The city of Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo County are laying the ground for how the city could expand into the Price Canyon area.

On April 15, SLO County supervisors unanimously approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the county and Pismo Beach. Essentially a document that links the two municipalities, the county/Pismo MOA will ensure that both coordinate on any future expanses of Pismo Beach into what are currently county lands.

The city is pursuing an annexation of the proposed Price Canyon housing development, land that is currently in the county’s jurisdiction.

The newly adopted MOA sets the framework for county officials to track the annexation and strive to keep any future development in sync with county development policies—though county supervisors will have no direct say over the annexation. Negotiations for the annexation have taken place primarily between Pismo Beach and the Local Agency Formation Commission.

“The MOA is a tool that can set forth certain procedural commitments as to how cooperation for future planning may occur,” according to the county staff report.

Speaking to county supervisors, several people voiced concerns about expanding the city, saying there’s no need for such growth and that there are few resources available to accommodate houses in the Price Canyon area.

“Water for any kind of expansion in Pismo is going to be a challenge,” said Mike Winn, a director with the Nipomo Community Services District.

“For a shrinking city, they don’t have an urgent need to identify growth areas,” said Eric Greening, a frequent public speaker at county meetings.

Supervisor Adam Hill noted there’s “a long way to go” before any annexation or development occurs, and other supervisors reiterated that the MOA only allows the county to have a voice and ensure that its strategic growth principles are being followed.