HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/22/2020 Item 3, Caminiti
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Steve <
AM
To:Advisory Bodies
Cc:Steve caminiti
Subject:Comments regarding 1137 Peach St. - Planning Commission Meeting on July 22,
2020
To whom it may concern,
My name is Steve Caminiti and my wife and I own the property located at 1144 Mill St., in San Luis Obispo. I am
writing this email to you in order that our comments regarding the above referenced project could be a part of the
Planning Commission Meeting this evening. For the record, we did not receive any notice from the City regarding this
scheduled meeting. We did receive notification of the previous ARC meeting that took place earlier this month. I just
learned of the Planning Commission Meeting yesterday. As a result, this input is getting to all of you at the last minute.
I apologize for that.
Just a little history before I convey my comments. We have owned the property located at 1144 Mill St. since the
early 1980’s. The main house was built in 1909 as far as we can tell. We love the property and we have over the years
improved and maintained it in a responsible way. Just so you are clear, our property backs up to the proposed new
home to be located on Lot 9. To be totally honest, we would have preferred that the four lots behind us would have
remained in their original configuration that being lots that are 50’ x 150’. Having said that, we understand that the
developer wants to maximize their profits on this project. We completely understand if that is their goal. We
appreciate the improvements that the developer is currently finishing up. The houses fronting onto Toro and Peach
Streets have been neglected for many years. The improvements are a very good thing. Having said all of that, we have a
few concerns that we hope will be addressed in the approval process. One last piece of information, I am a pretty much
retired landscape architect. I have practiced for 40 years here in San Luis Obispo and went to Cal Poly. As a result, I
have some concerns and suggestions that maybe others in different professions might not have. It is my hope that we
can all work together to make this project as nice and as sensitive as it can be. It is my understanding that the applicant
has asked for and received some planning exceptions already. They are setback exceptions, tandem parking exceptions
and historic neighborhood lot size reductions. In my opinion we all need to give and take to make this proposed project
the best it can be. I have issues that would fall into two main headings. They are grading and drainage issues and visual
issues. I will address my comments separately.
Grading and Drainage Issues:
Historically, all of the properties involved in this project have drained in a south westerly direction through our
properties fronting onto Mill Street. For the last 40 years during the rainy months we have had standing water under
our house at 1144 Mill St. We installed a sump pump years ago but the problem persists. We believe that this problem
is at least partly due to the lots behind us draining through our property. I have been assured by City representatives
that this problem will be dealt with during the construction phase of this proposed project. I have some specific
concerns and suggestions. They are:
1. Currently, there is one catch basin shown to drain runoff in Lots 7 through 10. I would suggest two catch basins
at the rear of each lot. In addition, I would ask that both the catch basins and the storm drain piping be oversized so
that system failure is substantially minimized.
2. I see no information regarding gutters and downspouts on the residences on lots 7 - 10. May I suggest that a gutter
and downspout plan is required and that all of the downspouts are tied into the storm drain piping.
Visual Concerns:
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1. It appears that the proposed homes on lots 7 and 9 are going to have decks on the second floor that will reduce
the approximate 11’ rear setback. It appears that the setback is reduced from 11’ to approximately 7’. Is it possible to
reduce the size of these decks to mitigate some of our overlook concerns? Due to the lot splits and reduced setbacks,
the proposed new homes will have a significant visual impact that will be in our opinion negative. In an effort to soften
the visual impact of the rear elevations, I would like to work with the landscape architects on the project to generate a
list of trees that would be desirable. I would even ask the developer to install such trees and provide drip irrigation
systems to nourish the trees from day one. I would volunteer my time to facilitate this approach.
2. It appears in the preliminary grading plan that the developer is proposing to raise the finish grades on lots 9 and
10 about 6”-12”. If possible, I would like to see the new finish grades to be at or below the current grades. This would
help a little, to diminish the maximum vertical elevations of the proposed structures which in my opinion would be a
good thing.
3. I agree with some comments that Mr. Beller and Mr. DeMartini made during the ARC meeting on July 6th. I believe
that they both supported the planting of some “street trees” on either side of the new shared driveway. It is my opinion
that small street tress along both sides of the community driveway would help to soften the proposed density and
possibly create an environment that could encourage interactions between some neighbors in this new little enclave
that is being created. I also support the use of pavers in the construction of this common drive.
So to be clear, my wife and I support this development as long as our concerns will be heard and hopefully acted
upon. We appreciate everyones time and energy that is required during this process. Please confirm receipt of this
email so I know it has been received and that it will become part of the meeting this evening.
Sincerely,
Steve Caminiti (805) 544-6429 stevenpc@charter.net
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