HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-03-2016 Public Comment, LucasMy name is Wendy Lucas, and I am a 30 year resident of SLO. These are remarks I
was going to make a month ago, but perhaps it is more timely now.
I have a Bachelor's degree in physical therapy and a Masters degree in Public Health,
with an emphasis in maternal and child health. I have a fairly good notion of how the
human body works, but I am still trying to understand the mechanism of how local
government works. And parts of it remain a perplexing and disturbing mystery. I don't
understand how The Firestone project that has not been approved has been able to do
all the excavation and prep work including an underground parking garage. This is no
small undertaking. And as has been pointed out in a previous hearing, we understand
that concrete has also been poured at the site. Is that true? Who is watchdog on the
progress? We know from a previous project with this developer that there is the
possibility that he "will walk", his words in these chambers, if he does not get what he
wants. Why would we put ourselves in the position of cleaning up his mess? Why is all
this excavation work allowed when the project has not been approved? I obviously don't
understand and would love an explanation.
I don't understand how a member of city staff who was in the specific position of
supporting a previous, largely contentious project from this developer can now be
working in an architectural group and be lead support for this same developer on this
contentious project that is again asking for exemptions from established city code. Why
is there not a functional no -compete clause in place? It opens up a whole bunch of
concerns when there exists this kind of possibility of hiring staff, so intimately connected
with the expensive approval process, into private enterprise. We can't control this kind
of behavior at the national level, but it is incredibly disturbing to witness it locally. I don't
understand why this is allowed.
don't understand when there is a huge public outcry, with citizens primarily speaking
against this project with real concerns re: water scarcity and overbuild issues, that there
isn't more effort on the part of our local government to keep this project within existing
code. Our tax dollars, used in paying our city staff, seem to essentially facilitate these
projects- a terrible irony.
I was part of the large citizen body fighting the previous project by Mr. Firestone- The
Monterey Hotel- and after thousands of unpaid hours by our neighborhood essentially
"pitted" against our city staff at times, we were at the end told by members of this city
council that "we should be proud of ourselves", "we got them to compromise". That is
something that has continues to sit sorely with me. What happened was about getting
them (the developers and the architect) to comply with the law re: Ordinance 1130 and
San Luis Creek protection. It was about compliance, not compromise. That was your job
to do.
And I witness some of the same things now- what some of you ran on in your election
platform was the importance of Neighborhood Wellness. Well, we got trumped by
Business Wellness.
And as an aside, do you remember the family with the five kids whose house was in that
iconic picture with the darth vader hotel in the background? They have moved out of our
neighborhood and sold their house.
What I keep thinking about is a government by the people, for the people ... and
applaud the folks who keep coming and speaking out. Sadly, though, more and more of
the electorate are feeling disenfranchised- that their voice really has no meaning in
these decisions. That is something I do understand...