A Santa Maria Valley builder who served on the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission for more than a decade has been remembered for his depth of knowledge about local development projects and philanthropy in the community.
Daniel “Dan” Blough, 68, of Santa Maria died Saturday. He had been dealing with health issues in recent months.
With a background in building and real estate, Blough was asked by then-Fifth District Supervisor Joe Centeno to serve on the county planning panel in 2008 and was reappointed by current Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino.
“He wouldn’t just settle for somebody’s pat answer, ‘Well, we just can’t do it this way because this is the way we’ve always done it,’” Lavagnino said. “He knew the code inside out and backwards. He knew our rules and regulations inside out and backwards. He would find a way to get to where he felt a project needed to be, that it was at its best.
“I don’t think anybody knows Santa Maria development like Dan Blough did. He knew everything that was going on, everything that people thought might be going on, everything that people dreamed about going one. If I called him about anything, he knew the details.
“He made so many projects better with his expertise.”
Planning Commission Chairman C. Michael Cooney, who served with Blough on the panel for more than a decade, said his colleague’s deep background in real estate and construction proved helpful.
“As a person, Dan was respectful of all who came before the commission and his fellow members on the panel. He had an outstanding sense of humor and inquired regularly about the events in the lives of others on the commission,” Cooney said. “While Dan and I came to different conclusions on many projects in our first few years on the commission, our time together also led to agreement on most matters, particularly those involving Dan’s Fifth District, about which he was fiercely loyal.”
During the recent redistricting process, Blough’s residence was no longer in the Fifth District, recently ending his role on the commission and leading to the appointment of a replacement, Vincent Martinez.
Blough also was known for his gruff exterior that shielded a big heart.
He and his wife, Peggy, donated to multiple nonprofit organizations in the Santa Maria Valley through the years.
“Every time I went to any function where it was going to raise some money, Dan and Peggy were front and center. He was super generous with this community,” Lavagnino said.
Blough began his eponymous construction firm in 1979, but grew up on the business since his father, Harry Blough, was a licensed general contractor in Sacramento, according to his firm’s website. As a young boy, Dan Blough’s first job in construction involved sweeping and stacking lumber at a project site.
After moving to Santa Maria in 1974, Blough worked for a short time for Sawyer Building Materials and MHC Trucking until 1977, when he became the real estate broker for the tract known as Country Club Gardens.
In 1988, Blough partnered with his father, and in 2001, Tim Seifert became superintendent and later a partner in the company.
During the mid-1980s, Blough and his wife joined Coldwell Banker Real Estate and became a franchisee, eventually growing the company to more than 240 agents and employees with eight offices in Fresno, Clovis, Oakhurst and the Central Coast, with the headquarters remaining in Santa Maria. Eleven years later, they sold the real estate firm.
Blough turned his focus to construction and development and has been responsible for many commercial and residential projects, including medical buildings near McCoy Lane and Depot Street, Betteravia Plaza near the Santa Maria police station, and more.
Funeral arrangements are pending and under the care of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.