HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-07-2017 Item 6, AyralRECEIVED
COUNCIL MEETING:
ITEM NO.: - 6- FEB 0 3 2017
From: On Behalf Of Odile Ayral
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2017 2:56 PM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.or >
Subject: Item 6--22 Chorro
Dear Mayor Harmon and City Council Members,
I don't understand the complexity of the laws that regulate the 22 Chorro project, but I do understand its impact
upon the safety and the health of the people who will live inside the building, those who presently live around
the property, and those who drive through an already very dangerous intersection. The City of Palo Alto and
other cities challenged the new law coming from Sacramento, and stood up for their residents. Their reasoning
went as follows: "While it may be frustrating for some developers to modify their projects to address concerns
about traffic, parking, massing and other development impacts, those affected by such projects have a right to
have their concerns considered" (June 2016). As of now, the only San Luis Obispo City officials to speak for
the people negatively affected by this project have been the Planning Commission. To say that the Planning
Commission was wrong in their interpretation of the new law while the old Council was right is to overlook the
serious impact this building will have upon the safety and health of the neighbors and small businesses in this
area.
I strongly disagree with the staff statement that "approval of the project would not result in significant effects
relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality." Easy to say for people who live miles away, but difficult
to swallow for those who live next door. The present traffic count at this intersection is unknown because the
City has not done a traffic study since the opening of University Square and Foothill Plaza. According to what
the City posted on line, the last study was done on January 27, 2016 (Milestone opened a month later, Lassen
in April, and California Market at the end of the year.) This last study shows a daily average of 18,858 cars
driving on Foothill, and a daily average of 5,090 cars driving on Chorro, that is to say almost 24,000 cars
mixing at that intersection each day. The present traffic count is probably much higher and the City needs to
complete a new traffic study so that we can fully understand the impact on safety in this area. Furthermore, the
angle of the intersection, which makes all lights visible at once, can be very confusing. I was a passenger in one
accident due to this problem, and, as a driver, I avoided another serious accident because I am now very wary of
this intersection. Unfortunately, neither the amount of traffic nor the angle of the intersection can be
mitigated. The same impossibility to mitigate goes for the cars that will go in and out of the new development
at the same time as other cars go in and out of Ferrini Square.
Presently, both sides of North Chorro and of Rougeot are bumper to bumper parked cars. Ferrini Square and
University Square are both completely full. There is simply no room to add any cars anywhere. You may be
able to mitigate some of the street parking problems brought by this development if you create parking districts
(as long as the city is willing to enforce them, which is often not the case), but you cannot mitigate the impact
upon University Square and Ferrini Square. These commercial areas will be forced to instigate a very
expensive system to prevent the invasion of their parking.
It is obvious to me and to anyone who is willing to listen to the residents that this project creates adverse
impacts upon the health and safety of future occupants, neighbors and businesses, and these impacts cannot be
mitigated. Therefore please uphold the appeal and deny the project. Thank you.
Odile Ayral