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Letters to the Editor

Ashbaugh offers voice of reason regarding proposed Chorro Street development

A housing project is being considered for this property at 22 Chorro St.
A housing project is being considered for this property at 22 Chorro St. jjohnston@thetribunenews.com

Congratulations to John Ashbaugh for his voice of reason in “Magical thinking and state mandates” (Opinion, Nov. 13). Each point he raised concerning the proposed development at 22 Chorro St. demonstrates convincingly that, contrary to Mayor Jan Marx’s assertion, the city’s hands are not tied.

A thorough traffic study is all that is needed to enable the city to assert its freedom of making decisions — a freedom which, for some unfathomable reason, it pretends not to possess — and to reject the bizarre proposal to erect a four-story building in the most unsuitable place in all of San Luis Obispo.

The necessity to conduct such a study before adopting a proposal of this kind should be self-evident to administrative staff as well as all council members. It is outrageous that the majority of council members need to be reminded of this duty by residents. It is yet more outrageous when residents’ appeals for the city to live up to this responsibility are dismissed in an offhand manner, as happened at a recent council meeting.

Genevieve Czech, San Luis Obispo

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 8:35 PM with the headline "Ashbaugh offers voice of reason regarding proposed Chorro Street development."

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