HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/16/2018 Item 2, Hewitt
Goodwin, Heather
From:Crissa Hewitt <chewitt@calpoly.edu>
Sent:Monday, July
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:ARC communication
Dear committee,
It is very discouraging that the scale of the 790 Foothill project is being recommended to be built.
1. Despite the increase of openings this building is still too massive in fact and visually.
2. The picture description creates a street intersection (Chorro and Foothill) that is a widely out of scale image. This type
of rendering seems to be standard procedure and creates idyllic images of what in reality are far from the actual.
3. There needs to be an actual assessment of the five shopping centers that exist in the area. Issues. Unfilled spaces
and duplication
(Foothill Plaza, university Square, the Starbucks area, the complex including Taj Palace, the area behind the Shell
station. And of course whatever is put at 22 Chorro.
The Foothill plaza has many unfilled spots that show no signs of being filled. Two years of facade remodeling at
considerable business disruption to businesses and leaving of several established businesses.
I believe there are vacancies in most of the other centers. Some recent departures (Subway, Carl's Jr due to high rent
and unmet time commitment (remodel).
4. There is a real question re what commercial operations are still needed in this area.
1. Exist, wide variety of food options, fast food and restaurants. Many different ethnic choices. Also,
Nail, hair style, barber, tanning salon
Three coffee houses plus donut shop
Ups
Bike shop
Drug store
ATM and full bank
Party shop
Others I am not familiar with.
So to have more commercial space (22Chorro and 790 Foothill) will only create greater traffic and parking issues and
have little added value to the existing choices.
There are some gaps in commercial on this side of town.
1. The most glaring being no drug store on the south side of Foothill that is easily accessible to residents of The Villages.
Walking to Rite Aid is a challenge.
2. This area would benefit from having a hardware store.
None of the storefronts are designed with this type of business in mind. No one has done any local resident surveying re
local commercial needs not already met. Duplication already abounds.
If commercial is removed the building could be lowered by one story. Sure that this will not fly, but please appreciate
how much dislike there is due to all the massive buildings being proposed here and downtown. Just because it might be
legal due to the low income housing, does not make it right.
I will not be able to make it this evening but tend to think none of our protests carry any weight. No one is protesting
low income housing...just the inappropriateness of the volume of added residents, buildings that are far too big for the
area, increased traffic on a Blvd that is already a dangerous mess, and consistent lack of government respect for the
wishes of a neighborhood.
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Just putting more architectural decoration on the building does not alter the size and overload impact of the project.
Change happens, but this project is destruction.
Please listen to us.
Thank you
Crissa Hewitt
69 Benton Way
SLO 93405
41 year resident.
Sent from my iPad
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