HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-24-2017 Item 7, OrtizCOUNCIL MEETING:
ITEM NO.: 1 __
Subject: FW: Comment on General Plan Amendment to Eliminate the Luneta Drive Connection
From: Ortiz, Thomas(ASH)@DSH[
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2017 4:24 PM OCT 1 ] 2017
To: Pease, Andy <apease@slocity.or>
Subject: Comment on General Plan Amendment to Eliminate the Luneta Drive Connection _ J"' 0TV (-t
Councilmember Pease,
Greetings. My name is Thomas Ortiz, and I am requesting your support for a vote to approve the
General Plan Amendment to Eliminate the Luneta Drive Connection.
My wife Heather and I, as homeowners in this neighborhood (San Jose Court), are very concerned
that opening Luneta Drive to through traffic would destroy the unique character of our neighborhood,
ostensibly through increased vehicle traffic. Indeed, the proposal's traffic study estimate predicts a
900% increase in traffic over current levels! We strongly feel that this would obviously destroy the
wonderful character of our neighborhood.
It has been brought to our attention that this plan is based on an intention that was made 50 years
ago. As a homeowner and resident in our neighborhood since 2009, and having spent significant time
in this neighborhood going back to my days as a student at Cal Poly since 1990, 1 can assure you
that this plan no longer serves the neighborhood as it is today. We were taken aback by the Planning
Commission, which apparently overlooked the input from residents, and voted against the proposal to
keep Luneta Drive permanently closed. They voted against the plan that residents and the city
worked together for over a year to develop, and that was initiated at the request of the City Council.
It appears to us that the Planning Commission vote was based on a misunderstanding of the situation
and the impact on residents in following a 50 year-old grid layout plan for our neighborhood. They
obviously either missed input from local residents, or incorrectly speculated that people who lived in
the neighborhood actually wanted the street open. To the contrary, not one single person I spoke to in
the neighborhood wants the street open- we have a petition that close to 200 neighborhood residents
signed, saying they would like Luneta Drive to stay closed permanently. That is to say that there are
no residents who actually want this - that is, it's not one group against another. There is no one on the
opposing side (just 50 year-old city documents.) Also, according to the city's current proposal, there is
no benefit at all to the city or residents that opening Luneta Drive would achieve. As such, the city
transportation manager agrees.
To wit:
1) Luneta Drive is the only remaining peaceful east -west walking and biking street in the
neighborhood. It serves residents of the entire neighborhood (in some ways it's the closes
thing we have to a park.) Ramona Drive has far too much traffic to serve this purpose, and
Hermosa Way does not transect the entire neighborhood.
2) Opening Luneta Drive would create a dangerous street that is no longer safe for kids, bikers,
or pedestrians (see comment on Ramona Drive above.)
3) Luneta Drive staying closed is essential to preserving the character of an entire neighborhood
of hundreds of residents.
4) According to the traffic study, opening Luneta would attract out -of -area traffic to use it as a
shortcut from Foothill to Broad.
a) Opening Luneta Drive violates the SLO General Plan Circulation Element section 8.1.1:
"Through Traffic - The City shall design its circulation network to encourage through traffic
to use Regional Routes, Highways, Arterials, Parkway Arterials, and Residential Arterial
streets and to discourage through traffic use of Collectors and Local streets." As Luneta
Drive is classified as a "Local street" and opening it would obviously create very significant
through traffic.
b) According to the city traffic study, opening Luneta Drive would actually push Serrano Drive
OVER the daily limit prescribed in the general plan (Section 4.1.2 of the proposal). It states:
"Additionally, Serrano Drive would be over the 1,500 -maximum threshold." Also, Serrano
Drive is too narrow to support the volume of traffic that would be generated if Luneta Drive
were opened to through traffic. The traffic study showed that keeping Luneta Drive closed
did not bring ANY streets close to their maximum limit (given the new street classification
for Ramona Drive.)
c) The intersection between Serrano Drive and Broad Street is rather dangerous, since
Serrano Drive is a steep downhill street intersecting with a narrow busy street (Broad) that
has limited visibility. It would create a serious safety issue if traffic to it were more than
doubled as the traffic study states.
d) Opening Luneta Drive clashes with the planned Broad Street bike boulevard, as it would
shunt traffic directly onto it.
5) It is highly likely that opening Luneta Drive would significantly reduce property values along
Luneta Drive, Serrano Drive, Palomar Avenue, S. Tassajara Drive, Hermosa Way and La
Entrada Avenue.
On a personal note: although our street (San Jose Court) is tangentially connected to Luneta Drive,
we utilize Luneta Drive on an almost daily basis, but not to drive on. My wife and I have 3 young boys
(Xavier, age 7, Felix, age 5 and Sebastian, age 3) that are learning to explore the neighborhood on
scooters and bikes. As Ramona Drive is not a very safe street (too narrow, too many parked cars, too
much traffic from Valencia apartments and the Foothill center,) we take them up and around Luneta
Drive to get to the Foothill center for shopping, dining and their favorite SLODOCO. We also utilize
this street to visit our neighborhood friends that live on Broad Street at Serrano Drive. Our oldest son,
Xavier, refers to this Luneta Drive as "The Secret Street" then says "shhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone"
(and of course, Hermosa Way is the "Super Secret Street.")
Our neighborhood has had ice cream socials on the dead end of Luneta Drive at La Entrada Avenue.
Our neighbor, Judy Lewelling grew up in this neighborhood and holds an annual "Christmas Charity
Toy Drive" -in a "competition social" with neighbors on the intersection of Luneta Drive and La
Entrada. Every year, we see more and more Halloween Trick -or -Treaters as more families are
attracted to this almost forgotten neighborhood, where housing prices are still somewhat affordable
and traffic remains light (Ramona Drive, excepted.) I could go on. This is what is at stake in General
Plan Amendment to Eliminate the Luneta Drive Connection. I urge them that when the issue comes
before the city council next month, they should take the time to understand the whole story. Thank
you for your time and for your support in this most vital manner.
Warmest regards,
Thomas C. Ortiz, PharmD, MS
Pharmacist I
Department of State Hospitals-Atascadero
10333 EI Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
Office: (805) 468-2464
Fax: (805) 468-2620
Pager: (805) 213-0513
Email: thomas.ortiz@dsh.ca.Roy
Web: http://www.dsh.ca.jzov
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