HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/6/2025 Item 7b, Whalen
Rachel Whalen <
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Jim Dantona; Tway, Timothea (Timmi); Corey, Tyler
Subject:May 6th Council Meeting Agenda Item 7b
Dear Mayor Stewart and Councilmembers,
On behalf of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, thank you for the opportunity to provide
feedback on the city's Airport Area Specific Plan.
We want to thank Timmi Tway and Tyler Corey for their work on this plan. We appreciate the city's pro
housing efforts and are happy to see the city developing creative ways to build more residential units.
Our board would like to offer the Chamber's support of the Airport Area Specific Plan update and the
housing that it will create.
We would also recommend that the Conditional Use Permit process for the Airport Area Specific Plan
follow the citywide threshold of 50 residential units or more. We would recommend that all projects
under the 50-unit threshold should be subject to a Director's Approval. We believe that this would help
speed up the process of development while still ensuring safe residential units that are compatible with
their commercial and manufacturing neighbors.
We understand that building residential units in a place where residential units have not previously been,
requires infrastructure improvements and the funding to maintain those improvements. Our board
recommends investigating the potential benefits the city could receive by developing a Community
Finance District within the entire Airport Area Specific Plan to help fund the infrastructure improvements
and maintenance.
Lastly, we want to ensure that residential uses in the Airport Area Specific Plan will not negatively impact
airport operations. Our local airport is a key component in the economic vitality of our region, and it is
important that we keep its operation and potential growth at the forefront while developing this plan.
Thank you again for your commitment to thoughtfully planning the future of the Airport Area. We
appreciate your leadership in advancing housing solutions and economic development. We look forward
to continued collaboration as the Airport Area Specific Plan moves forward.
Sincerely,
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Rachel Whalen
she/her/hers
Governmental Affairs Coordinator
805.786.2763
rachel@slochamber.org
895 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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