HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-2018 - Item 2 - Hewitt1
Tonikian, Victoria
From:Crissa Hewitt <
Sent:Tuesday, May 08, 2018 1:32 AM
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:ARC 5/7/18 meeting
Dear ARC
I heard some thoughtful questions this evening from the Committee. Thank you. It means a lot.
I attended part of tonight's meeting so do not know what took place after the 7:00 break. Had to complete a project of
my own. Decided to write these thoughts vs speaking tonight. This is a follow up to my letter of a few days ago.
From what I heard, the only speakers in support of the Foothill project were the builders. Hope that you are getting a
sense of how frustrated and discouraged and angry the residents in this area are. A very important topic was spoken to
tonight. The process of developing projects in the city presents a very real problem. Those residents who are affected
the most by implementation of a project are the last ones to be informed. This process results in being seen always as
the "objectors", haters of change, auto enthusiasts, anti climate change, and in general, a pain.
This is not who we are. There are many long term property owners, professionals, young and retired. We are city
planners, architects, teachers, nurses, doctors, business owners, single, married, divorced, ...the area is Stable with
natural patterns of change and growth.
With this developer's three high density housing projects and the demands of a group of bicycle riders for traffic flow
alterations, this long established neighborhood is feeling under siege.
In this case, here are some things that I have found particularly annoying (but I know I am not alone).
1. Engineer and architect visual presentations continually depict the local streets much too wide and with too few cars.
Gives a false rendering that serves to justify the project.
2. Density is the bottom line here. If this project were really about low income housing and was perhaps one third its
current size inc height, the reaction would be much different.
3. Is anyone asking what the commercial use will be? The newly remodeled Foothill Plaza (which is over two years in
the doing and business owners have not been treated well) has 5 or 6 vacant spots with no indication that any have
prospective occupants as usually indicated by "coming soon" signs in windows. These are all small footprints inc the
proposed Foothill complex. We have plenty of food outlets. A hardware would be helpful and save on cross town
driving.
4. The attitude here is that local govt does not give a damn about the residents on this side of town. We are fast running
out options and time. Putting our neighborhoods in jeopardy for greed and the promise of a non provable result of less
cars and massive increase in bicycle ridership are not good reasons. oversized buildings should not be rationalized with
unprovable projections.
5. What I saw was one entrance/exit at Broad and Foothill. Doesn't seem too good for quick exit in case of fire or any
other emergency. In the Foothill plaza, the only viable driveway on Broad was recently curbed over. The remaining two
do not allow two way traffic to flow without considerable risk of collision.
5. Does it occur to anyone that parking your car in an elevator garage will tend to discourage use due to time involved in
getting your car? Alternative power source? How is this in keeping with the save our planet rationale used by the
developers. Charging for parking will help insure that residents don't use it...the street is free.
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There is no sense that the developers or the city government have been willing to hear the pain and anger the residents
are experiencing. Is anyone listening?
Concerned resident
Crissa Hewitt
69 Benton Way
chewitt@calpoly.edu.
Sent from my iPad