Paso Robles Real Estate

Planning Commission approves Oak Tree Inn

Posted: Thursday, Jul 10th, 2008
Josh Petray 7-11-08

The new, 90-unit Oak Tree Inn is moving forward in Paso Robles.

On Tuesday, the Paso Robles Planning Commission approved a planned development for the new hotel building subject to some new conditions. The Oak Tree Inn, 3002 Riverside Ave. near the Paso Robles Event Center, is planned to be a three-story hotel with a boardroom, outdoor pool with patio area, fitness center, housekeeping laundry facilities and hotel business offices, according to a city staff report.

The city’s Design Review Committee supported the architecture of the project. Architectural details include multicolored paint, stucco, El Dorado stone veneer, wrought iron balconies and a tiled roof, according to city officials. The DRC was pleased that the applicant integrated an existing oak tree into the site design, officials said.

The project lies on two acres of a vacant five-acre lot at the northeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Black Oak Drive.

The Planning Commission voted 6-0, with chairman Ed Steinbeck recusing himself due to a conflict of interest, to adopt a resolution with certain conditions of approval for the Planned Development, and added two new conditions.

There was some discussion centered around signage and whether the applicant should be allowed to display a sign on either an elevated tower, a nearby pole, or both.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the commission overwhelmingly preferred the idea of a tower sign and added a condition restricting the pole sign.

There was also some discussion about the 25-foot parking lot lights. The commission decided to let the project go forward subject to approval of the lighting elements by the office of the community development director.

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Tiny gems, big wines

By Raven J. Railey

Jay Swanson

Winemaker Brian Benson poses in his small Westside tasting room. At age 25, he’s one of the youngest winemakers locally.

 

• Tiny Gems, Big Wines

Amidst the explosive growth of wineries large and small in the Paso Robles area, some tiny gems have been born.

Their stories are as different as their vintages: wine lovers trying to save money, ranchers trying to save their land, grape growers who wanted to show off their product, a winemaker who started at age 13.

But they all offer highly personalized wines in very limited quantities that are often difficult to find outside their wee tasting rooms. Most are also family affairs where the winemakers are often the ones pouring tastes for visitors.

Here’s an introduction to a few of these petite operations and the faces you’ll see behind the bottles:

Link for the complete story http://www.sanluisobispo.com/vintages/story/378245.html

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Forecast shows Paso’s economy is down but should bounce back

Posted: Thursday, Jun 12th, 2008
Josh Petray 6-13-08

Paso Robles is still the economic growth engine of San Luis Obispo County — but not quite as revved as in the past, marked by a slowdown in real estate and dramatic slowdown in the city’s economic growth rate, according to the latest 2008 University of California, Santa Barbara Economic Forecast for the city.

But the city stands with the fastest and highest recovery projected over the next two years on the Central Coast, according to UCSB Economic Forecast executive director Dr. Bill Watkins.

On Wednesday, Watkins presented an annual forecast on the state of the city’s economy to a crowd of more than 100 business leaders, city officials, stakeholders and the public who convened at the Paso Robles Inn Grand Ballroom. While it could take a few years for the city’s average growth rates to return, the forecast states that, “we are confident that they will.”

Link for the rest of the story http://www.pasoroblespress.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=2194&page=72

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