HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc - Bambi (Avila Ranch) 8/14/2017
Christian, Kevin
To:Gallagher, Carrie
Subject:RE: Avila Ranch Development
From: Harmon, Heidi
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2017 4:17 PM
To: Gallagher, Carrie <CGallagher@slocity.org>; Gallagher, Carrie <CGallagher@slocity.org>
Subject: FW: Avila Ranch Development
From: Bambi \[mailto:bbanys@gmail.com\]
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2017 11:27 AM
To: Harmon, Heidi <hharmon@slocity.org>; Christianson, Carlyn <cchristianson@slocity.org>; Rivoire, Dan
<DRivoire@slocity.org>; Pease, Andy <apease@slocity.org>; Gomez, Aaron <agomez@slocity.org>
Subject: Avila Ranch Development
I write to you as a new community member, having moved here recently from Silicon Valley. We purchased
our 10 acre property off Buckley Road and up-rooted our children because we wanted a better quality of life for
them. We left the congestion of medium and high density housing, relentless traffic on every city street and
freeway, and generalized unfriendliness of a highly developed area in favor of the welcoming community of
SLO. To say that I am shocked and alarmed to hear of the city’s intentional movement toward all that we left
behind is an understatement.
Avila Ranch, and large developments like it, do not serve the community of SLO. These housing developments
serve only the developers, at the expense of the community at large. Chasing the dream of ‘adequate’
affordable, medium to high density housing will forever change SLO. Traffic congestion will no longer be
confined to the freeways at rush hour, it will shift to every city street throughout the day impacting not just
commuters but all residents. Parking will become an even great challenge downtown, shifting people away from
what is currently a thriving and functional downtown. Public and private community services will be stretched
to, or beyond, their limits. The increase in day to day stress from traffic, parking and loss of scenic beauty
results in the kind of overall unfriendliness found in congested, larger communities.
As for Avila Ranch specifically, we will be out of town when this development is discussed at your meeting in
September. I can tell you that Buckley Road is already a busy street that can be a challenge to enter from side
streets during peak hours. I cannot see how the city will avoid adding stop signs and traffic lights, at financial
cost and with overall slow in traffic flow. The development plan seems to lack off street parking for the
majority of the units, a marker of true low quality housing and the kind of neighborhood SLO really should not
be adding to the community. Additionally, as an airport user, I can tell you that being located off the departure
end of the runway, where planes have their engines under highest power and therefore the loudest, will
absolutely create noise issues. Again, a marker of true low quality housing that will only be desirable at very
low prices and to those with no other options.
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SLO is such a desirable place to live precisely because of the current limitation in housing and thus overall
congestion. Those who live here appreciate SLO and embrace their place in a community. Please do not turn
SLO into another Silicon Valley sprawl of congestion and generalized unhappiness.
Best,
Bambi Banys
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