HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/17/2020 Item 13, Dantona
Clerk, Intern
From:Molly Kern <
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Jim Dantona
Subject:The San Luis Obispo Countywide Regional Compact
Attachments:Regional Compact - SLO Chamber.pdf
Dear Mayor Harmon and Council Members,
I hope this email finds you well.
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Attached, please find a letter on behalf of the SLO Chamber regarding item 13 at your March 17 meeting, the
Countywide Regional Compact. We look forward to answering any questions you might have and further discussing this
important issue.
Thank you for your consideration,
Molly
Molly Kern
Director of Governmental Affairs
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce
T: 805.786.2763 C: 805.440.3941
slochamber.org | imagineslo.com
1
March 16, 2020
City Council
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Dear Mayor Harmon and Council Members,
I wish I were speaking to you in person tonight but appreciate the City’s actions to further reduce the
risk of community spread of COVID-19. Regional collaboration and housing are two of our organization’s
top priorities and their importance is only underlined by the health crisis we are working through right
now.
This is undoubtedly a challenging time for us all and, as we work to navigate through these
circumstances as judiciously and gracefully as possible, trust, collaboration and shared goals are more
important than ever.
Along with our colleagues in the Coalition of Housing Partners, we are excited to see that, for the first
time, the County of San Luis Obispo, its Cities and the Council of Governments are looking to work
together and plan for housing in a truly collaborative way. The Regional Infrastructure and Housing
Strategic Action Plan recognizes how real people experience our community countywide when planning
for the state’s required 10,810 new housing units and the Compact is the first step.
This aspirational, visionary agreement will set the tone and establish a framework for productive
collaboration and planning as our community endeavors to develop an adequate supply of housing and
resilient infrastructure that support our community health and economic prosperity.
This type of foundational agreement is not the finish line but an incredibly important starting point,
formally recognizing that we can’t address these challenges alone.
The Compact will help unite our government agencies as you work together to develop plans, strategies
and actions that will focus on how to address critical housing and infrastructure challenges.
Working together may sound like an easy or obvious step, but if all of the agencies do come together, it
will be the first time that our region has collaboratively planned where homes should go and what
infrastructure is needed to make it happen. We urge you to continue your leadership on this issue and
sign the regional compact and continue supporting your staff’s commitment to regional cooperation.
Sincerely,
Jim Dantona
President/CEO
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce