Neufeld Minor Use Permit N-DRC2024-00047

Mark Neufeld has applied for a Minor Use Permit to construct a 4,749-square-foot single-family residence with an attached garage and a 2,100-square-foot workshop on a 24.5-acre parcel located at 5425 Martingale Circle in Paso Robles, California. The project requires significant site alterations, including approximately 39,777 square feet of disturbance, with 237 cubic yards of cut and 211 cubic yards of fill, which will be balanced on-site considering subsidence and material loss. Site improvements include an all-weather access driveway, a water storage tank, and a septic leach field, with an existing agricultural road to be upgraded to CalFire standards for emergency vehicle access. The residence and workshop will be served by an existing well, eliminating the need for new water infrastructure. The project is subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), with the County of San Luis Obispo acting as the lead agency. The application, numbered N-DRC2024-00047, triggered an environmental analysis focused on potential impacts to the San Joaquin kit fox and other sensitive species, resulting in a Mitigated Negative Declaration with binding conditions of approval. These conditions require strict adherence to habitat protection measures including pre-construction surveys by a qualified biologist, exclusion zones of 50 feet around observed kit foxes, 200-foot buffers around known dens, daily inspection of excavations and culverts for animal sheltering, and the installation of escape ramps and modified fencing to allow wildlife passage. Construction is restricted to daylight hours, with an immediate work stoppage mandated upon sighting of a kit fox, and all personnel must undergo environmental awareness training. Weekly biological monitoring is required for disturbances exceeding 14 days, and any incidental injury or death of a protected species must be reported immediately and followed by a formal written account within three working days. Mitigation fees totaling $9,750 have been paid to The Nature Conservancy and the Palo Prieto Conservation Bank to offset ecological impacts. All conditions are legally enforceable and run with the land, with final compliance verification and acceptance authority resting solely with the County of San Luis Obispo Planning and Building Department. No federal procurement rules, FAR clauses, or contracting mechanisms apply; the process is entirely governed by state and local land-use and environmental regulations.