“We’re a city on the move,” says City Manager, Matthew Bronson. “We had a vision 20 years ago for mixed-use development with housing, commercial development and restaurants in the heart of our city along with creating a more pedestrian-friendly area. And now, we’re finally achieving it, by creating an urban village along our main corridor that leads right to the beach, and creating a better sense of place in Grover Beach.” Historically, Grover Beach “was envisioned as a community where the rail line would meet the ocean with a big beachfront resort,” Bronson recounts. As the history of the community unfolded throughout the years, modern Grover Beach became a city primarily of residential neighborhoods, with mostly single-family homes, many parks and green spaces, highly rated schools, and an undeveloped beachfront. A CITY’S VIBE Assistant City Manager Kristin Eriksson believes Grover Beach has “a very unique vibe,” differentiating it from nearby municipalities. “A lot of beach towns look the same and they’re almost interchangeable,” she asserts. “We’re a bit different. We don’t have a ton of development so it’s less commercialized.” “We didn’t experience the degree of beachfront development that a city on the coast typically has,” Bronson echoes. “Our beach is owned and operated by California State Parks and has miles of open space including sand dunes. You can walk or drive up and down some of the largest and most beautiful coastal dunes in the state. Our beachfront area has a beautiful boardwalk where you can see the state’s largest butterfly grove. We also have the only drive-on beach in California, which also offers accessibility into the beach environment. Our beach is a unique part of the California coast that you can’t find anywhere else.” A NEW URBAN VILLAGE While the pristine beach is a major draw, the city’s current focus is on the downtown corridor on West Grand Avenue, with the vision of transforming it into a thriving urban village just blocks away from the sea and shore. This total cost was $7 million with $3.4 million funded by the San Luis Obispo Council 37 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12 GROVER BEACH, CA
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