HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/2/2020 Item 12, Ashbaugh
Wilbanks, Megan
From:
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Johnson, Derek; Codron, Michael; Leveille, Brian
Subject:545 Higuera- Item 12
Dear Mayor Harmon and members of the San Luis Obispo City Council:
I first became a resident of San Luis Obispo in 1977. I have accumulated nearly a half-century
experience in helping to determine this city’s planning and zoning, architectural review, and
historic and cultural resource preservation. Please permit me to offer a few pertinent facts and
observations about the proposed luxury apartment and hotel structure at 545 Higuera Street.
This four-story, 60,000-square-foot would completely transform its surroundings in a key
downtown neighborhood, spanning an entire block between Higuera and Marsh Streets and
significantly impacting the oldest wood-built block in San Luis Obispo.
As seen in this proposed development would clearly dwarf its immediate next-door neighbor, the
Pollard House, SLO’s oldest wood dwelling in its original location. This home is occupied by
Jean Martin, a retired school teacher who has every right to the peaceful enjoyment of her home.
I have been in Ms. Martin’s home and based on our conversations, she appears to be open to
new development as long as it is respectful of the historic character of this neighborhood.
As you know, this block between Higuera, Carmel, Marsh, and Nipomo Streets is the site of the
City’s own R.E. Jack House which has been lovingly maintained by a unique partnership of City
staff, Cal Poly, volunteers, and the History Center of San Luis Obispo. In addition, in the
immediate vicinity of this block are the newly-restored Norcross House, the Kaetzel House, the
Pinho House, and the Golden State Creamery. The history of this block reveals a working-class
neighborhood that only recently has seen more auto-oriented commercial activity as well as a
motel, offices, and small-scale dining facilities.
A member and immediate past Chair of your Cultural Heritage Committee, James Papp, has
pointed out that in just the last three years, this block has seen 37 new multi-floor, multi-unit
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structures with maximum heights up to 60 feet and minimum (if any) setbacks. These projects
threaten to totally transform the character of this historic neighborhood in an irreversible
direction that will shock those of us who know what we have to lose here, and stick future
generations with a block resembling nothing other than the most dense neighborhoods of Isla
Vista, LA, or Miami.
This neighborhood should not be seen as a “blank slate” where architects, developers, and
housing advocates can experiment with new forms of density and form-based codes. It is a living
and breathing organism with a fundamental relationship to this community in both time and
physical space. The proposed project clearly fails to meet established Community Design
Guidelines, and unless it is significantly reduced in scale it should be denied. Please give this
historic neighborhood the respect that it deserves, and vote to deny the project that is before you.
Thank you for considering my views.
s/
John B. Ashbaugh, Ph.D.
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