The Lompoc Unified School District has selected a likely development team for the workforce housing project, one of many steps toward creating affordable places for employees.

On Wednesday night, the board voted 4-1 to choose Space Valley Housing Partners, the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County, RRM Design Group and Abbott Reed for the project planned for more than two years.

“We’re excited about this agenda item,” Superintendent Clara Finneran said. “[It’s] years in the making, but it is just one step.” 

She said the district received several strong proposals that led to recommending Space Valley Housing Partners, or SVHP, over the two other entrants. 

“Their proposal was incredibly closely aligned with our objectives,” Finneran said. “They have very strong regional relationships, and they have a lot of experience navigating the local entitlement process, which is a key factor for our planning and due diligence on a project that is this complex.”

Nine buildings, both two and three stories tall, would house about 200 rental units on the site of what’s now Maple High School and previously was La Mesa Elementary School at 4010 Jupiter Ave.

The recommended team proposed a public-private partnership approach with the district leasing the land to a nonprofit organization. Since it would involve a long-term lease, the project would not require capital funding from the district, Finneran said.

The team also proposed using various state laws, including ones that avoid a requirement to rezone the site and potential exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act process.

The proposal includes potential amenities such as a fitness center, community gardens, a child care facility and a rocket launch viewing area.

“We want to make sure they’re going to reflect community character and certainly support quality of life for all employees,” Finneran said.

Brad Wilde, manager of Space Valley Housing Partners, said the team members have many years of development experience.

“I assure you we do one of three things: We listen, we attempt to understand all perspectives within the community, and we communicate,” Wilde said. “We have been honored to be able to work the district today on the potential for the redevelopment of the Maple school site and bringing the community something very special as we all move forward together.”

KYA Services, the Team Dream Foundation and 19six Architects made up the team that also submitted a proposal. 

The third team involved Servitas LLC, CAM Land Use & Development, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, SVA Architects Inc., Specialty Construction Inc., JP Morgan Securities LLC and the Servitas Management Group. 

In November, the district issued a request for proposals for a developer and operator of the workforce housing for district employees, designating Jan. 30 as the deadline for submissions. 

With the board’s pick of a team, Finneran said the district will negotiate a memorandum of understanding, adding that she expects to return for board approval of the deal as soon as March.

Vandenberg Village residents have expressed concern about traffic impacts because of the addition of new housing on the southern side of the community and the removal of a school. 

On Tuesday night, Bill Kelly, who lives in a south Vandenberg Village neighborhood, expressed concerns about the proposal site for the high-density affordable housing. 

“This plan is at the expense of a perfectly good school that has been constructed and maintained with taxpayer — voter — dollars,” Kelly said. “I’m asking you to consider a safer and more logical location for this project.”

Another neighbor said the community needs more information about the proposal and choice to place it in Vandenberg Village. 

A grassroots organization, Leave 93436, which has formed to fight the housing development and other projects in Vandenberg Village, called for the return of Vandenberg Village’s second elementary campus. 

The closure of La Mesa means Vandenberg Village has one school for students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. Buena Elementary School sits on the north side of Vandenberg Village.

Reopening the campus for elementary students would reduce overcrowding and improve safety and traffic, the group contends.

Leave 93436 has a San Luis Obispo address that is visible on the group’s website and with the Internal Revenue Service. While the group’s website lacks names of leaders, James Lamont is listed as the organization’s main officer.

The district’s website on the housing proposal can be found by clicking here. The opposition’s website is leave93446.org.