HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-30-2017 ARC Correspondence - Item 1 (Lipper) Meeting: �AW I . �o - V/—
From: Al Lipper < item:
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2017 2:44 PM RECEIVED
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
To: Advisory Bodies
Subject: ARC communication JAN 3 0 2017
ARC Chair and Commissioners: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
First, I know you donate countless hours to your position and the ARC, and I want to thank you for this.
I'm writing to you to express my deep concern over the proposed development of 71 Palomar.
There are several key issues that need to be addressed:
The report from the tree commission needs to be completed and reviewed. As has been indicated in prior
presentations, the trees on the site form an important part of the architectural landscape. Removing them as proposed
would devastate the setting and the majesty of the house.
2. The mass and scale of the proposed development coupled with the plan to move the house dwarfs the original house
and makes it seem pushed aside so as not to get in the way (which I suppose is in fact what is being done). This doesn't
seem consistent with good design.
I mean, imagine that an architectural student submitted a design of a development for a vacant lot somewhere else that
looked like what this plan proposes. I expect most professors would be taken aback at how out of place and poorly
positioned the smaller "main house" was. What would you say if a student (or architect for that matter) submitted a
clean -slate design like this to you?
3. The rooms are clearly designed to accommodate at least twice as many occupants as proposed. Even the developer
hasn't denied that this is student housing (despite the "workforce housing" designation in certain documents).
I urge you to look at the big picture here and consider the true implications of this project on our community.
The owner of the property is certainly entitled to build a development on it. But the proposed project is simply too
large for the property considering it is home to the Historic Sanford House, as well as architectural compatibility with
the surrounding neighborhood.
I know you took this position on the ARC because you want to serve the city and its people. I believe that you're not
going to let a developer just check all the right boxes so that he can create a development that is devastating to the
surrounding neighborhood. And I want to thank you for this.
I am grateful for your honest consideration.
-- Al Lipper