Lompoc is still in the middle of a long-standing debate with Santa Barbara County over annexing two parcels of land into the city to pave the way for a housing project.
Bodger Meadows would provide 200 single-family homes and 140 apartment units. The apartments range from studios to three-bedroom units, and 20 percent of the units will be restricted for low-income families. The 58-acre project would also provide parks and amenities including a pool, a basketball court, and a barbeque pit.
The project is slated for land that’s currently an unincorporated part of Santa Barbara County, west of Lompoc, between Ocean Avenue, V Street, and Olive Avenue.
After hearing an update on the project during the Aug. 19 City Council meeting, Mayor Jim Mosby made a motion directing staff to come up with “creative ways” to green-light the project. The motion passed 5-0.
“We know we need the housing, and we need to get it done,” Mosby said during the meeting.
The project has a long history with the city and county, dotted with several application submissions over many years. Currently, the developers are on their fourth application with the county, which they plan to submit in September.
In 2023, the county failed to update and adopt its housing plan for submission to the state before deadline, according to Lompoc’s staff report. Because the county was not compliant with the state housing plan at that time, the Bodger property owners were able to file a Builder’s Remedy application, which has been processing through the county for almost two years. Builder’s Remedy applications allow projects to be approved in noncompliant regions of the state despite inconsistencies with local zoning regulations.
Dating back to 1999, the Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) has repeatedly denied Lompoc’s request to annex the two parcels of land into the city. A more recent denial in 2023 was due to what the county said would be negative impacts to agricultural land.
However, the current iteration of the project allows most of the land on its western side to remain agricultural, said Ginger Andersen, a senior land use planner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Andersen represented the property owner, Jack Bodger, and the developer, Granite Peak Partners, at the meeting.
“Big projects like this take time and for good reason,” Andersen told the Sun in an email interview. “It’s a careful balancing act between community input, local regulations, engineering complexity, and California’s rigorous environmental standards.”
Lompoc is in need of housing, which this project delivers, Andersen added.
Lompoc must provide 2,248 new housing units in the next six years to comply with state mandates, according to the city’s 2023-2031 Housing Element.
Another point in the annexation debate is utilities. The city’s willing to provide water services and wastewater treatment if the property is annexed or if an out-of-agency agreement is reached by the developer and the property owner.
Next, the developer must apply to the city to initiate the annexation process and complete an environmental impact report, which could take one year. Then, the county must approve it before LAFCO can make its decision.
“We’re making real progress,” Andersen said.
After hearing the staff’s presentation, Councilmember Steve Bridge said he is a proponent of the project, too.
“I think it should be in the city,” Bridge said. “We just need to find ways to work together.”
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 7, 2025.