HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/4/2025 Item 6a, Christy
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Subject:Christy.Council.SLOMA.November 2025
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1
DAVE CHRISTY
2582 FLORA STREET
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
November 3, 2022
Dear Mayor Stewart and Councilmembers Boswell, Francis, Marx and Shoresman:
I am writing to encourage your support of the SLO Museum of Art’s request for support of its
expansion plans.
Over my four decades as a professor, dean and provost at several university business schools, I
have long believed that true economic impact is about much more than the dollars spun off by any
enterprise.
Effective business leaders know that their success depends on attracting and retaining the best
talent, and they know that it is vastly easier to do that if their business is located in a community
that offers effective government, good schools, excellent health care, abundant recreational
opportunities and a thriving cultural scene.
In turn, these talented employees are the citizens most likely to be engaged in our community,
provide financial and volunteer support for local non-profits, and attract more people with similar
values. This is the picture of a healthy community.
SLOMA’s project presents a rare opportunity to link the heart of downtown to the long-planned
Cultural Arts District – and for a relatively small investment.
I want to call out two details in SLOMA’s plans that are very appealing appeal to me:
- With modern HVAC and a 4,000-sf gallery in the Higuera space, SLOMA will be able to
mount national touring exhibits like the current “Monet to Matisse” now showing at the
Santa Barbara Museum of Art in partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art.
- By activating the patio and Creekside walkway behind the Higuera Street storefronts,
SLOMA will effectively link the heart of downtown to the Cultural Arts District. SLOMA’s
activation plans will encourage downtown visitors to make the short walk – less than 3
minutes! – from Higuera Street to the Cultural Arts District, to further explore SLOMA at
1010 Broad, and to enjoy SLO REP, the Children’s Museum, the Mission Museum and
Mission Plaza.
Time and again, history has proven that whenever government and the private sector join hands,
the outcomes often exceed our highest expectations. Let’s do this together.
Sincerely,
Dave Christy
Retired Community Resident
Professor and Dean (emeritus), Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business