HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/13/2018 Item 3, Duffy
ZONING UPDATE COMMENTS
PLANNING COMMISSION
June 13, 2018
Dear Chair Fowler and Commissioners,
My name is Jim Duffy, Im a local architect and owner of TEN OVER STUDIO a downtown business. Im also
the former chair of the Architectural Review Commission and currently on the Board of Directors for the
Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Chambers Zoning Update Committee.
I appreciate the Citys efforts to update the Zoning Ordinance and implement the LUCE and my comments
revolve around the Citys major goals of Housing, Climate Action and Downtown Vitality.
DOWNTOWN AND HOUSING
I applaud the City for seeking to expand the CD zoning up Monterey, but I feel that this does not go far
enough. I encourage the City to expand the CD zone south to the Marsh / Higuera intersection (convert C-R
zones) per the newly adopted DOWNTOWN CONCEPT PLAN and to be more in-line with the Downtown
Association Boundary.
This expansion of the downtown will allow for greater height, density and much needed housing while
preserving the lower density character of the historic downtown core. These outlying areas on the
periphery of the Downtown core were identified in the DOWNTOWN CONCEPT PLAN as reasonable places to
increase density and height. Urban density as opposed to suburban sprawl is by far the most
environmentally friendly option. The incremental infrastructure costs and impacts are minimal in
comparison and better support multi-modal transportation.
Encouraging housing and office spaces Downtown will result in a more balanced and sustainable urban
core. More permanent residents downtown will create a need for goods and services that are currently not
available. This will provide for a diversified and balanced mix of uses, in-lieu of the typical retail, restaurant
and bar businesses. More permanent residents downtown will also provide eyes on the street at all hours
to help alleviate some of the late-night issues facing this area.
To this end, the Chamber has developed a document entitled HEIGHT FOR HOUSING that outlines the Citys
Ten Over Studio, Inc.
zoning regulations related to height, density and housing and provides examples of taller buildings past and
805.541.1010
present in the that have existed downtown. In a study by Pierre Rademacher, downtown has lost more
539 Marsh Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
height over the years than what is currently present. The HEIGHT FOR HOUSING concept seeks to describe a
info@tenoverstudio.com
scenario where the City affordable housing by granting buildings with smaller affordable by
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design residential units an allowable height that cannot be arbitrarily reduced.
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STREAMLINE THE PROCESSEXPAND
I applaud the Citys goal of streamlining the development review process as the current system is
confusing, sometimes arbitrary and not equitably applied. Unfortunately, the zoning ordinance, design
guidelines and approval process exist to limit the impact of poorly designed projects and not to encourage
smart, attractive and inspiring development. I believe public input is a vital component of the approval
process, however I also feel that numerous public hearings serve to dilute good projects.
I strongly urge the City to develop a clear, concise and reasonable CHECKLIST system by which applicants
can easily navigate and understand the potential of a given piece of property as well as the timeframe and
City fees associated with a proposed development project. A project that complies with all requirements of
the zoning CHECKLIST should be generally be allowed. The newly drafted Edge Conditions section of the
proposed code will address and protect incompatibility with low-density residential zones. Architectural
review may be required to ensure design quality however, zoning issues that meet the code should not be
called into question. If a proposed project seeks a variance, then clearly a more rigorous review process is
appropriate.
It is critical that the City clearly define the purview of the Advisory Bodies and limit discussion, direction
and approvals to only those issues and items in their charge. As a former Architecture Review
Commissioner, I was regularly asked to comment and make decisions on issues and items that were well
beyond our scope of responsibilities. This further exacerbates the ambiguity in the system and should be
addressed with clear rules of engagement.
As a follow up to the zoning code update, I strongly encourage the City to update Design Guidelines which
was last revised in 2010. Design will always be subjective but in my experience, the current guidelines could
use greater definition and more detailed examples of the quality and character desired by the City including
greater discussion of more contemporary design styles. Finally, I strongly urge the Commission to direct
staff to make the revised zoning ordinance a smart PDF document with clickable links to cross referenced
items.
While I understand that this process has been ongoing for quite some time, this complete draft document
has only been available for a week. From my reading, there are enough inconsistencies and cross-
referencing errors in the current draft that require more technical review and input from staff & the MIG
team as well as input from the community on the bigger picture issues. I urge the City to allow the
community more time to understand the proposed changes within this incredibly powerful document. This
document will dictate the development of our City for generations to come and should not be hastily
approved
Thank to everyones efforts during this very important process!
Sincerely,
Ten Over Studio, Inc.
805.541.1010
539 Marsh Street
Jim Duffy
San Luis Obispo, CA
info@tenoverstudio.com
tenoverstudio.com
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