HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-07-2017 Item 6, SchwartzCOUNCIL MEETING:—2--1— 1 1 RECEIVED,
ITEM NO.; FEB 0 6 2017
'CLERK'
From: Kenneth Schwartz <
To: hharmonC7ar slocity.or ; apease slocity.org; a omen sloci .or ; cchristian c@.slocity.org; "Rivoire,
Dan" <drivoire slocity.orq>
Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2017 10:14 PM
Subject: Appeal to the City Council Re: ARC approval of 22 Chorro Street Apartment project
Mayor Harmon and Councilmembers Pease, Gomez, Christian and Rivoire,
I write this in strong support of Richard Racouilat's appeal to the action of our ARC's approval of the
project known as 22 Choro Street which is item #6 on your February 7. 2017 agenda.
I have read Mr. Racouilat's appeal very, very carefully and agree completely with his rationale for the
appeal. I urge you and your fellow council members to support his appeal and to support it
unanimously.
The project should never have been approved when first heard by our previous Council. It is clearly
an abomination; and a community planning aberration. How professional planners in our Community
Development Department could have justified approval of this project as presented is a complete
mystery and suggests that their understanding of the community planning objectives of our City
needs to be reevaluated. In architecture and in community planning
2 + 2 doesn't always equal 4. Good planners and good architects know that. Good developers should
know that as well.
As justification of my recommendation, allow me to list key elements of my background:
*SLO City Planning Commissioner for 8 years before and during the development of our first General
Plan.
*Mayor of SLO 1969 - 1979; which saw major improvements to our downtown including Mission
Plaza..
*One of five professional volunteers who produced the City's Downtown Concept Plan at no cost to
the City.
*Councilmember 1989 -2004
*Numerous Council committee assignments including appointments to: League of California Cities
Revenue and
Taxation Committee, Chair, Whale Rock Commission, SLO rep to County Council of Governments
*Commissioner, SLO County Planning Commission 8 years.
*Professor of Architecture, Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design, 36 years
including appointments
as Associate Dean and Interim Dean of the College.
*Studies of and visitations to "New Towns" in the UK, Sweden, Finland and France
*Advanced to Fellow in the American Institute of Architects as a result of work in education and local
government.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Kenneth E. Schwartz, FAIA
San Luis Obispo, CA