HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/9/2019 Item 4, Martin
Purrington, Teresa
From:Jean Martin <jmartin535@charter.net>
Sent:Saturday, September 7, 2019 6:39 PM
To:CityClerk
Cc:Scott, Shawna
Subject:ARC correspondence on 545 Higuera
Dear Architectural Review Commissioners:
I’m writing to you about the proposed 50,000-square-foot development, 545 Higuera Street, next door to my 1,000-
square-foot home, the 1876 Master List Robert Pollard House.
The Measurement of the Ground Water Is Too High: The Ground will not hold the weight of a 4-story building. This area
was all marsh years ago. The groundwater was measured last summer, and it was determined the land would not hold
even a 3-story building.
All the new buildings in this area right near my house and the Master List Norcross House, the Master List Kaetzel
House, the Pinho House, the National Registered Jack House, etc., must be compatible with these historic houses, which
include the oldest wooden buildings in San Luis Obispo. Coast National Bank had to build their building to be compatible
with the Jack House. Look at the architectural design. There is the widow’s walk, and the hipped roof is slate out of
Vermont. The Manse on Marsh had to be designed with multiple roofs and setbacks so as not to overwhelm the
surrounding historic buildings, including single-family homes like mine.
Lisa Portnoff Crehan owns the Victorian Henry House at 508 Higuera Street and she also owns the land under the
Chevron Service Station on the 400 block of Higuera Street as the important entrance to our city of San Luis Obispo. She
had strict rules to abide by so as not to block the view of the mountains and the one and two story buildings in this
area. These city guidelines are still on the books, and you should continue to apply them today and on into future.
The 1876 Master List Pollard House is the oldest wooden building in San Luis Obispo in its original location, and I have
lived in it since 1935, my whole life. This development will loom over my one-story house next door and the other one-
and two story houses and one-story small businesses that characterize this historic neighborhood. It will destroy my
privacy. I will always oppose any building over 2 stories so as to be compatible with this oldest neighborhood in San Luis
Obispo. The buildings must be beautiful like the bank and break up walls and roofs like the Manse.
Jean A. Martin, M.A.
84 years living in this 1876 Robert Pollard Home
535 Higuera Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
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