Paso Robles, County of San Luis Obispo
Client:
Wine Country Gateway Recreational Vehicle Park, LLC
Year Completed:
Ongoing ~ Construction Initiation in January 2025.
Entitlements:
SAN PASO TRUCK STOP –
A California Classic, with all the comforts of home!
The San Paso Truck Stop appeared on the 101 at the exact time the highway became one of California’s major north-south thoroughfares in the mid-20th Century.
The truck stop began as a small Shell gas station on Highway 46 in the 1950s. But when an overpass was built blocking traffic to the station, local businessman Red Hunter purchased the operation and moved it to its current location on the 101, just north of Paso Robles, which even then was known for its wineries and hot springs. In the beginning, the San Paso Truck Stop was just a few pumps, a small garage, and a restaurant, all of which catered to a burgeoning American trucking industry that sent semi-trailers streaming into the growing cities of Southern California.
Located roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the truck stop, over time, became a familiar waystation for travelers cruising up and down the Golden State. In the early 1980s, the facility expanded, adding a convenience store and showers. Two decades later, after years of operating as an independent, the truck stop became a 76- gas station.
Today, the San Paso Truck Stop strives to provide top-of-the-line service and amenities for truckers and tourists alike. Owner Andy Pham insists on paying the staff well, which has led to little turnover over the last 10 years and has helped make the truck stop one of the friendliest and cleanest in the state.
Highlights:
In 2022 Oasis Associates, Inc. was retained to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impacts and land use implications and facilitate in connection with the potential eminent domain land acquisition by the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans District 5 is proposing to construct an undercrossing and a new frontage road in the proximity of the intersection of State Route 101 with Wellsona Road in Paso Robles, in San Luis Obispo County. The purpose of the project is to reduce the number and the severity of collisions at this intersection of State Route 101. The proposed project significantly impacts San Paso Truck Stop.
Circumstances Unique to the Project:
- Intense negotiation with District 5 and the California Transportation Commission to avoid Eminent Domain proceedings resulted in a fully executed Possession and Use Agreement.
- Continued collaboration with Caltrans District 5, et al. regarding modifications to the San Paso Truck Stop site layout and to ensure a robust outreach to the traveling public and commodity moving truckers.