The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About10/17/2006, CLR #1 - SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SLOCOG) AND SAN LUIS OBISPO REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORI MEETING, AGENDA.C' DATU417AU ITEM # ��i�i��llllllllli" "41111U l Llalson Pepont city oG san Luis oaispo October 5, 2006 To: Council Colleagues From: Dave Romero, MayorL�� Subject: San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG)and San Luis Obispo Regional Transportation Authority (SLORTA) October 4,2006 The following items are of particular interest to the City of San Luis Obispo: The Executive Director reported that polls have shown that Prop 1A (assuring that gasoline sales tax funds would be spent on roads rather than borrowed by the state to balance its budget) is expected to receive a 70% favorable vote. Prop 1B (a massive highway and road improvement bond) is favored by more than half of the voters according to polls. Locally, this will allow many projects, which are presently underfunded due to construction cost escalation, to move forward rapidly, thus providing some long-awaited traffic mitigation improvements for local communities. The Executive Director reported that the Cal Poly railroad pedestrian crossing north of Foothill Boulevard is now complete. The CalTrans Director reported that the South Street widening project is expected to be completed in October. Two projects, (a) the guardrails on 101 between Marsh and Broad Streets, and (b) paving various locations on 101, will be starting in October. We received a report that community gateway signs will be installed in San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Cambria, and San Simeon, as part of the Federal Scenic Byways Program for Highway 1. The Director reported that annual transit ridership grew by 8.6% from 2001 to 2006 (7% for SLO City). This compares favorably with the national increase of 7%. The Director reviewed a number of projects within the County which are awaiting funds prior to moving ahead. Approximately one-third of the projects are within or near San Luis Obispo. It is expected that funding provided by Props IA and 1B will expedite construction work. SLOCOG staff reported on the California Transportation Plan, which indicates that the current population of 35 million people travel 338 million vehicle miles per year. Within the next twenty years, population is expected to reach 45 million, traveling 500 million miles per year. CLQ ( - ( Li wn Report SLOCOGSLORTA 0 0 Staff presented a comprehensive report on "Round-abouts", explaining advantages and limitations. City staff is well aware of this approach to managing traffic through congested intersections and is planning to install a number of round-abouts in the annexation areas where adequate right-of-way is still available. Staff reported that the environmental impact report for Rte. 46 has finally been cleared. CalTrans expects to advertise within the next few months for the first construction phase, which will commence just east of Paso Robles. Construction work is expected to begin in November 2007. It is expected that the third phase of construction, near the rest stop, will be completed.in 2013.. The Board endorsed Prop IE (the Disaster and Flood Protection Bonds);Prop 84(Safe Drinking Water and Flood Control Bonds); and opposed Prop 90 (Government Acquisition of Private Property). SLORTA The SLORTA staff reported on negotiations for a lease and ultimate purchase of property for a transit maintenance facility which will be located off of Cross Street, south of Tank Farm Road. i Elaina Cano Barry Jones appeal forlarr lot „ _- _._ 'nK1Jl1 Page 1 RECEIVED From: Gail Jacobson <gailj26 @charter.net> OCT To: <PDunsmore@slocity.org> 1 u 2006 Date: 10/17/06 2:53PM Subject: Barry Jones appeal for larger lot SLO CITY CLERK To: Phil Dunsmore, Associate Planner Department of Community Development �C San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 October 16, 2006 l9C�9 ,�4TTy We are the neighbors directly to the south of Barry Jones' property CLERJL at 148 Broad St. In the 31 years we have lived here we have seen growth and development on many of the residential lots on both sides iJ0 011ZCc Tot of the creek in the 100 block north and south of Broad and Chorro, as R �L�ti1S�,r a/ZC well as on Murray and Mission streets around adjacent to the creek. I have never spoken out against any of these modification, but Barry Jones appears to have planned visions of an outsized urban mansion along our creek. Now deer lounge on the broadened lawn that appears along the creek there, and rabbits are snacks for red-tailed hawks and an occasional cougar.At night the bullfrogs proclaim their come-hither and raccoons have sexual encounters with sounds that travel for miles.We've had fish in the creek for a great egret to eat and for a local ichthyologist's delight.Who wouldn't love to park and parry in such an ideal"tropical"[Barry's word]garden? Now Iet.me mention the problems of moving closer to the creek. It would provide a larger surface for parking rather than absorbing the rain runoff from a storm.The broad, smooth surface has appearred recently where the bank had had a higher drop from the creek edge to the water.The wide bank at 148 Broad is unusual in this area. A lower north bank due to heavy storm runoff has threatened our shed. The closer the foundation of a house is to the creek,the larger the impact will be on properties further up the creek. And a word of warning! Lots of rainwater can move down the creek higher and wider than you would ever expect.After Alex Madonna built his road up Cerro San Luis in 1975, boulders, rocks, gravel came pouring off the mountain, and down Broad Street to the creek at Murray. Water pours off Bishop's peak, under Foothill and Ramona between Lucky's and the Morrison Church.We had two 100-year floods in about a 7-year period about 25 years ago. Our garage could have been used as a swimming several times each year. Finally, if San Luis Obispo wishes to remain a quaint mixture down town of the original residences of blue collar workers and larger older homes, adding a second, larger house to that creekside will reduce the quality of the of whole environs.The trend with Barry seems to be to ask for some exception should be granted to him, and if he doesn't get it, he'll final another way to obtain it. I remember the appeal to remove the"pine"trees from the back yard which devolved into removing some beech trees from the front and some redwoods from the rear yard. I heard the crack of the chainsaw when that redwood was felled. Gail Jacobson (Elaina Cano- Barry Jones appeal for lar lot 156 Broad St SLO CA 93405 Or<gailj26@charter.netb