HomeMy WebLinkAboutComment Received 07-27-2017 - Froom Ranch (post-meeting) (Smith)RECEIVED
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
From: carolyn smith <
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2017 6:08 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
To: Advisory Bodies
Subject: July 26, 2017 Planning Commission Meeting - Item I - Froom Ranch EIR Scoping u�p
Chairman Stevenson and Commissioners:
As a long time resident of the Laguna Lake area I have several concerns that I feel should be
addressed in the EIR for this project:
1. Traffic: In the Land Use and Circulation Update survey, 91 % of the respondents rated air
quality and open space as very and most important. 74% rated traffic safety and
congestion management as very and most important. It's impossible to think that the
traffic congestion generated by all these projects is not going to erode those important
quality of life issues. The EIR should thoroughly study the traffic situation as a result of
this project and how it will exacerbate an already significant congestion problem. With the
San Luis Ranch and Avila Ranch projects utilizing the same road and intersections, a
serious traffic study based on reality, not just models, should be performed.
2. Prado Road Overpass: The Prado Road Overpass is being relied upon as a major
mitigation measure for traffic from all these developments, so it should be thoroughly
studied with a separate EIR, since there has never been an EIR on that extension. While
Staff may have reviewed this extension, I have never seen an actual EIR on it. It needs to
address the feasibility of the overpass and how it will actually reduce the traffic impacts
from these developments and not just move those impacts around.
3. Air Quality is another important concern. The traffic from this and the other two large
projects in the area will cause us our air quality to significantly deteriorate. It seems this
issue is being ignored by our commissions and council. It is a significant impact that
should not be taken lightly. Do we want the air quality of big cities who have grown so
much blue skies are turning gray? Air quality is another important quality of life issue that
residents and future residents treasure.
4. The 150 foot hillside encroachment should not even be studied, since it goes against our
General Plan, and if allowed, it could set a dangerous precedence for other projects
throughout the city. Open space and views are a vital part of this community and is one
of the reasons this is such a desirable place to live. If we let one developer break the
rule, then others will follow, destroying what our city has worked so hard over many years
to preserve.
5. 1 hope there will be viable alternatives in this EIR and not alternatives that are basically
infeasible—which I think is what occurred in the San Luis Ranch EIR. I would like to see
an alternative for this project that suggests a reduced sized project. I think a reduced
project would produce much less traffic, air, and other impacts without the additional
260+ residential housing units and/or the commercial. A reduced project could also
preserve more trees which will preserve bird and wildlife habitat. New trees do not
provide the same benefits that older trees do. No matter how many new trees you plant,
it will be take 20-30 years for them to provide the benefits of the mature trees.
6. Finally, while this may not be an EIR issue, there should be a study as to how this project
will effect our housing/jobs imbalance since there is a senior living business and
commercial that will generate lower paying jobs. If we continue to produce lower paying
jobs via new commercial development and have insufficient housing that workforce can
buy or rent, won't we be just exacerbating an existing problem?
Thank you for your consideration.
Carolyn Smith, SLO City resident