HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/5/2024 Item 8a, Rowley
Sandra Rowley <
To:Stewart, Erica A; Marx, Jan; Pease, Andy; Francis, Emily; Shoresman, Michelle; E-mail
Council Website
Subject:Item 8a, Study Session on Housing Needs/Opportunities
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Dear Mayor Stewart and Members of the Council,
Much of the staff report concentrates on those in the lower incomes and the homeless including those in need of services,
while admitting that those in the middle incomes are being left out of the housing market too. You can do something for
them as well. Staff has been meeting with various faith institutions; they can also be directed to meet with Cal Poly
representatives, and the Trustees and members of the state assembly and senate if necessary, to strongly encourage Cal
Poly to provide more on-campus housing - soon.
Per the staff report, SB4 also provides affordable housing opportunities on land owned by higher education institutions
(sunsets Jan 1, 2036). Cal Poly possesses a larger amount of land than all other universities in the California State
University System; staff and council members should be talking to them.
San Luis Obispo has become a mecca for investors and investor groups. Our housing market is so attractive because of
the number of students who are not housed on the Cal Poly campus - and the fact that it is more lucrative to rent to
several individuals who come from different families than it is to rent to a single family. These investors/investment
groups are able to out-bid families looking to purchase a home here and they do so willingly because of the return on
investment they accrue through the rent. This affects the middle income families who have jobs but are priced out of the
housing market, both as renters and owners.
San Luis Obispo is a small city so Cal Poly's ever increasing enrollment without a corresponding increase in on-campus
housing has more effect than, for example, San Diego State has on the city of San Diego. The higher rents that can be
obtained from several unrelated adults (in our case, students) increase the value of not only that property, but
unfortunately, the value of all properties in the city. Just look at a sampling of rentals on Craig's List; the eleven I looked
at ranged from $1,050 to $1,950 per month per bedroom (an average of $1,437 per month per bedroom) - and that
doesn't include the utilities or the deposit.
Cal Poly also has a role, a large role, in addressing the city's housing needs and they should not be overlooked when
trying to persuade those with available land to use it for housing.
Sincerely,
Sandra Rowley
SLO resident
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P.S. With the addition of ADU's, JADU's and smaller lot sizes for R-1 properties it would be informative to know if the R-1
density of 7 units per acre is still applicable, if it has changed in SLO and, if so what the actual R-1 density is today.
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