HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2 - Hamlin
Purrington, Teresa
From:Robin Hamlin <robin.h@cox.net>
Sent:Tuesday, June 25, 2019 2:05 PM
To:Advisory Bodies
Cc:Leveille, Brian; Codron, Michael
Subject:Corrected email
Dear Chairman Haydu and Members Matteson, Brajkovich, Papp, Ulz, and Larrabee,
I was extremely disappointed that you allowed personal stories, testimonials about intended occupants, owners' need
for a big space for family, future building height allowances on Monterey, and the architect’s reputation to influence the
Cultural Heritage Committee’s recommendation on the 1355 Palm Street project’s conformance to Cultural Heritage
Committee guidelines. All those factors are 100% unrelated to project compatibility in the Mill Street Historical District.
All the more reason to protect it!!
Those are out-of-purview comments that need to be immediately noticed by you, Mr. Chair, or any of the other
committee members for that matter, and/or possibly by the City liaison, where you speak up and diligently remind the
other commissioners and the public that your job as the CHC is to look at compatibility and preservation factors only and
not to be influenced by sob stories or future possibilities and the like that are not cultural heritage related. It was
disappointing to hear committee members immediately voicing their agreement with personal comments, implying
they’d support the project based on such comments.
It’s also unfortunate that no one, including neither the City staff planner/liaison nor myself, pointed out that there is
absolutely no private outdoor yard or play area for children or adults in this plan. The driveway is it. And would parents
honestly choose to raise their baby in a three story house with no yard, a high balcony, and stairways at the bottom of a
steep driveway? You should have recommended that an ADU be added--- which some of you talked about---instead of a
big 1,366 sq. ft. house back-to-back five feet behind the front house. In hindsight, you should have PRESERVED at least
some safe, private yard space behind this historical home. I expect that this property will be sold shortly after
construction. Just watch.
Do your job and stick to the rules. Aren’t they like by-laws? Lead and run your committee to “preserve” resources, as
stressed in 01.080 Historic District Designation Purpose. And the resources are both structures and the land they’re on.
What’s the point of having a CHC if all you do is cave in to the Council's bidding to cram more housing near downtown
and then you bring that into so-called protected Historical District properties? Yes, you’ve set a 3-story house precedent
now on a listed historical property, (could it be much worse?) and no, you aren’t allowing the protected house to be torn
down. But without more backbone, you will let the pressure of housing housing HOUSING ruin the Mill Street Historical
District.
Instead, jam more housing into non-listed properties. There are plenty of them around to start with. Next time this issue
is before you, and it will happen, work to retain an historical property’s structure and land proportions. Listed historical
properties need your vigilance to keep at least a decent amount of green space for residents’ use. Eva, you got this and I
so wanted you to hold onto that. Land use first, then the ADU or additional house issue. It looked to me like a couple of
you realized the size of the addition was a problem but gave up your position, for what purpose?
And while you’re at it, with sustainability and walkability to downtown as parts of the SLO vision, isn’t it time to firmly
recommend parking space reductions and insist upon retaining some green space in core area projects? What’s the full
story behind Tom Martin stating that the City had "first required five parking spots" but then casually added “they”
reduced it to four? Who, why? You didn’t question this.
1
This is the exact kind of disgusting, hidden agenda-driven advisory body that makes me want to become a City Hall
gadfly.
I hope the CD Director will recognize, modify, and cure the size and yard problems as this project moves through
additional review.
Robin Hamlin
2