Coastal Commission considers subdivision above Elkhorn Slough in Las Lomas.

It sounds like a great idea: new housing in the Pajaro Valley, and soccer fields and playgrounds where kids can play.

Not so great, say environmental groups and California Coastal Commission staff about the Rancho Los Robles Subdivision in Las Lomas, a small community above Elkhorn Slough.

The Coastal Commission is set to consider approval of the project at its Nov. 8 meeting in Bodega Bay.

The agency's staff is recommending denial of the development based on a critical concern: not enough water.

The proposal would split 33.58 acres along Sill Road into 52 residential lots—50 single family homes—all but two would be market rate—and two duplexes, for a total of 54 new units.

Two single-family homes would be designated workforce housing, set aside for workers making up to 180 percent of the county's median income, and the four duplex units would be affordable housing for low-income families. 

Calling it "essentially a brand new community," the staff report states that the homes would "demand water from an already severely overdrafted groundwater basin."

Both Landwatch and Friends, Artists and Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough (FANS) agree with that assessment.

Monterey County Supervisor Jane Parker wrote the commission on Nov. 3 expressing her "grave concern" about the lack of water and supported the staff recommendation.

Her colleagues on the board, Simon Salinas and Luis Alejo, disagreed. In separate letters they argued there is enough water and urged commissioners to approve the needed affordable housing.

Mark Blum, the attorney for the developers, Heritage Western Communities, Ltd., challenged the coastal commissions conclusions about available water in a Nov. 3 letter, saying the subdivision won't draw on aquifers below.

He also argues that the coastal plan approved by the Coastal Commission for the area allowed for up to 2,043 housing units, with its knowledge of the overdrafting of the groundwater basin. Rancho Los Robles would bring the total number of units to 1,443.

In July when the Coastal Commission met at CSU Monterey Bay, a number of field workers and family members spoke to the commissioners in favor of the development, with housing a big concern.

They also said their community needs the soccer fields and playgrounds the developer promised to build.

Supervisor John Phillips, whose district includes Las Lomas, also appeared, urging the commissioners to approve the development.

The commission was hearing the issue in July after Landwatch, FANS and two commissioners appealed a 2008 approval of the project by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

The project was placed on the back burner until recently, when the developer signaled interest in moving forward.

Commissioners agreed in July that there was enough evidence to warrant a new hearing on the project.

Editor's Note: The original post incorrectly stated that all housing in Rancho Los Robles would be designated as affordable housing.