On May 22 at 3:30 p.m., the Grand Oaks Paseo community hosted a “virtual groundbreaking ceremony” with principal developers Jennifer Kim, Jack Phelan, and Ted Lawton alongside their RRM Design team, engineers and builders to perform the ceremonial groundbreaking at the project site. City officials and others attended virtually online through a Zoom meeting to celebrate the new affordably priced Atascadero cottage community of single-family residential homes that will start in the 200 thousand price range.  

Grand Oaks Paseo is a 1.7-acre mixed-use development project developed by Cal Coastal Communities. Located at 4711 El Camino Real, just north of downtown Atascadero, the Grand Oaks community will consist of 26 Cottage Homes, 4 Live/Work units, and a Community Center all clustered around a central park open space. 

Cal Coastal Communities is a real estate development and brokerage firm located in San Luis Obispo. It has a simple singular mission: to provide affordable homeownership for people living on the Central Coast. 

In the midst of a severe housing crisis, the central coast has become one of the most expensive and challenging places in the nation to live and work. Over 70 percent of the residents who make up SLO County’s workforce simply cannot qualify to purchase a home. Median price homes in SLO County continue to climb every month currently over $636,000 for a single-family home. The county’s workforce (our neighbors) who serve us every day have no chance at homeownership. They simply do not have the purchasing power to do so. They’ve been locked out of the market and find themselves stuck in the rental cycle, which Cal Coastal views as the least affordable form of housing.

Cal Coastal Communities made it their mission to do something about it. By designing small, beautiful cottage homes, Cal Coastal is now providing the most affordable homeownership opportunity between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It just so happens to be here on the stunningly beautiful Central Coast.  

Cal Coastal has achieved this by creating a unique approach to homeownership that is truly affordable-by-design, and that provides a much-needed stepping stone into homeownership for residents of the central coast. The homes are not only affordable but provide significant added benefits that, for many, can be truly life-changing, including a lower cost of living, healthy amenities, a deeper connection to the community, in an environmentally sustainable footprint.

Homeownership provides a secure and stable place to live. Traditionally, it has been an essential component of building wealth. The real impact to the community goes beyond the financial benefits. As many homeowners know, most of the benefits of homeownership are intangible. 

A homeowner becomes invested in the community. They become involved in local activities, volunteer for charity organizations, and help out with special events. They experience a sense of belonging that people who are renting rarely do. There is pride in ownership as they work hard to keep their home and property nice. 

It is this sense of connectedness and responsibility to the community that carries over into other areas of our city as they are able to develop roots and a sense of belonging.

Cal Coastal Communities believes that every Californian should have the possibility of owning their own home.

For more information, visit calcoastalcommunities.com.