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Home My WebLink About2/22/2023 Item 4a, Cooper From:Allan Cooper < To:CityClerk; Bell, Kyle; Corey, Tyler Subject:Letter To The Planning Commission Attachments:302_18_23...flexibledensity.pdf This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond. Dear City Clerk - Would you kindly forward the letter attached below to the Planning Commission? This letter pertains to the Planning Commission's February 22, 2023 review of Agenda Item #4.a “Review of a draft ordinance amending Title 17 (Zoning Regulations) of the Municipal Code to implement Housing Element Program 2.15 and Policy 6.6 to a Downtown Flexible Density Program.” We would also like this letter to be placed in the City's Correspondence File. Thank you! - Allan Cooper 1 Save Our Downtown ______________________________________________________________________________ Seeking to protect and promote the historical character, design, livability and economic success of downtown San Luis Obispo. To: San Luis Obispo Planning Commission, Kyle Bell, Housing Director, Tyler Corey, Deputy Director Re: February 22, 2023 Meeting: Agenda Item #4.a “Review Of A Draft Ordinance Amending Title 17 (Zoning 9 Regulations) Of The Municipal Code To Implement Housing Element Program 2.15 And Policy 6.6 To A Downtown Flexible Density Program” From: Allan Cooper, Secretary Save Our Downtown, AIA Date: February 18, 2023 Honorable Chair Kahn and Planning Commissioners - Save Our Downtown would like to share with you our position paper on the Flexible Density Program proposed for Downtown SLO. This position paper may include concerns that are not fully addressed within the draft program that you have before you. Position Paper On Downtown Flexible Density A new proposed zoning change to Downtown San Luis Obispo - called ﬂexible density” - would try to incentivize denser housing in the Downtown Core. Flexible density allows developers who are building Downtown to increase their density over the current 36 units per acre if none of their units exceed 600 square feet in area. Flexible density could nearly quadruple the density currently allowed within our Downtown Core. Of course, there are other “trade offs” or incentives that will be offered developers if they also agree to incorporate a small percentage of affordable housing units into their projects. Those incentives will be fast tracked approval processes, density bonuses, reduced setbacks and taller buildings. Jobs/Housing Imbalance Recently constructed studio apartments are not inexpensive as they rent on average $2,250 per month for a 352 square foot unit (see: The Academy - Palomar). However, studio apartments ranging in size between 300 - 600 square feet are in high demand among those who can afford them such as students, young professionals and Airbnb renters. If this is a desired demographic for Downtown SLO, then we will have to address our growing jobs/housing disparity elsewhere. The best way to address our jobs/housing disparity is to 1) provide affordable, family friendly housing for the minimum wage, frontline workers who commute from Santa Maria and elsewhere, or, 2) lower the growth cap on the types of commercial developments (hotels, restaurants, etc.) that employ this demographic. Downtown Morphing Into Entertainment District One fear is that the growing presence of college students downtown will result in a rapid growth of bars, alcohol outlets and night time entertainment venues and that our Downtown will morph into a homogenous entertainment district. Then the character of our Downtown would change from family friendly to late night partying. This will by default result in the decreased daytime use of our Downtown and a corresponding uptick in crime.This will accelerate what is already an existing trend where our townspeople seldom ﬁnd reasons to visit our Downtown. No End To Pandemics The COVID-19 pandemic historically reduced housing demand in dense neighborhoods. The reduced demand for density was also driven by less need of living near jobs. The extent to which this phenomenon will continue will depend on the continued virulence of new, highly transmissible pathogens. A recent Harris Poll found that nearly a third of Americans are considering relocating to less crowded places. Harvard researchers and urban planners are now urging us to consider how a more dispersed city can thrive. Nevertheless, there are ways to design high density apartment buildings so as to insure some social distancing and/or deter the spread of pathogens such as incorporating, where possible, open air stairs and corridors, avoiding elevator usage by staying below 3 stories and mandating positive pressure HVAC systems equipped with HEPA ﬁlters. Couples living in studio apartments may need to isolate from one another if one is infected through the use of movable partition systems. Communal cooking or laundry facilities should be avoided. Parking Downtown residents may not use cars as often as suburban residents but they will nevertheless own a car. Downtown residents will also need to have some guest parking and parking that will provide easy access to those with disabilities. Even if used intermittently, these downtown residents will need to have a car to access necessity goods stores which are presently nowhere to be found Downtown. Where these cars are parked becomes a growing problem for the ﬂexible or high density apartment dweller. One solution could be park and ride lots (located beyond the 500 foot maximum walking distance) that could be linked via public shuttles to a central downtown location. Ten percent of downtown parking garages and city- owned surface lots could absorb some of the unmet demand for night-time parking (assuming that these cars will ﬁnd a home during the daytime hours in a suburban business or Cal Poly parking lot). “Family Friendly” Housing High density studio apartments could be made more family friendly by incorporating balconies, play lots and communal gardens into these projects. Families could occupy two adjoining studio units by way of placing doors or movable partitions between them. Placing Residents In Harms Way Due to climate change and the increasing risk of ﬂooding downtown along with a moderate risk of liquefaction during an earthquake, each ﬂexible density apartment complex should be provided with an evacuation plan. No housing, particularly along Marsh Street and portions of Nipomo, Broad and Osos Streets, should be allowed to be located on the ground ﬂoor. The Downsides To Tall Buildings The City’s request for input on this Downtown Flexible Density program posted January 23, 2023 stated the following “The proposed Downtown Flexible Density Program offers housing developers more “ﬂexibility” from standard density limitations, without increasing the scale or height of structures within the downtown area.” However, if these projects are perceived by the Planning Commission to include 2 or 3 easily achievable community beneﬁts, these high density apartments can attain a building height of 60 to 75 feet. A precedent for this is the 24,500 sq. ft. mixed use project located at 1144 Chorro Street which includes 50 studio apartments ranging in size between 300 and 600 square feet. Aside from the many untoward impacts tall buildings will have on Downtown’s small town charm, these buildings will pose new, perhaps insurmountable, logistical challenges when evacuations are required due to ﬁre, ﬂooding or seismic related liquefaction.