HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/17/2018 Item 11, McHugh
Purrington, Teresa
From:Kelly McHugh <kelly.m.mchugh@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, July
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:San Luis Ranch
Dear Mayor Harmon & Council members,
I am writing in support of the San Luis Ranch Project. In my experience, affordable workforce housing in SLO is lacking.
My story:
I’ve been a professional engineer for over 13 years. I lived in Chicago until September 2015. As a
professional engineer I was able to afford a new condo on my own. When I sold my condo I was able to find an
apartment in good condition at a reasonable price within a week.
When I transferred with my company SRAM to SLO I struggled to find an initial rental though I had been
looking for 3-4 months prior. Once I found a rental I was informed 1 week before moving out (truck already on
the way) that I could not move in for another 1-2 months. At the end of the lease I was not offered an extension
since the landlord wanted a relative who would be going to Cal Poly to move in.
Around that time my now husband also transferred to SLO and we looked buy but the quality of housing for
the price and the amount of work we’d need to do on something at our price point did not feel like a sound
investment. In the month we had to find a new home only found 2 possible rentals came up within my budget.
Both of them were previously occupied by college students and in poor shape. We picked one and as
anticipated- felt like we were living like college students as a professional couple in our late 30s.
After our 1 year lease expired we kept an eye on the rental and housing market. My husband also was
previously able to build a new 4BR home in Indianapolis where he transferred from. But even together
purchasing was still out of reach for us. We could each buy brand new places on our own where we moved from
and together in SLO we cannot afford one decent place.
We got lucky with our last move. We found a townhome rental in good condition with a landlord willing to
cut a deal for a professional couple. The price is high but at least we no longer feel like we’re living like college
students. It’s a step in the right direction but ultimately we want to own and not be handing several thousand
dollars over a month that we will never get back.
I can’t speak to what the issue is here- perhaps the shortage of supply, or investors driving prices higher, or perhaps the
number of college students. It’s all speculation on my part… but whatever the problem; somehow the San Luis Ranch
project inspires hope in me and my husband. SLO has felt like home to us since the day we set foot in it. The San Luis
Ranch project holds the possibility of a home we could settle into and build a family in.
Thanks for listening,
Kelly McHugh
824 Corriander Ln
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