HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-04-2018 - Item #3 - Meyer1
Tonikian, Victoria
From:Bell, Kyle
Sent:Wednesday, May 30, 2018 1:15 PM
To:Purrington, Teresa; Tonikian, Victoria
Subject:RE: Victoria and Caudill Mixed use
Good afternoon,
Please provide the email below as correspondence for the ARC hearing (Item 2) on June 4, 2018.
Kyle Bell
CDD Associate Planner
Community Development
919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3218
E KBell@slocity.org
T 805.781.7524
slocity.org
From: Eric Meyer <
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2017 4:47 PM
To: Bell, Kyle <KBell@slocity.org>
Subject: Victoria and Caudill Mixed use
Kyle,
As you may know… My wife and I own 778 Francis… immediately adjacent and next door to the the 8
unit proposal titled: "Victoria and Caudill Mixed Use".
The purpose of this email is two fold…
First is to ask that I be included in any notifications regarding this Caudill Victoria Mixed use
project/property (the subject property). This includes planning notifications, PC, ARC, TREE… etc.
Secondly, As part of this project approval, we are interested in the removal of the oak trees along the
southern property line on the Caudill/Victoria property. We would prefer to see city approved street
trees along the Victoria and Caudill streets frontages where the leaf litter will cause little or no damage
to neighboring properties. As you can see from the photos included below approximately 50% of the
subject property's oak tree canopy is overhanging our property.
Within the last 18 months these oak trees have caused approx 6k in damage to our property. $2000 in
damage to our metal roof… where the roof was rusted out and needed repair due to massive leaf litter
along both the north and south slopes of the roof. Another $1,700 bill for replacement gutters which
had rusted out and failed due to excessive branch, leaf and acorn litter. (there is so much weekly leaf
and acorn litter that the gutters need to be cleaned out once a month or they fail). Falling branches
broke the skylights… . Damage to the interior from water… etc etc.
Received: 05-30-2018
Meeting Date: 06-04-2018
Item Number: 3
2
Most seriously, because our property slopes downhill to the north and our driveway catch basin drains
are at the (low) end, our surface rain water all drains to the north low end of our parking area and then
gets pumped UP (southerly) to Francis street from this northerly catch basin via a grinder pump lift
station. But the leaf litter, small branches and acorns from these trees clog our catch basin drain pump
which results in pump failure… and then the rear building floods because it is below the street during a
rain with nowhere else for the water to go except through the building to the lower north side (subject
property). Even if we clean the catch basin, gutters and roof before a storm… the storm event itself
knocks enough detritus out of the trees such that in a large storm these assorted leaves, acorns and
branches can clog the gutters and or drain pump.
Ours are the metal buildings in the photos below.
We feel we can support the proposed mixed use project as this a great place for the high density
development proposed.… but we very much wish that the city please consider the impacts to the
neighbors from these existing trees… and require their removal (and replacement with city approved
street trees) through the entitlement process.
Large wide canopy oak trees are not an appropriate landscape choice for our city's densest zoning
(which this site is). They should be in parks, open space, R1 and R2 etc. (lower density sites) But to
require them to remain in the buildable areas of our most intensely zoned areas seems at odds with our
city's stated housing affordability goals. Removing the trees from from the buildable site and instead
requiring them to be replaced with city approved tree types over the sidewalk… where they will be a
benefit… will allow this site to fully realize all the housing it is capable of… and thereby better
accomplish our housing goals while also creating a more shady, green, walkable and pleasant street
environment for the neighborhood in general.
Please include this letter and it's photographic attachments in any materials sent to your tree
committee, ARC, Planning Commission etc. I wish it to remain part of the record available to them for
review.
Thank You!
Eric Meyer
Please send notifications to:
Eric Meyer
P.O. Box 16160
San Luis Obispo
CA 93406
Frenchbicycles@gmail.com
(805) 886‐0914
Yellowish white metal building under left side of the trees below is our rear (northerly building)
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3
Our metal building with grey roof is in center of this dated shot… mostly under the trees
<image003.jpg>
This more current shot shows the extent of the branches now covering our roof.
<image004.jpg>
Neighbor's trees almost completely covering our building
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‐‐
Eric Meyer
frenchbicycles@gmail.com