HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/7/2024 Item 8a, Goswick
Jessica Goswick <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:5/7/24 City Council Meeting: Item 8 Housing Work Program Update
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Dear council,
Thank you for your continued support for housing in San Luis Obispo. It is clear from the staff report that
we are in a housing crisis and therefore housing must be a top priority, if not the top priority for the city.
Recently, I've been meeting with folks throughout the city interested in increasing housing production
and affordability to understand what could unlock more housing for our community. Our group includes
developers, architects, renters, homeowners, business owners, planners, and more who all agree that
the the city should declare housing production and affordability a top priority and carry that into
operations such as staff training and work plan budgets. I am excited to see this on the agenda tonight.
Below are a few items we recommend prioritizing in order to meet our housing goals faster and more cost
effectively:
Short-Term Work Plan
o With the idea of unclogging CDD’s backlog, bring back TIPP-FAST so that these items can
get moved through the system quickly and allow staff to work more on housing projects.
o Update the ADU code to match State law – currently we are using incorrect wording and
that is causing delays.
o Move the ARC/CHC process earlier in design and make it more collaborative
o In the Mid-Higuera area there is a requirement for flood control mitigation that is
impossible to meet, because of the use of the word “and”. Modify the requirement to the
state law standard and use the word “or” to unlock significant housing.
o Review and revise the downtown zoning section to be current
o Change parking requirements to parking recommendations
In the Medium-Term Existing Work Plan items:
o There is a work item for the Upper Monterey Special Focus Area. Change that to be a
“Corridors Special Focus Area” that looks at Upper Monterey from California down to Mid-
Higuera at Bridge Street. This has an enormous potential to unlock housing and distribute
the effects across the city rather than in one neighborhood. No neighborhood should be
exempt from change, but no neighborhood should be subject to radical change either.
In the Long-Term Existing Work Plan items:
o There is a section identified as “Other Incentives for Housing Continuum”. Let’s come up
with Density Bonus Plus. Using the State Density Bonus laws for creating affordable
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housing, the city should add additional incentives that make using density bonus law to
create affordable housing something all developers will want to utilize.
o Prioritize a bond measure or other source of public funding for BMR housing.
We know we have a crisis, it is time for bold action. Thank you all for your dedication to our community,
and I look forward to seeing the housing we create together.
Jessica Goswick
pronouns she/her/hers
Lecturer
Architecture Department
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
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www.calpoly.edu
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