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Home My WebLink About06/16/2020 cc - Cooper (Social Distancing & Housing Density) Wilbanks, Megan From:Allan Cooper < To:Cohen, Rachel; Codron, Michael; Advisory Bodies; emailcitycouncil@slocity.org Subject:Review of the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Attachments:506_15_20...lettertopc.pdf Dear Rachel Cohen, Michael Codron, Planning Commissioners and City Council - I'm hoping that you might find the time to read this letter. Also, I'm asking you to please forward the attached letter to the City's correspondence file. This letter pertains to the profound impact that social distancing will have on housing density. Thank you! - Allan 1 Save Our Downtown ______________________________________________________________________________ Seeking to protect and promote the historical character, design, livability and economic success of downtown San Luis Obispo. To: San Luis Obispo Planning Commission, Michael Codron and SLO City Council Re: June 10, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting; Review of the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update From: Allan Cooper, Secretary Save Our Downtown Date: June 15, 2020 Honorable Commissioners - When staff presented their draft version of SLO’s Housing Element Update to the Planning Commission on June 10, 2020 there was a conspicuous and surprising omission. No mention was made of this pandemic’s and future pandemic's new social distancing requirements. Social distancing will have a profound impact on housing density, housing layout and on neighborhood density in general. Commissioner Mike Wulkin correctly expressed concern with the deletions made to Goal 7 “Neighborhood Quality”. The deleted passages read as follows: “… encourage neighborhood stability and owner occupancy, and improve neighborhood appearance, function and sense of community.” Mr. Wulkin was particularly concerned with the deletion of neighborhood stability and owner occupancy. Subsequently Commissioner Michelle Shoresman proposed revisions to Goal 7’s policy statement. These revisions were accepted by all of her fellow commissioners. Following Goal 7’s original policy statement, Commissioner Shoresman proposed the following additions: ”Neighborhood quality is especially needed during pandemics.” She stated that this goal “should make reference to walkability, to health and to climate change. The City should encourage residential design that improves our health through the creation of community gardens, though avoiding “food deserts”, through ensuring that housing is free of auto exhaust and that there are opportunities for recreational exercise." Why should this Housing Element Update, as Commissioner Shoresman suggested, address pandemics and health? Atlantic Magazine has an excellent article titled "How Pandemics Will Change The Face of Retail" (click on: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/how- pandemic-will-change-face-retail/610738/). But this article goes further to discuss how this pandemic and future pandemics will reshape housing and cities as well. While the YIMBY’s and State Senator Scott Wiener are pushing for higher density housing, we should be reminded of the fact that high-density, dormitory-style housing (like 1144 Chorro) may never again be safe or even habitable because of the likelihood that we will almost certainly be beset with multiple pandemics in the future. Should you wish to dispute this future scenario then I would like to refer you to two more articles: “Though the COVID-19 pandemic is still unfolding, it offers a warning of what lies in store as zoonotic diseases proliferate at greater rates due to climate change. Empty streets and upended lives could become more frequent occurrences as disease outbreaks, both life- threatening and relatively benign, swarm the globe.” (click on: https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/02/24/coronavirus-climate-induced-pandemics/ "Over the past few decades, the number of emerging infectious diseases that spread to people — especially coronaviruses and other respiratory illnesses believed to have come from bats and birds — has skyrocketed. A new emerging disease surfaces ﬁve times a year. One study estimates that more than 3,200 strains of coronaviruses already exist among bats, awaiting an opportunity to jump to people.” (click on: https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-infectious-diseases) Commissioner Mike Wulkin also expressed concerns with the following additional deletions: 7.1 Prohibition on building in parks. Staff stated that this is covered in the Open Space Element. 8.3 Encouraging manufactured housing. Staff stated that higher density developments are more efficient from a sustainable point of view and that developers are not interested in doing mobile home parks. 9.3 Scale, density of older neighborhoods. Staff stated that this is covered in the Historic Element. 11.2 Preventing new housing on hazardous sites. Staff stated that this is covered in the Safety Element. The reason I’m raising these additional points made by Commissioner Wulkin is that many of these deletions pertain to the preservation of parks, maintaining existing neighborhood (i.e., lower) density and avoiding placing housing in areas susceptible to wildﬁres and ﬂoods. All of these considerations have direct bearing on how we are going to cope with both social distancing and climate change. Staff’s assurances that these policies are covered elsewhere is patently untrue. This wording is neither found in the Open Space Element, the Historic Element or the Safety Element. I challenge you to ﬁnd the passages that are supposedly duplicating these policies. Thank you for your time and consideration. - Allan