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Home My WebLink About11-20-2012 cooper 3 ph1Goodwin, Heather RECEIVE D NOV 19 201 2 SLO CITY CLER K Please forward as Agenda Correspondence for Item PH I mew;kenneOy eulme s City Cler k city of sail luis Obisp o 990 Palm Stree t San Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1 phone : (805) 781-7102 emaiL :marimes@slocity .org From :Marx, Ja n Sent :Monday, November 19, 2012 11 :03 A M To :Grimes, Maeve ; Lichtig, Kati e Subject :FW : S.O .D . Response To Staffs Recommendations Re : SLO Brew e post as agenda correspondence . s Jan Original Message From :Allan Cooper [allancoope@gmail .com ] Sent :Monday, November 19, 2012 10 :53 AM Pacific Standard Tim e To :Marx, Jan Subject :S .O .D . Response To Staffs Recommendations Re : SLO Brew Dear Mayor Marx - I am forwarding you S .O .D .'s response (see attached file) to staffs recommendations regarding our appeal o f SLO Brew . Some of the contents of this response will be familiar to you but the additional comments are primarily regarding staffs recommendations to which we did not have access back on November 8th . I'm no t sure if I will be allotted sufficient time to read this report on the 20th so I'm asking if you could kindly "red file " this and copy it to your fellow Council members . Thanks and we are thrilled to see that you are still at the helm ! - Allan Grimes, Maev e 1S t: Monday, November 19, 2012 11 :06 A M To: Goodwin, Heathe r Subject: FW: S .O .D. Response To Staff's Recommendations Re : SLO Brew Attachments : 11_20_12 ...slobrewpresentation .docx AGENDACORRESPONDENC E Date U/20%2-Item#P!~I • Honorable Mayor and Council Members – Congratulations Jan, Dan and John on your recent reelections ... you have truly earne d the trust of the SLO electorate! As you know, Derek Johnson, Doug Davidson an d Marcus Corloni made a presentation to Save Our Downtown on November 8 `„on th e SLO Brew proposed expansion and relocation . We have also had the opportunity to review the staff report attached to your Tuesday November 2(/h agenda along with their recommendations.This staff report along with its recommendations seems to ignore Council's direction in response to our appeal There is still a roof top lounge whic h could easily be converted into a bar facility. There is still an industrial scale steel stai r replacing the current original, historical structure providing exterior access to the roof top. Nightclub queuing will still encroach onto Mission Plaza on Thursday night s (begging the question :why not limit nightclub activities to the remaining six days of the week?). And the facility is still greatly expanded over its current size . As a rebuttal to staffs recommendations I suggest you reiterate the following points : Fifty-four to fifty-nine percent of SLO business owners and residents recently polle d are opposed to more bars and nightclubs in the Downtown.SLO has the highest number of bars per capita of any city in California and the number of alcohol outlets within our City continues to rise because the City presently lacks the controls to sto p this. The SLO Brew owners are still proposing a significant expansion in its ne w location and the property owners reserve the right to place another bar/restaurant in its previous location . Finally the business owner across the street from the current SL O Brew admitted that he has had every store window broken over the past 10 years ostensibly because of his proximity to this establishment . In short, all S.O.D. is asking is: 1)that SLO Brew relocate at its current siz e a.Regarding the proposed size of the facility : Back in 2007 there was a placard on the wall upstairs of 1119 Garden Street stating "Max Capacit y 280" (see "Zorro" below). Currently, according to event notifications , concerts are typically sold out at 350-400 (see Ryan East quote in "Snoop Dogg" below). But somehow, between 2007 and 2012 the nightclub capacity increased from 280 to 457 . Now they are seeking an increase i n auditorium capacity to 473 which is considerably larger than their 200 7 capacity of 280 or their 2012 capacity of 400 (if we are to believe Ryan East w/ BooBoo Records). Those arguing for an increase in the auditoriu m space state that it will also be used for conferences and weddings . The y also argue that a larger venue will attract higher caliber acts . But this sort of wishful thinking cannot be enforced . b.According to staffs calculations the last proposal will accommodate a total occupancy of 713 patrons under normal operation but this does no t include the additional 45 creekside diners which results in a total of 75 8 patrons – a 37% to 52% increase over its present capacity of 555 (or 49 8 per Ryan East). We support Mayor Marx's statement back in Septembe r 24th : "If this were simply similar size in terms of square footag e • • • occupancy, this would be a true relocation ." 2)without the right of the owner to open a new alcohol outlet in it's previou s location, a. According to a June 13, 2012 Tribune article the current SLO Brewing sit e is scheduled to become a restaurant and bar for a hotel approved as part o f the mixed-use Garden Street Terraces project . If this relocation were temporary until SLO Brew could move back into its previous locatio n after the Garden Street Terraces were completed, we would have n o complaints . What worries us is that the developer wants this to be a permanent move perhaps because he knows that SLO Brew would not b e compatible with the hotel and mixed-use development he is proposing . 3)that the historical integrity of the Carrisa Building be maintaine d a.The applicant has indicated incorporating the entire staircase interior to th e building is infeasible due to a significant reduction of usable interior spac e and significant structural changes to the building . Modifying the staircas e circulation was identified by the Council as an approach for the applican t to consider in limiting occupancy of the building . How can the develope r complain that he is losing usable interior space when he is moving from a 11,000 square foot building to a 15,000 square foot building? And wha t structural changes would prove infeasible considering that this buildin g must comply with a new seismic upgrade ? b.Finally, note that wooden structures attached to the rear of brick building s predominate in Port Townsend, WA and are preserved because the Cit y fathers deemed these structures to be historically significant (see attache d photos below). 4)and that its bar/nightclub activities not encroach onto Mission Plaza (even o n Thursdays). a.Conditions of approval (#25) allow the patron queue to use the creek-sid e pedestrian bridge to access the rear entrance to the second floor during Farmers' Market or other downtown events, which may conflict with a patron queue along the Higuera Street sidewalk . Think about the other "downtown events" which could conflict with a patron queue . The annual X'mas Parade, the SLO Marathon, Art After Dark, SLO Hig h Homecoming Parade, GranFondo Annual Bike Ride, SLO Tweed Ride , Walk for Autism, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Walk for MS, etc .? b.Both Derek Johnson and Deborah Cash do not object to some queuing i n Mission Plaza and have advocated that the developer provide increase d lighting within the Creek area to accommodate this queuing as it wil l demonstrably reduce crime activities there . But a study of the San Lui s Obispo Crime Maps provided by the San Luis Obispo Police Departmen t indicates that there are virtually no crimes being committed within th e Creek area . Within the last four years there was one incident of vandalis m within the Creek area . Going back ten years one fords one additional arres t for narcotics possession . While within the same time period there hav e been 21 instances of vandalism, 16 assaults, 8 drug busts, 4 burglaries,1 robbery and 1 sex offence along Higuera Street between Broad and Chorro . I might add that along Garden Street between Higuera and Mars h where the current SLO Brew is located there have been 9 incidences o f vandalism and 6 assaults within the past 4 years . Allow bar activities t o spill out onto Mission Plaza and there will be an increase in vandalism , assaults, drug busts, robberies and sex offences within the Creek area . c.The applicant has redesigned the proposed roof level patio to function as a restaurant/lounge (similar to that of the new Granada Hotel on Morr o Street), eliminated the concentrated use (i .e . bar) occupancy, and ha s reduced the size of the roof level patio to 980 square feet (previousl y 1,099 square feet). What is to prevent the lounge use to morph back into a bar? And with a 12% reduction in floor space, what is to prevent the 4 9 maximum occupancy from creeping back up to 145 ? d.Elimination of the roof top use will result in the elimination of th e mandatory 2 exits from the 3`d floor thereby considerably reducing the size and expense of the rear 3`d floor stair (whether it be exterior or interior). Respectfully submitted, Allan Cooper, Chair, Save Our Downtown Zorro Posted on : 08-12-2007 06 :10 :3 5 "I had not intended to visit here today I had planned to be in Camarillo for the SoCa l • BA meeting . Long story short I had to work, but I ended up in Santa Maria today an d San Luis isn't so far away so I made the trip to SLO . I had intended to stop at Spike s and see what was available but after parking and paying the parking meter I foun d that Spikes was closed for some reason . To salvage a disappointment I remembere d that there was something new at the place where SLO Brewing used to be so I heade d to here . Pretty much everything is upstairs and pretty much the same as when it was SL O Brewing . This is a medium sized brew-house and restaurant the placard on the wall says "Max Capacity 280 ."Windows on only the front of the place the rest of it is red brick with a hardwood floor and a tin roof with sky lights and ceiling fans . This place is dark an d shadowy inside on this warm and bright day . Normal type bar with nothing very notable about it . Chalkboard signs tell you what is on tap and I do see that the new owner had the good sense to keep making the SLO blueberry ale without the SL O name . Average service here the bartender is an obvious student at Cal Poly he is competent but not enthusiastic . All the taps are house beers with eight selections available . • Good menu, I ordered the hand cut fries and I got an over generous portion I coul d • never hope to finish with Parmesan cheese and fairly salty for $3 .95, 50 cents more t o add garlic .• I sampled two beers while there ; the wheat was OK and the IPA very good . More or less this is SLO Brewing under a new name ; it is basically the same place ." Snoop Dogg sells out SLO Brew for second tim e Posted on : 10 May 201 2 "Snoop Dogg fans will have a chance to see the legendary rapper at downtown's SL O Brewing Co . tomorrow night, if they were lucky enough to snag a ticket during th e few short days they were available . The artist, known for his hits such as "Gin and Juice," "Drop It Like It's Hot" an d "Let's Get Blown," sold out SLO Brewing Co . (SLO Brew) in less than a week . "Tickets went on sale Friday or Saturday and they were completely sold out b y Tuesday of the next week," said Boo Boo Records employee Ryan East . Boo Boo Records handled the ticket sales for the May 11 show . East said th e maximum occupancy for the relatively small concert space is between 350 and 40 0 people . Prices were considerably higher than those for other performances at the venue , though . Regular tickets sold for $76 while VIP tickets cost $356 . General admissio n tickets are now selling for more than twice their original cost on Craigslist . "With the VIP tickets, you'll be able to meet Snoop Dogg and get a picture with him," East said . "That's really the only difference ." The 40-year-old performer, born Calvin Broadus, is also known as Snoop Dogg y Dogg, D-O-Double-G and the Doggfather, according to his website . He recentl y made headlines with his appearances at Indio's music festival, Coachella, where h e appeared on stage with Dr . Dre and a hologram of the late rapper Tupac Shakur . Aerospace engineering seniors, Shaun Luther and Steve Katzman, attended Coachell a and saw Snoop's performance . "He performed with the ghost of his dead friend and still smoked a blunt on stage," Katzman said . "That's dedication to your art ." Luther said he'd want to see Snoop Dogg perform again . "I heard he was coming here sometime soon, and I'd definitely be down to go," Luther said . "It was great seeing him and the rest of the old rappers I used to listen to as a kid ." This performance will mark the second time in two years that Snoop has played at SLO Brew . He last visited San Luis Obispo in October . Snoop will perform in Sant a Cruz before his San Luis Obispo show and travels to Las Vegas, Nev ., afterwards, according to his official website . Justin Muravez works security at the venue . He said Snoop is a "true performer of ou r generation ." • .:..7 '4Y . . . ::. .: :...: