HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/15/2021 Item 4a, DeNatale
Delgado, Adriana
From:Erin DeNatale <erin.denatale@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, November
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Public Comment for 11/15/2021 Architectural Review Commission Meeting (Item 4.a.)
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Good morning Commission members -
My name is Erin DeNatale and I live at 850 El Capitan Way with my husband and young daughter. I am writing to
encourage the Commission to recommend that the Community Development Director reject the proposed project listed
as 4.a. on the agenda, which is a proposed three-story development at 835 El Capitan Way (hereinafter referred to as
the Project).
My concerns with this proposed Project are primarily privacy, neighborhood compatibility, and safety.
As it is currently designed, the Project is not compatible in scale, detailing, and overall character with the adjacent
buildings and those in the immediate neighborhood. The Project fails to continue the existing neighborhood pattern and
is not consistent with the surrounding residential structures.
Regarding privacy, the Project's design is not aligned with Section 5.4(a) of the community design guidelines, given that a
34.5 foot-tall structure with multiple windows and balconies on each side will overlook and thus impair the privacy of
the indoor and outdoor living spaces of adjacent units. To be clear, those on the third floor will have a clear view into my
backyard, which is invasive of my family's privacy and will negatively impact our quality of life. That there will be a clear
line of sight into my home and backyard is quite troubling and apparently unaccounted for by the Project's designers.
Regarding neighborhood compatibility, the design will impose its size and bulk on the surrounding homes - single family
units, most of which are one-story - and will visually dominate the neighborhood. Instead of viewing a nice residential
tree-lined street when one turns onto El Capitan, they will instead be immediately drawn to the three-story apartment
complex. To say such a complex is out-of-place on a dead-end residential street is an understatement.
Adding a large apartment complex in what is currently designated as a Service Commercial zone at the entrance of our
street will create an additional traffic hazard. It will also exacerbate the parking issues on the street. These factors will
negatively impact our neighborhood, as will the Project's size, height, and close proximity to the street.
Regarding safety, El Capitan has had ongoing issues with speeding vehicles using the cul-de-sac at the end of the street
to turn around and re-access Broad Street. Our neighborhood has also dealt with parking impacts, and frequently
encounters a bottleneck of vehicles at the Broad Street intersection. At times the bottleneck is caused by the unloading
of vehicles from tow trucks at the north corner of Broad and El Capitan. However, even when the tow trucks are not
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present, there can be a bottleneck of vehicles due to the difficulty in turning left onto Broad from our street, particularly
during morning and late afternoon hours, where there is heavier traffic. An apartment complex with tens of additional
vehicles will only exacerbate these issues.
Having worked from home for the better part of the past year, I see numerous individuals, including the elderly and
those with young children, walking our street every day. Children regularly play in their front yards. Adding tens of
additional vehicles will exponentially increase the likelihood of an auto-versus-pedestrian accident.
The Project's claim of 83 parking spaces is misleading. The existing parking lot is already full and impacted by the mixed-
use Roadhouse building. In fact, our street previously explored a residential parking district due to the lack of parking.
These parking issues are known to the Project's applicant, who apparently did not consider - or does not care about -
these existing problems when proposing this Project.
I understand that housing is an issue of supply and demand. Right now, there is more demand than supply. That said,
this Project is the wrong approach. To propose an apartment complex on an already heavily-trafficked dead-end
residential street is not the solution, and will only exacerbate the existing problems.
I encourage the Commission to listen to the concerns of El Capitan's residents. This Project, as proposed, is invasive of
our neighborhood's privacy and incompatible with the existing character of our street. I encourage the Commission to
recommend to the Community Development Director that this Project be denied.
Thank you very much for your time.
Erin DeNatale
850 El Capitan Way, San Luis Obispo, 93401
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