HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/16/2022 Item 4a, Spiegel, K.
From: Kirk Spiegel
Sent: 11-15-22
To: advisorybodies@slocity.org
Cc: estewart@slocity.org; cchristianson@slocity.org;jmarx@slocity.org;apease@slocity.org;
mshoresman@slocity.org
Subject:ARCH-0020-2022 & AFFH-0021-2022
Comments for Wednesday, 11/16/2022 Planning Commission Hearing
I have been living at 1411 Palm St since Thanksgiving Day 1972. I raised my family in this
home and at age 73 my wife and I planned on staying in our home as long as our health let us. I
have no problem with low income housing but having lived the first 21 years of my lifein West
LosAngeles I have seen what well meaning low income projects turn into and I find it incredible
that the stewards of our city planning are allowing it to happen. You are allowing Trump
Towers to be built in an area of our city that already has terrible traffic congestion. If you’re
trying to have our beautiful little San Luis Obispo emulate the dismal traffic congestion of Los
Angeles and most parts of Santa Barbara you have a very good start with this low income
project. Most repugnant to me is having the beautiful tree behind my home cut down to be
replaced with three levels of parking 6” behind my back fence and side yard. Why put this 5
story gargantuous building in an area surrounded by predominately single storysingle family
homes. It dwarfs everything around it; I thought these projects were supposed to fit in with the
surrounding community and architecture. The traffic and parking on the 1400 block of Palm St.
is already intolerable for the residents living there. Adding two levels of parking egress will no
doubt make the situation much better. Traffic waiting to get across California from Palm St at 7
am will be backed up to the dead end of Palm St. at the railroad tracks. I was an aerospace
engineer designing the Space Shuttle Main Engines for 32 years and supporting engine tests
and launches. One thing we did before an engine test or a shuttle launch was to perform a
“walk down”. We had engineers from different engine systems inspect the hardware to have a
different pair of eyes looking at the hardware with a different perspective. They found things
the regular inspectors missed. Maybe this low income project should be looked at with a
different pair of eyes. This project has steam rolled ahead with seemingly nobody looking out
for the community that will be impacted the most after it’s built. It may give 110 low income
individuals a rent break but it will cost the tax paying locals a traffic migraine for decades to
come. You need a different pair of eyes. Why should all the building height caps and traffic
mitigation requirement evaporate because a project is labeled “low Income”. Why should
thousands of people be held up in traffic bottlenecks and be denied peaceful enjoyment of
their property to facilitate a “low income” project. Why should my property value and peaceful
enjoyment of my home for the last 50 years be diminished by a “low income” project. Why am
I being forced out of my home at 73 by a “low income” project. You need a different pair of
eyes and a conscience.
Kirk Spiegel