A proposal heralded by many community leaders as the key to economic development in the Santa Maria Valley is once again headed to the Santa Maria Planning Commission.

Officials from the Santa Maria Public Airport District are expected to once again present their application for a general plan amendment zone change as part of their Airport Business Park Specific Plan.

The commission is expected to hear the item Wednesday evening at City Hall, 110 E. Cook St. To accommodate the upcoming holiday, the meeting is starting at 5 p.m., more than an hour earlier than normal.

Airport Board President Carl Engel is optimistic that the plan will finally clear the planning commission and head to the City Council.

“I think we have met all the concerns” that city planning commissioners have regarding the project, Engel said Monday.

The airport district is seeking the planning commission's approval of a specific plan for the development of 740 acres south of the airfield. Whatever the commission recommends is then sent on to the City Council for final approval.

The development is proposed to include 16.3 acres of commercial and professional buildings, 132 acres of light manufacturing, 262.3 acres of recreational open space, and 105 acres of conservation open space.

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The project has been planned to include measures to accommodate the federally protected California tiger salamander, a species that lives on the site.

Taking into account the sensitive habitat, the development has been scaled back to 740 acres from the original proposal of 1,095 acres.

A business park at the Santa Maria Public Airport has been deemed a crucial element to attracting higher-paying jobs to the area, partly because airport property is more ready for development than other vacant land in the area.

The airport business park was last before the commission in July, when questions surrounding the closure of the Airport Mobile Home Park and the phasing of the project dominated the discussion.

A decision on the specific plan was subsequently delayed while airport officials worked to answer the commission's questions.

Airport General Manager Gary Rice said he is confident this time around that the airport has “now done enough to satisfy those that are concerned that we are treating the mobile home park tenants fairly.”

Since the last meeting the airport has supplied a letter from the Federal Aviation Administration reiterating the agency's belief that the mobile home park must be removed from the property, in an effort to show that airport property cannot be used as a relocation site for residences.

On July 18, mobile home park representatives met with city, county and airport district officials to discuss the needs of residents.

A major request of the mobile home park tenants has been predictability in their situation, whether that involves leases of a specified length from the district or the closure of the park sooner rather than later.

As a result, the airport district board voted in October to seek proposals from companies who could prepare a report needed to close the park. Proposals are due to airport staff today, and the board is scheduled to pick one consultant from that group

Nov. 29.

Rice has assured residents that the study process will be open and they will be a part of it.

The study, called a conversion impact report, is required by state law before any mobile home park can be shut down. Officials have said it could take up to two years to complete the relocation, once it is initiated.

Additionally, Rice noted that the district is working to complete projects that deal with “life safety” issues. He noted that just this week the district spent $22,000 in electric utility upgrades at the park and that other projects are in the works.

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santamariatimes.com.

November 20, 2007