HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/19/2025 Item 8a, SLO Coastal Association of Realtors
Jocelyn Brennan <jocelyn@thehrmcorp.com>
Sent:Monday, August
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Item 8A
Attachments:SLOCAOR sewer lateral letter to SLO City.pdf
Please see the letter attached from the SLO Coastal Association of Realtors regarding Item 8A.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Jocelyn Brennan
(805) 748-7630
1
AUGUST 18, 2025
San Luis Obispo City Council
Via Email
Re: Item 8 A Private Sewer Lateral Program
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
On behalf of the San Luis Obispo Coastal Association of REALTORS®, I want to thank you
and City staff for keeping us informed and for actively listening to stakeholder feedback on
the private sewer lateral issue. We appreciate the City’s thoughtful engagement and
willingness to consider the perspectives of the housing and real estate community as this
program has developed.
We recognize the Riverwatch lawsuit which served as the impetus for this program has
concluded, and we commend the City for the proactive steps being taken to improve the
integrity of the sewer system. In particular, we appreciate the investments in upgrading the
sewer mains and the completion of the Wastewater System Flow Study, which provide d
critical data to guide the future of the program.
At the same time, we wish to highlight that requirements for private sewer lateral
inspections and replacements can significantly impact development costs, especially
within capacity-constrained areas where offsets are required. These additional costs
ultimately contribute to the rising price of housing and may limit opportunities for new
development in our already constrained housing market.
We believe the long-term success of this program will hinge on strong incentives and
rebates that encourage voluntary compliance and provide meaningful financial support for
homeowners. We view the $4,000 rebate as an excellent start, and we encourage the City
to continue pursuing robust incentives that ease the financial burden on homeowners
while maintaining a resilient sewer system.
Finally, while we remain committed to working with the City to ensure compliance during
escrow transactions, we would not support the adoption of any point -of -sale
requirements. Such measures would create barriers to housing turnover and place undue
burdens on buyers and sellers without addressing systemwide improvements in a
balanced way.
We value our partnership with the City and stand ready to collaborate as this program
evolves. Thank you again for your outreach and for your efforts to balance infrastructure
needs with housing affordability.
Sincerely,
Jocelyn Brennan
Government Affairs Director
San Luis Obispo Coastal Association of REALTORS®