In letters: This SLO County community needs a grocer — not more homes | Opinion

Keep your promises, Trilogy

On Thursday, Feb. 9 at 9 a.m, the SLO County Planning Commission will listen to public comments on the Shea Homes proposal to add high-density housing to their Trilogy Nipomo community. Shea wants to add condos, duplexes, a motel and apartments to the existing community – all without contributing a penny to improve roads, schools and the infrastructure required to accommodate as many as 1,000 new residents.

The commissioners must say no to the Shea pitch. Another 1,000 residents will crater the infrastructure designed for half as many residents. Worse yet, another large, high-density project is planned for the Dana Reserve at Willow Road. 1,500 more homes will be shoe-horned beside Highway 101.

In 2011 my disabled wife and I bought in Trilogy Nipomo because we believed Shea’s 30-foot billboards promising a Village Center with 140,000 square feet of walkable amenities like a pharmacy, market, healthcare and restaurants. Shea promised a self-contained community — no need to increase traffic on Mesa or Tefft to drive five miles for a prescription, milk or bread. We fell for the pitch. Apparently, the county fell for it too.

Phase 3 destroys the Village Center and adds high-density housing everywhere so Shea makes more money. They claim the Village Center isn’t financially feasible. They didn’t do due diligence before luring us all into Trilogy with their Village Center promises. There ought to be a law.

In 2019 and 2021, I asked the Planning Commission for a performance bond from Shea Homes because they weren’t keeping their promises. The commissioners said SLO County had no history of requiring performance bonds. I’m asking again.

Trilogy Nipomo is a $1.5 billion-dollar construction project with net profits of $300 million. They have the money to keep their promises.

Peter Scobel, Nipomo

Nonlead ammunition

Lawrence G. Keane’s comments in reference to my California condor story of Jan. 24 cry out to be rebutted.

In his wrong-headed letter, “Stop blaming hunters,” Mr. Keane asserts that my story “blames hunters” for the deaths of these giant birds. In Mr. Keane’s National Shooting Sports Foundation website he claims to have a “savvy reputation” as a “highly skilled lobbyist.” But how are your reading comprehension skills Mr. Keane? There is not one word or phrase in my story that comes close to blaming hunters.

What is made plain is that “hunters, sportsmen and ranchers” are simply not able to find nonlead ammunition in their stores. In fact, over the years, the Ventana Wildlife Society has given (free of charge) 12,477 boxes of nonlead ammunition to hunters. The VWS works hand-in-hand with hunters to help mitigate the lead poisoning problem. Did you read that part of the story, Mr. Keane?

While asserting that I “leap to unfounded conclusions” in the story, Mr. Keane’s conclusions are biased, wildly off-base and seem to show his dearth of reading skills. Read the story again, Mr. Keane, and while you’re at it, research the science.

John FitzRandolph, Cambria

Natural gas prices

I just received my SoCalGas bill. It was $502.30 for 110 therms — $4.57 per therm. The previous month my bill was $244.26 for 111 therms — $2.20 per therm. The month prior to that my bill was $216.62 for 113 therms — $1.92 per therm.

This is the greediest corporation I have ever experienced. Does the CPUC really exist? Or are they just puppets and the hell with California residents? Absolutely absurd and inexcusable. We should all get a refund.

Kevin Cutler, Arroyo Grande

Answers, please

I was dismayed when the city of SLO sold to developers two downtown surface parking lots, one on Broad Street across from Big Sky and the other between Monterey and Palm, without having timely plans to replace those lost spaces.

Around six weeks ago I contacted several City Council members with two questions:

1) How much in compensation did the city receive for those 2 lots?

2) How much in bed taxes did the city receive last year from the two new hotels that are on the lots?

I’ve yet to receive a response.

Mike Botwin, San Luis Obispo

This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 7:45 AM.