HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-16-2014 SS1 WhitneyChristian, Kevin
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Anthony J. Mejia, MMC
San Luis Obispo City Clerk
Anthony Mejia
City Clerk
1 Y A
COUNCIL MEETING: X Z- t 2m�y
ITEM NO.: 55,k - _
Mejia, Anthony
Saturday, December 13, 2014 2:55 PM
Christian, Kevin
FW: I support a rental inspection program-correspondence for Study Session Dec 16
Study Session.doc
t DEC 15 2014
City Administration
City Clerk's Office
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 -3249
E amejia @slocity.org
T 805.781.7102
slocity.org
From: sharon @sharonwhitney.com
Sent: 12/13/2014 1:54 PM
To: Melia, Anthony
Cc: an; Carpenter, Dan; Christianson, Carlyn; driviore; Ashbaugh, John
Subject: I support a rental inspection program_correspondence for Study Session Dec 16
Please see my attached input.
i
Study Session, Rental Inspection Program, SLO City Council, December 16, 2014
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council,
My name is Sharon Whitney. I live rent free with my mother, Dorothy Conner, at
216 Albert Drive, San Luis Obispo, the occupant owner of this single - family dwelling in
an R -1 zone. Sixty - percent of the housing stock in our Alta Vista neighborhood is
rented, mostly to groups of five or six young people who attend Cal Poly. From my
drive- and - walk -bys within our neighborhood, I see that, with some notable exceptions,
the exterior of the rental dwellings are well- maintained, even though most of the
owners live outside of town. I have no idea about the quality of the interiors of these
rentals; I imagine most would pass any periodic rental inspection for occupant health,
safety, and welfare with flying colors. That, of course, is as it should be.
The problem, of course, comes for those operations flying beneath the radar of
casual observers like me. For example, a drive or walk -by of the three houses recently
bought by Cal Poly on Grand Avenue near the corner of Slack never lifted my eyebrow
of suspicion to the apparently horrible conditions on the inside. A proactive rental
inspection might have deterred this situation.
Another thing probably off - the -radar screen is how many residential rental
owners lack a business license or don't pay a business tax. A pro- active rental
inspection program might improve that. It is doubtful that a reasonable inspection fee
would have any significant impact on the rental market in Alta Vista. However, if it
increased owner - occupation rates, I would consider that a good thing.