The development proposal at Naples threatens to overwhelm the rural character of the Gaviota Coast. Naples is a 485-acre ranch two miles west of the urban limit line at Cathedral Oaks that has historically been used for grazing and orchards. It sits astride the railroad and Highway 101 and has about one mile of ocean bluff-top frontage. The developer, Vintage Communities of Orange County, proposes to build either 54 luxury houses on the property or, in another alternative, 72 houses utilizing portions of the adjoining Dos Pueblos Ranch. The total build-out of the larger project is approximately 600,000 square feet.

All of this building — the houses, pools, guest houses, garages and cabanas — is contemplated on a property where current Ag-II-100 zoning permits only four houses. The intrusion of this suburban development into the officially designated rural Gaviota Coast follows from the undefined, development entitlements arising from the 1888 antiquated subdivision of the property.

The county understood the danger that the Naples antiquated subdivision presented to the rural environment of the Gaviota Coast when, in 1982, it drafted Local Coastal Policy 2-13.
Policy 2-13 reads: “The County shall discourage residential development of existing lots. The County shall encourage and assist the property owner(s) in transferring development rights from the Naples townsite to an appropriate site within a designated urban area which is suitable for residential development.”

This is a clear statement of intent. However, if good intentions are to be fulfilled there needs to be the political will on the part of local government and citizens to create a feasible transfer of development rights (TDR) program that effectively removes the threat of suburban development at Naples from the Gaviota Coast.

Two important Naples planning documents will be released soon by the county: the revised Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the revised Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) feasibility study. These documents are tentatively scheduled for release in late July, followed in about a month by public hearings to receive comments from interested citizens.

The document release dates and the exact dates, times, and locations for both public comment meetings have yet to be determined, but please visit www.savenaples.org for current information and links to informative county websites. This is a valuable opportunity to express your concerns; your voice is important.

If built as proposed, the Naples development will establish a new direction for future development of the Gaviota Coast when economics and politics converge to allow a developer to successfully claim that the “development ship has already sailed at Naples allowing for further subdivision of additional Gaviota Coast properties.”

The county’s claim that the antiquated subdivision at Naples is a special legal circumstance that cannot be replicated elsewhere is true. However, the County ignores the history of urban sprawl in Southern California, where developers leap-frogged into rural areas and followed with in-fill. This is exactly the future circumstance that could occur if Naples is allowed to be developed; Naples will be suburbanized by an antiquated subdivision and the Gaviota Coast could ultimately be overwhelmed by the pressures of urban sprawl.

Let your county supervisor know that this is not acceptable. Tell your supervisor to support the establishment of an equitable and effective Transfer of Development Rights program. Visit savenaples.org to become more informed on the issues at Naples.

The Gaviota Coast is a biologically rich region that is home to 1,400 plant and animal species, 24 of them threatened or endangered and another 60 considered rare and of special concern. It is also home to the threatened family farmer. Our Gaviota Coast is the largest undeveloped remnant of the Southern California coastal Mediterranean biome. This is what is threatened by the Naples development.

Phil McKenna is President of the Naples Coalition. The Sierra Club is one of many member organizations of the Naples Coalition.