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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/16/2024 Item 7a, Axtell From:Brittani Axtell < To:E-mail Council Website Subject:Dana Street Parking Item #1 for July 16 meeting Attachments:Dana Street Parking Revision Proposal.pdf This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond. Hello Council Members, I hope this email finds you well and you all were able to have a fun and safe Fourth of July. My name is Dr. Brittani Axtell DTCM, L.Ac. and I am the owner of a business affected by the proposed revision to parking on Dana Street. I have written a letter included here in response to the proposal. Thank you for taking time to read this letter. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and at the City Council meeting on July 16th. Kindly, Dr. Brittani Axtell DTCM, LAc. 1 To: City of San Luis Obispo Council Members 900 Palm Street San Luis Obispo CA 93401 From: Dr. Brittani Axtell DTCM, L.Ac. Replenish Acupuncture Inc. Date: July 7, 2024 Subject: Response to Proposed Dana Street Parking District Revisions/10-Hour Parking Dear City Council Members, I am writing to express my concerns about the recent proposal to restrict business and resident parking with the addition of 10-hour parking meters in the Dana Street Parking District. While I understand the council's desire to address parking issues, I believe the current construction and proposed 10-hour meters have created and will continue to create unintended consequences that negatively impact residents and businesses in the area. As the owner of Replenish Acupuncture I provide medical services to the community. In the last month, my patients have included an 85-year-old with sciatica, low back pain and difficulty walking, an acute tear to ankle ligaments requiring limited use, a lateral knee laceration with 26 stitches and foot neuropathy and pain triggered by walking. Current construction has made it challenging for these patients to receive medical treatments and they are always grateful when close parking is available. I have assured them this is a temporary situation and although there have been complaints, many understand the construction issue is temporary and acceptable for the time being. Hower, I am firmly against the addition of 10-hour meters replacing current parking for my patients and the clients of A French Touch, The Christian Science Reading Room, and Anderson’s Barber Shop. It is absurd to think we as business owners at the Soda Water Works Building and our clientele will need to park far from our primary business locations in a Parking District designed to resolve this issue. The addition of 10-hour meters will make it more challenging for customers to visit our businesses, potentially leading to a decline in patronage. They will limit the number of parking spaces available for the Dana Street businesses and residents and create a new unintended parking problem for those who have occupied the area for years, decades and dare I say, a century (the original Soda Water Works Building was built in 1888 and has been in the Leitcher family since 1928). The data collected to suggest parking on Dana Street is underutilized is inaccurate because the businesses at the Soda Water Works have restricted parking permits and are required to leave Dana Street by 6pm and the residents of 421 Dana Street have been denied parking permits. Adjustments to both restrictions would prove we as the businesses of Dana Street are inconvenienced daily and would happily remain parked on Dana Street past 6pm and the residents at 421 Dana Street are in desperate need of additional parking. The “underuse” of parking on Dana Street is NOT due to lack of desire to park, but rather a legal inability to use the street we work and live on. I am in full support of the residents at 421 Dana Street receiving parking permits and I would like to propose the businesses at the Soda Water Works receive unrestricted permits so we may better serve the community. It is disheartening to not offer appointments for those who work until 5pm because I must move my car by 6pm. I urge the city council to reconsider this proposal and explore alternative solutions that address parking concerns while maintaining a sense of fairness and accessibility for residents and businesses. I believe there is a solution that balances the needs of residents, businesses, and the city as a whole. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Dr. Brittani Axtell DTCM, L.Ac.