HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/27/2020 Item 2, Havlik
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Scott, Shawna
Sent:Monday, July 27, 2020 12:43 PM
To:CityClerk
Cc:Leveille, Brian; Emily Creel
Subject:FW: CHC meeting
Attachments:Froom CHC letter2 final.doc
Please post attached correspondence for the CHC meeting tonight (7/27).
From: neilhavlik@aol.com <
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2020 12:41 PM
To: Scott, Shawna <sscott@slocity.org>;
Subject: CHC meeting
Greetings ladies could you please forward this memo to the CHC for their meeting tonight? Thanks.
Neil Havlik
1
TO: City of San Luis Obispo Cultural Heritage Committee
FROM: Neil Havlik, City of San Luis Obispo Natural Resources Manager (retired)
SUBJECT: FROOM RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN AGENDA ITEM: July 27, 2020
Dear Committee Members:
At your meeting of July 27, 2020, you are being asked to provide recommendations to the City Council
on the Froom Ranch Specific Plan Project, located on Los Osos Valley Road and Calle Joaquin.
I am pleased to see that the project sponsors have made efforts to respond to the findings and
recommendations of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. Specifically, I applaud the
proposal to relocate the buildings that will constitute the historic park to the current storage area on the
Froom Ranch (Froom Ranch Specific Plan, Figure 3-9). This is a superior location from the standpoint of
preserving the rural feel of this former dairy complex. The historic site will be oriented to the Irish Hills
Natural Reserve, much of which was once part of the Froom Ranch. This is much m ore appropriate than
in the originally proposed location in the middle of the development. And with a little more design
consideration the proposal before you tonight can be made still better. To accomplish this I ask the
Committee to remember that the City’s natural heritage is part of its cultural heritage.
The 150 foot elevation line has for many years been the officially recognized line delineating the “break”
between the urban development in the City of San Luis Obispo, and the undeveloped lands above in the
Irish Hills, most of which are now included in Irish Hills Natural Reserve, the City’s largest open space
area. At the storage area, the project sponsors have come much closer to accommodating that line in
spirit, if not in letter, but certain changes are recommended to bring the letter more in line with that spirit.
It is recognized that this site was once an active quarry, and has seen numerous changes in contours and
elevation over the years, which perhaps allows for some flexibility with regard to the elevation line.
However, the close juxtaposition of two very different land uses seems problematic. Therefore it is
suggested that your Committee, even if endorsing the Trailhead Park concept, not specifically endorse the
particular layout or alignment shown in Figure 3-9. Some adjustment is still needed regarding the
boundary between the land uses of residential and historic park. That adjustment should include Froom
Creek, which in the storage area has been pushed southward over the years. Realignment northward is
called for in that location to restore as much as possible the creek’s original, natural alignment.
To accomplish these changes, it is recommended that the proposed boundary between the trailhead park
and the development be adjusted to extend due south from the existing cell tower, intersecting the current
City property line in the current Froom Creek channel. This would mean the relocation of three of the
proposed residential buildings to another location, perhaps switching with the site where the “main
residence with plaza” is currently proposed. This would consolidate--and give greater integrity to--the
trailhead/historic park, and could even allow for an interpretive exhibit or kiosk to highlight the
restoration activities associated with Froom Creek.
I again urge your Committee to recognize the value of this approach compared to the proposed project,
and recommend this approach to the City Council. Thank you.