Future tenants of a four-story complex will live less than a block away from Old Town Lompoc.
An empty parcel on South J Street is scheduled to turn into a commercial and residential development thanks to a 4-0 approval from Lompoc planning commissioners in October. Commissioner Brandon Bridge was absent.
“Unlike a lot of developers who are out of town, our client is a local developer, and he has been living in Lompoc for over 10 years,” Wade Mously of MW Architecture said at the hearing. “He loves the community, and he would like to build something that he will be proud to put his name on.”
Site plans for 126 S. J St. include four parking spaces and apartments for low-income earners. Two commercial businesses will occupy the ground level beneath 15 residential units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The project, Mously explained, is meant to help spruce up the heart of downtown.
“Sadly, similar to most lots on that block, it’s just vacant. It’s just sad. It attracts homelessness, and it raises security concerns for the neighborhood,” Mously said. The project’s goal is to “enhance the neighborhood experience and provide home for 15 families, … and also to create jobs for the community through the two new retail proposed spaces.”
Four of the 15 units are designated for low-income residents, which will help alleviate the “severe shortage of local, affordable housing” in Lompoc, Mously added. One apartment will be for very low-income tenants, one for low-income, and two for moderate income, all in an art deco style that matches Old Town.
Mously’s business partner at the architecture firm, Moritz Willen, said the designs were developed with the city’s standards in mind.
“We also studied particular two buildings that we really liked, the Rudolph and the Lilley building, that have that kind of art deco language,” Willen said. “Our client was very much on board with that. It’s not a cheap style to develop, and the 2D images, I would say, don’t even really do it justice. We think it’s going to be really beautiful when it’s built.”
Commissioners questioned applicants about whether the complex would include enough parking spaces. Nearby city-owned lots prohibit overnight parking, and the development is only set to make way for four spots because of the parcel’s size and configuration, according to Willen. One is ADA accessible.
The reduction in parking, down from 21 spaces, is allowed under state law because of the deed restricted units, according to the staff report.
Commissioner Gary Cox estimated that around 72 people could potentially live in the complex legally.
“You’re going to have about 25, 30 cars. Where are they going to park? … It’s just going to be a mess there,” Cox said.
During public comment, Lompoc City Council candidate and former Planning Commissioner Nick Gonzales warned about parking issues.
“I’m not happy with the parking, but there’s other political dynamics that go on with the state’s overriding local control of certain items,” Gonzales said. “I don’t think you’ll be able to do too many more unless we address parking.”
Willen said his client doesn’t like the idea of not providing parking.
“He is trying to work with the city to develop another lot for parking,” Willen said. “That’s his goal. That’s our goal.”
This article appears in November 5 – November 12, 2026.
