Montessori School will be replaced if Foster Road project of 99 apartments near
US 101 is approved by Planning Commission. 

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County Supervisors Approve 99-unit
Apartment Project on Foster Road 
Project Goes Back to Planning Commission for Adjustments;
Residents Hope Traffic Issues will be Addressed 

 

           Even though there have been adjustments in the pattern and density of the 99-unit affordable apartment complex on East Foster Road, neighbors remain concerned about traffic and parking on Foster and Morning Ridge Roads, the only access routes in and out of the complex. 
           The Board of Supervisors approved restructuring of the development in March, but it still needs to be reviewed by the Planning Commission. 
Neighborhood residents who live in the single-family neighborhoods of Edgewood, Knollwood Meadows apartments, Knollwood Terrace condos and Knollwood Mobile Home Park have been vocal about their opposition to the density of the affordable apartment development at the end of Foster Road near Highway 101, and the traffic issues it will create. 
           Initially the plan was to put 61 units on a small corner close to East Foster on the 4-1⁄4 acre parcel. The project was submitted by the developer under state legislation that mandates affordable housing and allows little local involvement. However, after neighborhood wrath became intense, the County negotiated a settlement for reducing density by spreading the complex over the entire parcel and increasing the number of units from 61 to 99. 
           Miko Nehman, a local real estate agent with eXp Realty in Orcutt and former president of the Knollwood Terrace Homeowners Association, coordinated several meetings with residents to voice concerns about the project. She says the Orcutt Community Plan, approved by the County in 1997, envisioned thirty-two residences on the site. “That would have been very acceptable. With a density of 99 affordable units and close to 275 vehicles traversing Foster and Morning Ridge Roads daily, it’s a major safety issue.” 
           Jim Brennaman is the current president of the Knollwood Terrace Homeowners group and is hopeful the Planning Commission looks at safety issues. He supports calming measures; speed bumps and four-way stop signs on surrounding streets and intersections. He wants a three-way stop sign at Morning Ridge Road and Fountain Drive, which abuts Edgewood Park. “Government should be our avenue to safety. But government has abdicated its responsibility and put it on us,” he complained. 
           In an earlier neighborhood meeting of concerned residents, Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson told the group, “Sacramento approves projects and forces them down our throats.” 
Steve Southwick reporting