75-foot building slated for downtown SLO after City Council vote
San Luis Obispo’s City Council passed a proposal for a six-story, mixed-used building in the heart of downtown at its Tuesday meeting, saying the project will create homes for professionals and help spur economic vitality.
Jamestown Properties, which owns the site at 1144 Chorro St., submitted the development application for a 75-foot tall structure of about 65,000 square feet of building space, with the intent to replace the existing structure that will be demolished.
The height will make the building among the tallest in the city once completed. In comparison, the San Luis Obispo County Government Center in San Luis Obispo is 65 feet tall.
In addition, the city parking garage at Palm and Morro streets is 80 feet at its tallest point, and the Anderson Hotel on Monterey Street is 65 feet at the parapet and 90 feet at the top of the bell tower, according to past Tribune articles.
Downtown SLO project details
Formerly home to Sports Authority, the Chorro Street location was the site of businessman Jeremy Pemberton’s proposed bowling alley and entertainment center.
That plan was abandoned amid a dispute with Jamestown over rent. Pemberton is now facing criminal allegations of fraud connected to the neglected plan.
The first three floors of Jamestown Properties’ Chorro Street project are slated to include commercial space, including two floors of office space on the second and third stories with the first floor designated for retail.
The top three floors would feature 50 units of smaller-sized housing between 318 and 616 square feet, according to Mark Rawson, a project architect.
The council approved the project 3-0 with two members recusing themselves — Aaron Gomez because of his business’ proximity to the project site and Andy Pease because of past collaboration with the project planner.
A minimum of 13 designated homes will be set aside as affordable housing in the moderate-income household range, meaning people whose incomes “exceed 80% percent but are less than or equal to 120% of the median income within the county.”
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According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, San Luis Obispo County’s median income in 2020 is $68,100 for an individual, $77,850 for two, $87,550 for three, and $97,300 for a household of four.
“When you’re looking at these tiny spaces it may not be for you,” said Councilmember Erica Stewart. “It may be for someone else who wants (this type of living arrangement). I have received quite a few comments about how people want to live in these types of homes.”
The proposal, which includes seven parking spaces with three to four spaces used for car sharing, would pay in-lieu fees for parking programs elsewhere in the city.
And it would establish a transportation plan that encourages tenants of the building to walk, bike and use the bus — with the property situated in a prominent part of the downtown core.
Community debate on the SLO project
The council heard Tuesday from a few people who lobbied for and against the project.
“I’m still confused about why we’re still considering a building of 75 feet,” said Betsy Schwartz, a San Luis Obispo resident of 41 years. “I have many concerns — height is number one.”
Schwartz said she was also concerned about the level of affordability, saying the project would be accessible to people generally who make $75,000 or more, and that already there are many vacant buildings in downtown where retailers have left.
Schwartz said she is also concerned about parking, despite encouragement of alternative forms of transportation.
“The reality is we live in California and most people have cars,” Schwartz said.
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But Marshall Ford, a local architect with Ten Over Studio, wrote a letter to the city, saying “instead of a strictly commercial focused projects which turn their backs on street level engagement and the potential of living space downtown, this project goes above and beyond with its considerations for street life and its purposeful attempt to grow the permanent community of residents in downtown San Luis Obispo.”
San Luis Obispo officials said the city has approved other projects that provide some lower-income affordable goals, but the city isn’t meeting as much of its target for moderate-level housing, under the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation for communities to provide deed-restricted housing.
Mayor Heidi Harmon said the council received “a lot of (community) support for this project.”
“Sometimes we get in our own little bubbles,” Harmon said. “But a lot of the community is deeply concerned about housing. It’s the number one thing I hear from entrepreneurs who want to start businesses here and grow them here. It’s the lack of housing...A lot of our community is deeply concerned about housing. It’s one of the biggest barriers to a thriving economy.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 11:31 PM.
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