HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-04-2018 - Item #2 - Lynch1
Tonikian, Victoria
From:Cohen, Rachel
Sent:Monday, June 04, 2018 7:31 AM
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:ARC Item #2 correspondence
Attachments:Letter.odt
Please forward the attached letter to the ARC.
Rachel Cohen
Associate Planner
Community Development
919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3218
E rcohen@slocity.org
T 805.781.7574
slocity.org
From: Melinda Lynch <melindalynch75@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2018 9:02 PM
To: Cohen, Rachel <rcohen@slocity.org>
Subject: Fwd: Letter
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Forwarded message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
From: Melinda Lynch <
Date: Sat, Jun 2, 2018 at 8:58 PM
Subject: Letter
To: melindalynch75 <
Hi
Enclosed is the copy of my letter to the Architectural Review Committee.
Thank you,
Melinda Lynch
‐‐
Melinda Lynch
Festive Designs
www.festivedesignsslo.com
‐‐
Melinda Lynch
Festive Designs
Received: 06-04-2018
Meeting Date: 06-04-2018
Item Number: 2
2
www.festivedesignsslo.com
Rachel Cohen, Associate Planner
Community Development
919 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Dear Members of the Architectural Review Committee,
My name is Melinda Lynch. I am a Cal Poly alum, San Luis Obispo resident for
over 30 years, and local business owner. I have lived in my current home on Higuera
Street for over 10 years now. My home sits behind the wall where the Los Padres Inn is
currently located, and where this proposed building would cast its shadow.
I am submitting my letter again because this building is still on the for front of be-
ing allowed to be built as planned. This is out of proportion and extremely to big for the
space. I hope the committee is able to see what allowing huge buildings in small spaces
is doing to our town. This mind set seems to be the norm and truly is going to destroy
the character of our historical town building by building. I am asking you to please re-
consider these designs and not let them be developed as a 4 story hotel, it is way to tall. I
hope that this project doesn't go down in history as another huge architectural mistake
on Monterey Street.
My concerns fall within the scope of the following Land Use Element requirements:
1.7.5 Building Design and siting: All buildings and structures should be subordinate to
and in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
2.2.10 Compatible development: New buildings should respect existing buildings which
contribute to neighborhood historical or architectural character, in terms of size, spacing
and variety.
2.2.4 Residential next to Non-residential – Residential areas should be separated or
screened from incompatible, non-residential activities, including most commercial and
manufacturing businesses. Residential areas should be protected from encroachment by
detrimental commercial activities.
To the first point, a four story building is clearly not in harmony with the remain-
der of the block. It would be wildly off-scale and out of balance to everything around it.
There are a number of mature trees in our neighborhood that have grown very tall
throughout the course of their lifetime. There is no way a four story hotel could be con-
sidered “subordinate to” that landscape. Even when you go up the street to Quality
Suites, arguably the largest building in this neighborhood, it tops out at three stories.
In regards to compatible development, I beseech you to consider the historical sig-
nificance of Monterey Street to San Luis Obispo. From the Sinsheimer Bros. building,
which opened in 1884, to Muzio’s, which opened in 1913, to the Monday Club, which
opened in 1934- the extended downtown area has a reputation, and expectation of pre-
serving the city’s history and character whenever possible. Our neighborhood in particu-
lar is full of pristine craftsman-era homes, adobe style homes, and post-WW2 bunga-
lows. A shared feature of all of them is their short stature. A four-story hotel would in no
way be respecting the architectural character of the surrounding area. This proposal is
grossly unproportioned to the space that exists. I highly recommend scaling back to a
two story building; a project that would complement, not dominate the block.
Lastly, yet most importantly, this project would be detrimental to the lifestyles of
current residents in this neighborhood. A building of this height would completely block
the sun and cast a permanent shadow over myself, and my neighbors’ homes. The sheer
size of the proposed facility is an encroachment upon the residential area. Projects of
this magnitude need to be further separated from private homes. Perhaps my biggest
concern with this project is the parking situation. Between the medical offices and res-
taurants in the area, there is already very limited parking during the day. I refuse to battle
with overnight guests parking in front of my home, preventing my own family from
finding a space to park. That’s not fair to any of us. Every other hotel in the area is small
enough to be able to house the vehicles of their guests without negatively impacting the
neighborhood. There is no way a four story hotel could create enough self-sufficient
parking in the space allotted, without overflow into the streets.
While I understand the desire to maximize profits and squeeze every dollar out of
each square foot- this is not the place to do so. That kind of development is better suited
in the heart of downtown, away from traditional neighborhoods. I implore you to recon-
sider this project, reduce the scale, reduce the impact to the neighborhood, and respect
the historical integrity of the area.
Respectfully,
Melinda Lynch
1592 Higuera Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401