HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-2015 PH1 Griffin 1Subject: FW: Upper Monterrey Street Hotel Proposal (to be reviewed 2/17/2015)
COUNCILMEETING: RECEIVES
From: Cindy Griffin [cindyslo @mac.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 5:27 PM St G CITY Cf ERKI
To: Christianson, Carlyn; Marx, Jan; Ashbaugh, John; Carpenter, Dan; Rivoire, Dan; Ben Griffin; Ma&Sbli, Angela- §off',- .- °-
Sharon Seitz; Mike Seitz
Subject: Upper Monterrey Street Hotel Proposal (to be reviewed 2/17/2015)
Dear Council Members,
As a member of the San Luis Drive neighborhood, I have taken a keen interest in plans
and developments for the Upper Monterrey Street hotel proposal of developers Firestone and
Parker. I want to begin by saying that I am NOT opposed to development of upper Monterrey
(which is a good thing, I believe), nor do I object to a hotel at that location. The concerns that I
DO have, as the hotel is currently proposed (in violation, I believe, of Ordinance 1130), are the
following:
1) The mass and scale of the hotel, relative to nearby development. Other hotels in the
area are 2 stories high. The new hotel is proposed to be 4 stories high, plus underground
parking, and it is planned for the HIGH side of the creek. This creates an elevation differential
of SEVEN stories, as I understand it. Such a dramatic elevation difference would create a
visual nightmare for both the (nearby) Julia Morgan- designed Monday Club, (an architectural
treasure), and the privacy of the neighbors across the creek. Although I am not one of the people
living on the creek, I care deeply about the well -being of my neighbors and my neighborhood.
SOLUTION: Lower the hotel by at least one story on the creek/ Monday Club sides.
2) The potential middle -of -the -night noise pollution created by a parking area that is not
entirely enclosed. I can think of nothing worse than sporadic all- night -long chirping and
beeping created by remote car door - opening devices. (The sound consultant hired by the
developers studied the noise created at 4 -6 pm, I believe, and he declared it to be non-
problematic. He would NOT be the individual living directly across the creek and trying to
sleep to the sounds of chirping and beeping for every night of the next 20 years or so).
SOLUTION: Enclose all areas of parking that impact neighbors.
3) The potential middle -of -the -night noise pollution created by "festive" hotel occupants
sitting on their creekside patios, beverage ( #1 or 2 or 3) in hand. While I understand that a 24-
hour front desk employee will be hired to address such concerns, that person would potentially
be called to intervene (night after night after night ?) once the damage is already done, not
before!
SOLUTION: Replace "full" balconies with shallow Juliette balconies, or eliminate
balconies entirely (as is the case with ALL nearby hotels) and design large picture windows to
replace them.
Thank you for your thoughtful attention to this matter, and thank you for making San Luis
Obispo the remarkable community that it is. I greatly appreciate your hard work and your
commitment to balancing the various (and sometimes conflicting) forces that are at play in
situations like this one.
Regar
ds,
Cindy & Ben Griffin
San Luis Drive Neighborhood residents