HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-11-16 ARC Agenda Correspondence - Item 1 (White)CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO Meeting: 01- _I ` i (°� .
JAN 0 8 2016
Item:
Mad As Hell COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The only thing I remember from an old movie was people throwing up their windows and
shouting into the nighttime darkness, "I'm MAD AS HELL". That is exactly what I am right now
and here are the reasons, not in order of importance but merely as they spew forth:
• Lack of transparency on the part of the City
w No e-mail notice of this last minute ARC hearing despite the fact that I have told
everyone at ALL of the meetings associated with this project that I want notice. I gave my e-
mail address on ALL occasions so that the City didn't have to spend even 35 cents to notify me
by mail.
■ Told by City staff, that I was legally noticed through the legal notices on Saturday and
that was sufficient for this type of hearing. I can't even find the legal notice on my I -pad edition
of the Tribune. When I receive a hardcopy edition, I do not read legal notices from beginning to
end, especially when there is a City Council hearing scheduled on this very issue on Tuesday,
January 19th.
■ No means to reach the ARC members directly but rather forced to go through the
planner who is pushing this project and hope that correspondence is passed on in a timely
manner. I have been present at least one meeting, where a correspondence by Ken Schwartz was
overlooked and not given to the appropriate committee. Luckily, I had the time stamped copy
with me and forced the planner to copy it during my three minutes and present it to the
committee (PC or ARC, I don't remember which issue).
• Another City and City staff attempt to SNEAK a project through without community/resident
input. A few recent examples:
■ McCollum/Henderson administrative approval for a "family home" complete with
"nursery" that is in actual fact a Fraternity satellite.
■ 323 Grand Ave. for 4 mega sized "workforce" houses on 4 City approved substandard
mini -lots which were, in fact, being marketed as student housing while the developer lied to all
regarding the true purpose. Luckily this project was denied by the City Council on neighborhood
appeal.
■ Taft Street "workforce housing" approved and being built and now safely being
marketed as student housing which was always the intent. http://slo.crai sI� ist.orglapa/5385985736.iltmi
*Abusive staff tactics to exclude neighborhood input
■ It is not the neighbors problem that this developer was assured early on, by staff, that
his project would easily sail through with merely an Administrative hearing.
■The staff must have known (and hopefully not been advising the developer) when it
postponed the January 5th CC meeting to January 19th, that the developer (hopefully without
staff suggestion) was trying to circumvent the system by adding this ARC meeting. Why were
neighbors not informed at that time of the additional ARC meeting that was planned?
■Is this even legal? It seems that another City reviewing committee should not be
weighing in on a matter that has already been denied by the Planning Commission and is up for
City Council appeal.
■ Would we the neighbors, have been permitted to appeal to the ARC for support prior to
the City Council meeting? What standing would the ARC have had if we had? Would you have
given an opinion or ruling? Would we have ever been put on your agenda???
■The project has been denied by the PC and we are awaiting a ruling by the City Council.
This project should be tabled until that ruling is given. The ARC should have no say in this
project as it has never been officially presented to the ARC.
These are just a few of the thoughts that are making me MAD AS HELL. I will be preparing my
specific objections to this project and will present them during public comment at the Monday
ARC meeting.
Please see that this e-mail is sent to the other ARC members.
MAD AS HELL,
Linda White, co-chairman
Monterey Heights Neighbors
Sa,,,� 7,����—Off/
48 Buena Vista ARC Review
1 message
carolyn smith <
Reply -To: carolyn smith <
To: "
Dear Chairman Wynn,
Linda White <
Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 12:18 PM
I am unable to attend the January 11 th ARC meeting on the project located at 48 Buena
Vista, as I will be out of town. But I would like to express my protest against this process.
As a 36 year resident of San Luis Obispo, I am shocked at the obvious attempt by Staff to
circumvent the planning process in bringing this project to the ARC while an appeal before
the City Council is pending. I don't know if you are able to refuse to hear this matter at this
time, but if so, please do so. This hearing is premature and sets a dangerous precedence in
our city's planning process. It has the appearance of Staff attempting to force approval of
this project, despite the Planning Commission's denial, and by using the ARC as a tool
to sway Council in approving the project. It is also a waste of our tax dollars to hold an ARC
meeting prior to the appeal before City Council scheduled for January 19th. If the denial of
the project is upheld by the Council, Monday's ARC meeting will be irrelevant and will have
wasted staff time and your commission's time If the denial of the project is overturned by
the City Council, then the owner/developer can be placed on an ARC agenda following the
council meeting. Certainly, a minimal delay isn't unreasonable.
In any event, if you have no choice but to hear this matter, I would appreciate your careful
consideration of the Planning Commission's report denying this project and the reasons
included in that denial. The residents living near this project have spoken loudly and clearly
about the problems this project as proposed will create in their neighborhood and those
voices were heard by the Planning Commission. I ask that you look at this project with the
best interests of the safety, peace, and quality of life of the neighbors in mind, rather than
the desires of an out of toyn owner/developer who wants to push this project through
despite their legitimate concerns.
Thank you. Carolyn Smith, SLO