HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-03-16 ARC Correspondence - Item 3 (Cooper)Lomeli, Monique
Subject: ARC Item #3 - 1042 Olive Street
From: Allan Cooper [
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2016 9:11 PM
To: Advisory Bodies <advisorybodies@slocity.or,d>
Subject: ARC Item #3 -1042 Olive Street
R17CEIV ID
CITY OF SAN L'U15 OBISPO
OCT 0 3 20ib
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Meeting: V-10-00 -ISP
Itern:
Honorable Chair and Commissioners -
This project is clearly not consistent with the Community Design Guidelines. Staff has
stated that the massing of the buildings located along the north property line is not
"cohesive". Staff makes reference to a "three-story apartment structure" - actually a two-
story building with a tall mansard roof - which is located behind the proposed motel. It is
hard to understand why staff addresses this structure as it will not be visible once the
motel is completed.
What is even more odd is that staff makes little, if any, reference to the numerous other
structures adjoining Olive Street, structures which should be considered part of the
context. In fact these structures contribute to a cohesive pattern for the area in that they
are mostly two-story in height with gable roofs. The exceptions to this pattern are Ha Ha
Sushi & Grille, Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop and Cowgirl. Anticipating that the gable -
roofed, two-story Ramada motel, Budget motel, Best Value Inn and the historical Heritage
Inn will remain in tact for many more years, why should we ignore them as part of the
context?
The Community Design Guidelines are explicit. The following are General Design
Principles: "Consider the context. Review existing development near the site and consider
how the project can be designed to fit in with the best examples of appropriate site design
and architecture in the vicinity of the site... Provide pleasing transitions... Avoid "boxy"
structures with large, flat wall planes by articulating building forms and elevations to create
interesting rooflines, building shapes, and patterns of shade and shadow."
This building is not proportional in size or scale to the context, the colors are jarring and it
does not provide a sense of human scale. The architect clearly did not do the following: "In
designing a building, it is important to analyze the areas surrounding the building site to
find elements of compatibility that can be used in a new design."
Without duplicating the surrounding buildings, many of these concerns could be mitigated
by, for example, incorporating a structure with a pitched roof over some key building
element in order to "project a more small town image and reinforce the pedestrian scale"
apparent in the surrounding neighborhood. The first two floors should be emphasized
through manipulation of materials and color and incorporating a 4-6 foot deep step back
above the second floor. This would provide a more pleasing transition to the surrounding
two-story structures. The enormous, non-functional "picture frames" should be removed
from the front elevation to mitigate the "boxy" look - a look which is clearly inconsistent
with the surrounding context. Please continue this project with direction and thank you for
your time and consideration.
Allan Cooper, San Luis Obispo
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