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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-16-2016 Item 12, GomezCOUNCIL MEETING:—u-?-- R b 'tel ITEM NO: 1 ?11 To: Ansolabehere, Jon Subject: RE: Need for affordable housing/downtown density FEB 16 2016 From: Aaron's Email [ Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 7:04 AM To: Marx, Jan; Carpenter, Dan; Rivoire, Dan; Ashbaugh, John; Christianson, Carlyn Subject: Need for affordable housing/downtown density Hello council members, As a SLO native, business owner, member of SLOU40, Downtown Association board, and committee member for the Chamber, and simply just an involved citizen I wanted to take a moment to voice my opinion on the needs of my demographic. (I do not speak on behalf of any of these organizations)The need for affordable housing in our town is at an all time high. I personally know many of my childhood friends who have purchased homes outside of San Luis Obispo because they cannot afford to buy homes here. They still hope to do so one day, but for now they just commute in to SLO. From the numbers that I have seen our population doubles because of our work force commuting in to town from more affordable outside areas. That is just unacceptable. Especially when we have projects slated that can address this need. We can no longer afford to simply build homes for the upper class or as rental investments. I realize there is a certain segment of the population that happens to be opposed to a large majority of these projects. I even noticed one group is asking for a moratorium on building because of water concerns. Which is completely unthinkable to me and very short sited. That will force more people to commute creating more Carbon emissions, adding back to the climate change that they themselves are concerned with. Making sure that smart water usage is associated with each project is necessary, but stopping all building could be detrimental to the evolution of our city. It is easy for people who own their own homes or are retired to try and sculpt our city. And they do have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is very valuable. But one thing many of these groups do not have are young people. The next generation that this community is reliant on. And when that demographic cannot afford to live in it, there is a problem. And we are not talking about kids fresh out of college. These are the people that teach in our schools, run our businesses, work in our city, and support SLO life. Which brings me to density. Both for the Downtown and SLO as a whole. Smart use of space is a necessity right now. We do not want to create sprawl yet certain people are also opposed to going higher with buildings. I agree that we should not have every building be 75 feet tall, but I do believe there are certain areas where this can and should happen. View sheds are great, but that does not mean we need to have a view of the mountains from every single part of our downtown. Especially when what we gain for our city is a far greater benefit. By that I projects that brings affordable housing to our downtown. Keeping our downtown vibrant is going to rely on more residence DT. And who better than the work force to live in that area. With the DT workforce living nearby you eliminate them taking up parking spots. As a society we are moving away from this rural commuting lifestyle. People want to be able to walk to work. But we need to first give them a place they can do that. I strongly urge you to look at these future projects and consider what they bring to our community as a whole. Although our demographic has been under represented we are making a push to get involved in higher numbers. We want a sustainable, smart growth future for SLO. One in which we can actually afford to live. Similar to the SLO that was so greatt when many of the opponents to growth purchased their homes... And a side note: I absolutely love this town and think we have done and continue to do great things. With that said we have to continually evolve. That is just a fact of life, constant change. How we change is up to us and the decisions we make. Thank you very much for your time and service.