Major transformation coming to old Tribune building. Want to live where you work?
The building complex where The Tribune newspaper was housed for 25 years will soon be under redevelopment to give opportunities for people to live and work under the same roof, as well as to offer a new commercial tenant or multiple tenants business space in a separate wing.
Located a block from Trader Joe’s and Kennedy Club Fitness and next to the incoming SLO Public Market, the 6.5-acre site at 3825 S. Higuera St. will be partially remodeled to include 30 live/work condominium units.
The design includes office spaces with meeting and desk areas in a separate portion of the living spaces that tenants occupy, according to development plans approved by the city.
Taylor Judkins, of DTJ Development, told The Tribune by phone that the project is awaiting city plan checks before proceeding with construction in the next three to six months.
“There could be digital nomads, accountants and graphic designers who live and work there,” Judkins said. “Because SLO is so expensive, it sometimes doesn’t make sense to spend thousands of dollars on separate living and working spaces when you can combine them into one.”
While the old printing press room will feature the new live/work complex, the former Tribune office building adjacent to South Higuera Street will either be used by a single commercial occupant or multiple commercial tenants, Judkins said.
“We’re talking to a couple of tech companies right now,” Judkins said. “But we don’t know yet who will move in.”
The facade of that building, most familiar to the public during its previous use by The Tribune, will need to be improved, including the removal of green awnings and incorporation of corrugated metal on the building’s corners, but no significant changes to the structure will be made, Judkins said.
The live/work structures will be included in three new buildings connected through a skyway, or an elevated walkway, connecting multiple buildings. Bordering Hind Street, the live/work site will feature either two-bedroom units with one office or one bedroom units with two offices.
The condo units could be for sale or for lease, which Judkins said he hasn’t decided yet.
The project will include the removal of 36 trees, reconstruction and expansion of the existing parking lot to provide 226 vehicle spaces (including 117 existing spaces to remain), bicycle parking and the planting of 67 new trees.
Judkins, who’s also developing the nearby SLO Public Market, said a couple of tenants such as Orangetheory Fitness, will open at the new market in the fall, but most will start doing business in the first quarter of 2020.
SLO Public Market and its neighboring business and work/live site will have complementary uses, Judkins said.
Michael Codron, the city’s community development director, said SLO’s live/work zoning policy has been eliminated due to complications with the city’s building code compliance, meaning there aren’t specifically designated zones in SLO for live/work units.
But the city’s municipal code is allowing for live/work spaces “wherever a mixed-use project is allowed,” and the 3825 S. Higuera St. project has no issues as previously approved.
The definition of a live/work space, according to city policy, must be “compatible with the character of a quiet residential environment.”
Live/work units also must have “complete kitchen space and sanitary facilities in compliance with the city building code.”
Correction: This article has been changed to reflect the accurate opening timeline of businesses in the SLO Public Market.
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
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