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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/19/2019 Item 2, Cooper Wilbanks, Megan To:Scott, Shawna Subject:RE: Letter To The Architectural Review Commission From: Allan Cooper < Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2019 4:47 PM To: Scott, Shawna <sscott@slocity.org>; racohen@slocity.org; Advisory Bodies <advisorybodies@slocity.org> Subject: Letter To The Architectural Review Commission Dear Shawna & Rachel - Would you kindly forward the letter attached below to the ARC. This is regarding the ARC's Monday, August 19, 2019 review of the proposed SLO Repertory Theater and the proposed Nipomo Street parking garage located at 609 & 633 Palm Street, 970 & 972 Nipomo Street and 610, 614 & 630 Monterey Streets. Thank you! - Allan Allan Cooper, Secretary - Save Our Downtown, San Luis Obispo, CA Website: www.SaveOurDowntownSLO.com 1 Save Our Downtown Seeking to protect and promote the historical character, design, livability and economic success of downtown San Luis Obispo. To: Architectural Review Commission Re: 609 Palm Street From: Allan Cooper, Secretary Save Our Downtown Date: August 17, 2019 NO AP NIF STI IMI NIPOMO STREET STREEFSCAPE PUBLIC USE AREA VEHICULAR OAK UNDERSTORY BUILDING FRONTAGE PRIMARY THEATRE ENTRY PEDESTRIAN 12' WALK BY AT CORN ER OF LANDSCAPE AREA SCULPTURE GARDEN ascreACS CIRCULATION OTHERS NIPOMO AND (THEATRE ONLY) AND NATIVE PLANT TOT EATER MONTEREY LANDSCAPE AND PARKING STRUCTURE The proposed design for the theater building brings to mind Bruce Fraser's City/County Library with its alternating color bands of brick. The City/County Library brings to mind the early 13th century Duomo of Siena which has on both the exterior and interior white and greenish -black marble in alternating stripes. What is puzzling is that neither have much contextual bearing on San Luis Obispo. Moreover, from a building typology point of view, one could easily mistake the theater for a parking garage (due to its extreme simplicity) and the parking garage for a theater (due to its extreme complexity). But most concerning is that it appears neither the architect of the garage (RRM - based in SLO) nor the architect of the theater (Bryce Engstrom - based in Arroyo Grande) made an effort to speak to each other. This is born out by the fact that there are no elevations included in your staff report showing both buildings juxtaposed side-by-side along Nipomo or Monterey Streets (with the exception of a perspective taken from Monterey Street). We can only assume that the contrast between these two buildings will be jarring. Before you approve this project, submittal of these drawings should be a mandatory requirement. ' r lf4 � a,� trrr e!v kARd ! 1 Our critique of the parking garage is that the Nipomo Street elevation is quite plain (as compared to the Palm Street elevation) and provides no buffer for pedestrians (with the exception of a setback) from the interior of the parking garage. In fact, the architect put more ornamentation on the east facade facing the adjacent properties than he did to the west (Nipomo Street) facade which is fully exposed to the public. The architect appears to be taking his cues from the Mission Prep School located nearby but the emphasis on the vertical (unlike the Mission Prep School) through the use of repetitive, narrow two -story -tall windows only serves to exaggerate the height of an already tall building. It is also strange that the more historically accurate proportions in window scale and placement of the Palm Street tower are not repeated on the Monterey Street tower which continues the exaggerated verticality of the 2nd and 3rd story windows. Finally, the staircase entry to the parking garage off Monterey Street brings to mind half of the horseshoe shaped staircase that leads to the Chateau de Fontainebleau and, because of its proximity to a tower and plaza, could be easily mistaken by those approaching from Monterey Street for the entrance to the theater. Given the importance of these two projects relative to their location downtown, we urge you to continue this project with direction. Continuance would also give you the opportunity to hear from the Cultural Heritage Committee as they will be reviewing this project on August 26th. Thank you!