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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-10-2014 ph1 lopesKremke, Kate From: Mejia, Anthony Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 9:40 AM To: Kremke, Kate Subject: FW: City Council Public Hearing Item 1; 1327 Osos Street; June 10, 2014 Attachments: CC_ 6- 10- 14_PH1_OsosSt_MU- Pkg_SaveOur Downtown.docx---- hECEIVED Agenda Correspondence for 06/10/14 Item PH 1. JUN 05 2014 Anthony J. Mejia I City Clerk 51.0 CITY CLERK -- 1 tv or sw WIS om spo AGENDA c,)qc) Palm, `street i „s, „si, €,- A3.Fcts CORRESPONDENCE P14 I tel I'Ro5,781 -7102 Date 6 2100.1 ItemA From: James Lopes [mailto:jameslopes @charter.net] Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 9:38 AM To: Ashbaugh, John; Carpenter, Dan; Christianson, Carlyn; Codron, Michael; Dietrick, Christine; Lichtig, Katie; Marx, Jan; Smith, Kathy; Mejia, Anthony Subject: City Council Public Hearing Item 1; 1327 Osos Street; June 10, 2014 Dear Mayor Marx and Council Members, Re: City Council Public Hearing Item 1; 1327 Osos Street; June 10, 2014 Members of Save Our Downtown met and discussed the project at 1327 Osos Street. We voted to make the recommendations in the attached letter with supporting reasons. If any of you would like to meet before the hearing next Tuesday, please reply as we would be glad to do so. We think that this location deserves very compatible two -story buildings that are complementary to the historic church and buildings in the Old Town Historic District. We think that the City ordinances to reflect and ft with historic character should be respected for this purpose and not ignored. Save Our Downtown is agreed that the city parking standards should be followed. We believe waiving the ordinance parking standard in this case will have a significant negative impact on the neighborhood. If the city's ordinances have value they should only be waived when there are compelling reasons to do so. We do not find compelling reasons in this case. In fact there are compelling reasons to adhere to the existing parking standards. If the project is approved as is, what else could better demonstrate the meaningless and malleable form of these ordinances? Thank you in advance for considering the points in the attached letter. Sincerely, Jamie Lopes Chairperson Save Our Downtown James Lopes 1336 Sweet Bay Lane San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Ph. 805 - 781 -8960 Save Our Downtown Comments on City Council Public HeanW Item 1; 1327 Osos Streei ,june 10, 20141 City Council City of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, California 93401 Dear Mayor and Council Members: This block of Osos Street is a very important location which is not being respected by the proposed project. Save Our Downtown recommends that you: 1. DENY the rezoning and leave residential zoning on Osos Street. • The site is adjacent to an apartment building and is located very close to a neighborhood grocery/convenience store and Mitchell Park. The apartment building should be strengthened economically by an adjacent residential building with parking accessed from Morro Street. • Mitchell Park is a resource for a residential neighborhood; it is unique with a special quality. Residential uses should be encouraged and even required near it. • Building practices can now buffer traffic noise ( a Planning Commission concern) with insulating windows and walls, and air conditioning can easily be provided to eliminate the need to open windows near Osos Street for ventilation. • The design of the office project does not respect the Old Town Historic District and the historic church, in its height, scale, massing and modernist architectural styling. • No evaluation of the project is evident that seriously and skillfully analyzes the surrounding buildings and designs sensitively to be complementary to them. 2. DENY the Tentative Tract Map or continue in order to REDUCE the project to accommodate all of the required parking spaces within the project site. The proposed findings are speculative and not as likely as the following points. • The project is taking away existing parking, including for neighboring apartments, which will have to be located elsewhere, and cause spill -over impacts on the streets. • The 30% parking space reduction will cause spill -over parking impacts on the streets, making the vicinity more unlivable. • The site is NOT convenient to daily shopping destinations. Residents will need to car - commute elsewhere to do daily shopping and work. • Morro Street Bike Boulevard is a street, and it is not going to induce people to have only one car and a bike. People are more likely to have a second car to carry their bikes and gear elsewhere. Daily destinations are too far away for most people to choose to ride bikes. • Students are likely to occupy some of the condos, as is customary in San Luis Obispo, and they will bring more cars than even the required two spaces could accommodate. Office floor area and residential units should be eliminated to provide livable, comfortable residences and offices. Two -story residences and offices are more in context with the nearby buildings (the churches are landmarks and should be taller). The design should meet the City parking requirements. Save Our Downtown is agreed that the city ordinances should be followed. We believe waiving the ordinance parking standard in this case will have a significant negative impact on the neighborhood. If the city's ordinances have value they should only be waived when there are compelling reasons to do so. We do not find compelling reasons in this case. In fact there are compelling reasons to adhere to the existing parking standards. The exception allowance is too open- ended, "discretionary" and speculative. These standards should be revised, if not deleted, to require specific locational criteria, such as within a set distance from a bus stop or a grocery store. We suggest that you consider doing so in order to rely on the Variance as the method for exceptions. We hope that you will agree that this important location should be residential and fully parked Thank you for your consideration, s/ James Lopes Chairperson 1336 Sweet Bay Lane San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805 - 602 -1365