Established by state law, the Planning Commission's primary function is to study proposed developments that may have an impact on the County's growth and environment. Specifically, the Planning Commission is assigned the review and approval authority for Conditional Use Permits, Variances and Tentative Tract Maps. The Commission also makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on amendments to the County's general plan and ordinances. The Commission ensures that proposed developments will meet the County's technical, environmental and aesthetic standards. The Commission holds public hearings to review plans to ensure that they comply with the County's zoning regulations and General Plan for development. The five-member commission meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 8:45 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers of the County Government Center in San Luis Obispo. The Planning Commission is appointed by the Board of Supervisors and represent each district within the County. The Commission receives primary support from the Current Planning and Long Range Planning Divisions of the Department of Planning and Building, a full-time, professional staff.
View the Planning Commission meeting calendar, where you can watch video webcasts of meetings and view agendas.
If you have questions or comments for the Planning Commission you can email them, or use the Planning Commission online contact form.
The current Planning Commission members are:
District 1 - Bob Roos
The Planning Commissioner representing Supervisorial District 1, Bob Roos was appointed to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission in 2001 after serving on the Templeton Area Advisory Group for seven years. During that time, Bob also served on the County Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance Committee as well as the North County Water Resources Forum. He is retired from the U. S. Navy Submarine Service and P G & E. Bob is married, has three children and seven grandchildren. He has a small olive orchard and produces olive oil on his 10-acre home in rural Templeton where he has lived since 1977.
District 2 - Anne Wyatt
The Planning Commissioner representing Supervisorial District 2, Anne Wyatt has a bachelors degree in planning, with an emphasis on housing policy, from UCSD and a masters in planning from Cal Poly. She is a member of the American Planning Association, has served as a Cambria Parks commissioner and as chair of the North Coast Advisory Council and currently serves on the board of the Cambria Historical Society, planning operations of the Cambria Historical Museum. She enjoys bicycling, gardening, reading and experimenting with ways to live, operate her business (the Bridge Street Inn), and participate in the local community so as to function successfully and sustainably, towing the line between incremental individual muddling and integrated collaborative planning. She has lived in Cambria since 1996.
District 3 - Penny Rappa
The Planning Commissioner representing Supervisorial District 3, Penny Rappa was appointed to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission in March, 2005. She has served as a city and county planning commissioner, a city council member and is active in many local community groups, including the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. She has also served on regional and statewide boards and commissions, implementing the current waste management, transit and growth management programs. Penny has initiated current historic preservation ordinances and programs and has restored a circa 1895 home in Old Town San Luis Obispo. Penny and her husband have lived in San Luis Obispo County since 1974 and currently reside in Avila Beach. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
District 4 - Gene Mehlschau
The Planning Commissioner representing Supervisorial District 4 is Eugene Mehlschau. He has farmed in the Nipomo area since his childhood, following in the footsteps of generations before him, and continues to do so today. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Crop Production from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Gene served on the Nipomo Advisory Group in the 1980's and has been an active member of the Farm Bureau, serving as county president from 1966 to 1968 and district director at the state level from 1982 to 1988. He was Farm Bureau Agriculturalist of the Year in San Luis Obispo County in 2001. He and his family formed EcoSpray to share their expertise in orchard management with local farming communities in this and surrounding counties.
District 5 - Sarah Christie
The Planning Commissioner representing Supervisorial District 5, Sarah Christie is the Legislative Director for the California Coastal Commission, a state-wide land use planning agency that regulates new development, protects natural resources and provides public access throughout California's coastal zone. She is also an award-winning journalist and freelance writer. Sarah moved from Kauai, Hawaii to Creston with her four horses in 1994. Her involvement in local land use issues and politics began almost immediately, as a reporter, then as a Legislative Aide to former District 2 Supervisor Bud Laurent. Sarah graduated summa cum laude from Sacramento State with a BA in Government. She enjoys trail riding, kayaking, reading and listening to bluegrass music.