HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-12-2013 pc hilstein 2-Goodwin,Heather
RECEIVE D
JAN 07 201 3
SLO CITY CLER K
Sent:Monday, January 07, 2013 12 :45 P M
To:Goodwin, Heathe r
Subject :FW: Homeless Service Center, Rebuttal to your Viewpoint Sunday, January 5
Heather ,
Please add this to public correspondence for the Homelessness Workshop .
Thank you .
maeve kenneOy q Ime s
City Cler k
city of san lull osisp o
990 Palm Stree t
San Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1
phone : (805) 781-710 2
email: mgrimes@slocity .org
From :Carter, AndrewSent:Monday, January 07, 2013 12 :44 P MTo:Grimes, Maev e*Subject:FW : Homeless Service Center, Rebuttal to your Viewpoint, Sunday, January 5
Public fil e
Andrew Carte r
From :Steve Hilstein/Music Motive [mailto :stevehilstein@gmail .com]Sent:Monday, January 07, 2013 7 :59 A MTo:Gail Johnso nCc: Ashbaugh, John; Dee Torres ;jassoat@charter .net ;Marx, Jan ; Smith, Kathy ; Carter, Andrew ; Carpenter, Dan ;
fmecham@co .slo .ca .us ;baibson@co .slo .ca .us;ahill@co .slo .ca .us ;pteixeira@co .slo .ca .us;ioatterson@co .slo .ca .us
Subject :Re : Homeless Service Center, Rebuttal to your Viewpoint, Sunday, January 5
Thank you, Gail, for this well written, factual rebuttal . I agree . CAPSLO, the panel of folks, and politicians wh o
are trying to put the Homeless Center at this location must be held accountable for the damage, safety, an d
losses that it will cause to neighboring businesses and residences .
Steve Hilstei nMusic Motiv eest. (originally as "Drum Circuit") 198 83440 S . Higuera St . #13 0San Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1
•tel :805-543-0377 ext . 110
email :steve(a~musicmotive .co m
'website :www .musicmotive .co m
On Jan 7, 2013, at 12 :38 AM, Gail Johnson wrote :
Dear Messrs . Ashbaugh, Christenson, Spatafore & Mss . Johnson, Torres, Coughlin, Lacey and Menges :
My business has been located in the area near Prado Day Center for 11 years . In that time the issues related to
homelessness have grown progressively worse . "Camping" in vehicles, with the associated vagrancy, noise ,
inappropriate behavior, animal control problems and sewage disposal, is an ongoing problem . In just the las t
two years my car has been broken in to, my property vandalized, my water appropriated, my gas syphoned .I
have recently altered my hours of business so that it's not necessary to work late in to the night . Your January 5
"Viewpoint" acknowledges the problems we have faced due to our proximity to the Prado facility and suggest s
that the Homeless Service Center proposed for S . Higuera will create additional hazards for the neighbors of th e
center .
You suggest that we should proceed with the project essentially as proposed and "explore options to mitigate it s
impact". This statement is admission that THERE WILL BE an impact . The spokespeople for the HSC hav e
been candid and unapologetic about heaping the added cost of law enforcement on the community . All th e
while, neighbors are already paying to repair our property, paying insurance deductibles and higher premiums ,
cleaning up after curbside residents and their pets, altering our schedules to avoid peril and spending ou r
precious time "managing" a situation that is not of our making . There has even been a suggestion that a n
"assessment district" be formed to charge the surrounding businesses a fee to help pay for the additional security
and law enforcement that will be needed, further admission that problems are anticipated . Gee, let's see . I f
*there is a better way to discourage business and harm property values, I can't think of one .
I have read and studied CAPSLO's "Mission Statement" and "Good Neighbor" policy . With all due respect, i t
reads like a college term paper . I would like to see a document similar to a business plan . The track record o f
Homeless Shelters' impact on surrounding neighborhoods is dismal . You are asking us to approve a risky bet
based on flowery phrases and lofty goals . I want to see the data, the numbers, the statistics, the projections, th e
funding sources . The questions have been asked by Mr . Thoma. When will the answers be forthcoming ?
Personally, I would like to see an environmental EIR, an economic EIR, analysis of proposed programs, an d
SPECIFICALLY HOW AND WHERE THE EVALUATION AND INTAKE OF PARTICIPANTS WIL L
OCCUR, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ACCEPTED AT THE SHELTER . If I
have read your own documents correctly, after allowing for common area and office spaces, your 200 be d
facility will allow for approximately 60 square feet per resident . Is this really feasible? According to your ow n
documents, the proposed Homeless Service Center will be designed to serve the entire county . How is thi s
location, smaller than the site of the nearby Motel 6, possibly going to be able to replace the Maxine Lewi s
Center, offer all of the services you propose AND supplement facilities throughout the county? You say tha t
"many alternative sites were evaluated". Which sites are they and how were they evaluated? Where's the data ?
Your Viewpoint piece also states that "throughout the process we have requested input from all over the
county". In what way have you requested input? I do not recall ever being asked about this project, and onl y
became aware of it in the last few weeks . You may have "informed" the owners of neighboring properties "t o
the letter of the law" (and I don't even recall getting the requisite post card), but you ABSOLUTELY DID NO T
work with the stakeholders at the beginning of planning process . Is it your intention to call all of th e
neighboring property owners and business owners liars? Believe me : because of the problems we are alread y
facing, I would have been alert to the suggestion that a larger homeless center was in the works .
2
Why do we "need to move forward" with this project, as you assert? Just because the property is "free" an d
.expedient is no reason to force an inappropriate use upon it . Creative site solutions are available if CAPSL O
and the advocates of the Homeless Service Center were truly open to investigating them . Respectfully, if yo uadWgenuinely, openly and honestly involved the stakeholders at the beginning of the process (per you r
iewpoint : 5 years!), you would not be hitting this roadblock today .
I realize that homelessness is a complicated and systemic problem ; solutions will require involvement from al l
levels of society and be refined over decades . Although this letter addresses only the South Higuera location o f
the proposed Homeless Service Center, it in no way indicates that my concern and understanding is myopic .
Gail Johnson
Johnson Framing Studi o
est . March, 198 5
www .johnsongalleryslo .co m
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