HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/26/2026 Item 5a, Hall
Michele Etchart Hall <
To:ericaastewart@gmail.com; Francis, Emily; Shoresman, Michelle; Marx, Jan; Boswell,
Mike; E-mail Council Website; njmslo19@aol.com
Subject:May 26 Code Enforcement Study Session
Attachments:Document.docx
1
Dear Mayor Stewart and Members of City Council,
I have been a resident of the Alta Vista neighborhood bordering Cal Poly for
forty-five years. During that time I have enrolled in many classes in various
departments, earned a Special Education credential, been present at
numerous athletic events and performances, and enjoyed many benefits of
living close to campus, not the least of which has always been the positive
energy of the students themselves. When I first moved in, the neighborhood
consisted of mostly Cal Poly faculty and staff along with other professionals
and their families. As the years went by many of those residents died or
moved on and their heirs sold family properties to investors who saw the
value of renting to students. Currently, students who rent off campus pay
substantially less for a room in a home than what it would cost in campus
housing. Cal Poly could have bought those properties, much as they have
done at Harvest Lofts, San Luis Ranch, and the new Vista Meadows. Had they
done so, this neighborhood would have attracted staff and faculty who could
afford to live in San Luis Obispo. Instead, Alta Vista is mostly student rentals.
The problem has been compounded by the construction of many ADU
buildings drastically increasing the population density and numbers of
vehicles.
The IFC wants to change the existing ordinances to provide an “Overlay”
which will largely change the protection in place for current residents. They
cite the example of Chico State in which the City of Chico has allowed the
overlay, but that is in effect only in R3 and R4 residential zones, not the R1 and
R2 they are proposing here. Chico has far fewer fraternities. The fact is there
are over sixty properties which function as fraternity houses near campus,
none of which are following the General Plan for the City of San Luis Obispo.
A far better solution would be for Cal Poly to establish a Greek Row
somewhere within its nine thousand acres. Much like the Ronca Tennis
Center, The Comeford Pavillion, and Baggett Stadium, the houses could be
paid for by alumni groups and Fraternity Property Investments or other
funding sources such as Alpha Fraternity Management Company.
I urge the City to uphold The General Plan policies to protect neighborhood
livability. If that means hiring more staff for code enforcement, I am in full
support.