February 20 planning meeting to address power plant masterplan
After nine years with the city, Morro Bay Community Development, Director Scot Graham is pulling up stakes and taking a similar position in Pismo Beach this month.Graham who lives in Santa Maria, says his commute to work will now be a lot easier.
Graham guided the city’s General Plan through extensive community forums to final approval.He has overseen a number of other development projects in town to fruition including the new senior housing project on Hwy 41, the new Scout Coffee store project about to open and a round-about at Main and Highway 41 in the planning stage.
More recently he has been active in negotiations with plans to construct a battery storage facility (BESS) at the mothballed Morro Bay Power plant site. In addition, he has been in early talks with wind power companies looking tot locate offshore wind turbines 25 to 30 miles off shore that will connect to the Morro Bay PG&E substation.
Both potential renewable energy projects face community opposition from citizens who have qualified a voter initiative on the November ballot to stop the BESS.
Regards the BESS, the city Planning Commission will hold public meeting Feb 20 to go over ideas to masterplan the 100 plus acre site adjacent the Embarcadero that would be cleared if the project moves forward. Owner Vistra Inc has said they would remove the three 400-foot stacks and vacant concrete power plant to allow future uses for 80 percent of the cleared land with the BESS buildings on the north end. In addition a plan full EIR on the project is expected to be the subject of a public hearing in May or June, he says.
Graham says he will likely not make the Feb 20 meeting since he will be on his new assignment for the City of Pismo Beach.
Graham previously served the City of Pismo Beach in various roles, including senior planner from 1999 to 2014, and officials say they are glad to have him back.