The proposed eight-story, high density apartment building for 505 East Los Olivos Street, which abuts the Mission and the beautiful Mission Canyon District, is a dangerous abomination. Not only would it destroy a historic neighborhood and important historic artifacts, such as the Queen of the Missions, the Hazard property of Dial House and Hazard House, and Rocky Nook Park, it would create a dangerous concentration of automobiles and bicycles entering and exiting the already congested intersection of Los Olivos Street and Alameda Padre Serra.
The usual aggravation of the snail pace of automobiles attempting to enter and leave this area on a regular basis is bad enough. Adding 400 cars to the mix would create a dangerous situation and thousands of people would die if a fire broke out in the hills of Mission Canyon when that exit road from the hills gets congested and blocked.
That such a project could even be proposed in violation of county and city building codes reveals a terrible flaw in the “Builder’s Remedy” law. Unscrupulous speculators benefit from this terrible law which strips local authorities of power to make decisions that benefit the existing community. Not to mention that the normal growth mandates by the state government do not take into consideration the effect of rapid and rampant growth on city and county infrastructure and available services. Availability of medical services, water, sewer, electricity, food, schools — everything — is finite, and growth is not funded by the California state government.
All this in the name of “affordability.” Well, here’s the problem. Those 54 units, which comprise roughly 20 percent of the total project, will not substantially benefit the ratio of “affordable” units in the community, because the benefit is offset significantly by the addition of 243 market-rate units which will hold 1-4 people on average. That population will require an increased number of jobs that may not be high paying. And all 270 units will take a toll on the existing infrastructure. All 270 families will need medical care, schools for their children, water, sewer, electricity, gasoline, food, recreational opportunities, places to park in the city, and much, much more.
I urge the denial of this project based on the many factors mentioned, and I urge our State Legislators to revoke and undo “Builder’s Remedy” and return the details and rate of growth to the local communities, many of whom have worked for hundreds of years to insure the livability and beauty of their neighborhoods and whose very safety is now at peril.
