HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/15/2020 Item 9, Mead, C.
From:Chris Mead <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:In Support of Villaggio
Mayor Harmon and City Council Members,
I’m writing to support the Villaggio project on the southwest side of town. My mother, who just turned 70, has been an
advocate for the project since it was first proposed, and plans to live there someday once it is built. I was initially
surprised that she would choose to live in an “old folks home,” as she has lived in San Luis Obispo for 40 years and owns
a beautiful house near Foothill. But I have come to understand why Villaggio is so appealing to her.
As she gets older and no longer feels comfortable living alone, it would give her the opportunity to join a community of
like-minded seniors that are part of that community by choice, not because they were “put into a home.” She sees it as a
vibrant retirement village of friends and peers, that happens to have medical care and hospitalization if she ever
requires them — instead of the hospital atmosphere found in so many senior living facilities. This option does not yet
exist in SLO, and she has no desire to leave the city she’s called home for four decades.
I’m grateful that an idea like Villaggio exists, a place where seniors can feel empowered by their situation rather than
victimized by circumstances. And I think that having that peace of mind, and the freedom to choose one’s own
community, living situation, and care, can make all the difference in how happy a person is in their twilight years. That is
why I am proud to write to you in favor of Villaggio.
Thank you so much,
Chris Mead
1