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SLO council approves high-density housing in flight path

December 10, 2014
Jan Marx

Jan Marx

The San Luis Obispo City Council approved a plan to overrule a county commission and allow for construction of high-density housing near the regional airport.

On Tuesday night, the council voted 4-1 to override the airport land use commission, which set limits restricting the plans of developers, like Gary Grossman, who seek to build high-density housing on the city’s southern edge. The airport commission, as well as the aeronautics division of Caltrans, have threatened to sue the city over allowing such development.

The council vote, in which Councilman Dan Carpenter dissented, came the day after a fatal plane crash in Maryland. The plane slammed into a Maryland house built in a flight path and killed a mother and two children who were inside.

Recently, Mayor Jan Marx and council members John Ashbaugh and Carlyn Christianson tried multiple times to override the airport commission and provide the initial approval for high-density housing in the area. However, until Tuesday, they did not muster a fourth vote, which was needed to overrule the commission.

Newly elected Councilman Dan Rivoire cast the deciding vote. Rivoire joined the council last week.

Shortly before the election, Grossman donated $5,000 to the county bicycle coalition, for which Rivoire serves as the executive director.

Grossman also gave maximum allowable contributions to the campaigns of Marx and Christianson during the November election.

He is currently trying to develop the 131-acre property owned by rancher Ernie Dalidio. Sources have told CalCoastNews that Grossman has already spent approximately $6 million in down payments on the Dalidio Ranch, and that his project is financially more viable if high-density development is allowed.

In addition to possible legal challenges, the development plans could face opposition from voters. San Luis Obiso activist Kevin Rice noticed the council last month that he planned to mount a challenge via a referendum if the council overruled the airport commission.


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I don’t know about Romero being a stooge for Madonna, when Alex was alive the city beat him down on just about everything he wanted to do and would not permit the event center on the hill,after he was gone the event center got permits,the Froom ranch got the go ahead and the target also got put up,where were all the high dollar downtown business men and women at when this got put thru,but Dalido wants to put something in and he gets droppings from flying seagulls. I also thought that the city wanted a green belt around it, with all this development going on there is no green belt left,Dalidios and th espace out by the airport are too pristine to put under buildings.


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I think this recent decision needs to be investigated. Is this an attempt to meet the high density housing requirements by putting it in the flight path of an ever expanding airport? This is the best we can do?

What about the Bonus Law that rewards developers for building high density projects.

Is this another case of FOLLOW THE MONEY?

I have a suggestion…lets move City Hall to the proposed location instead.


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This actually makes lots of sense coming from our snobby city hall and Chamber. Put the poor people out there, crash planes into where they live hopefully with them inside, fewer poor people, and SLO can get back to being rich and sassy. Who says class politics doesn’t live in happy town?


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Carlyn Christianson said “the city WILL DIE” if these projects aren’t approved.


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She says lots of smart stuff. Amazing gal, that Carlyn.


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Again, Ernie Dalidio was an idiot. All he had to do was dole out money to these whores like Grossman has done and he could have been living high on the hog by now. It would not have taken much it seems…this new guy on the board was bought for 5,000. The fun part will be the law suit filed when a plane crashes in the path and the city is sued. Oh i forgot, Jan Marks is a lawyer and will represent the dead folks in a suit against the city for approving the project. So Jan gets money both ways…..

SLO folks get exactly what they deserve. Just reinforces my belief that SLO folks are dumber than a box of rocks and less informed than a mound of dirt.


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We might as well throw out the term “public servant”


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Since this action was taken on behalf of the developers and since the developers will be the prime beneficiaries, perhaps these developers should indemnify the city and pay for the legal defense when the lawsuits are filed.


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I was working the morning of the Citation jet crash just east of Madonna Rd. in the proposed development area.


http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-25/news/mn-1103_1_paramount-ranch


Greed surely has no part in the push lots of lots.


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Exactly, lets put houses in the farmland where the fiery jet crash occurred. The City Council does not care. They do not represent the people. They represent businesses and developers. Dave Romero (Alex Madonna’s stooge) was the overseer of that transition a couple decades ago. Now look at that hypocrite Jan Marx, she used to be part of the preserve SLO crowd until she found out which side her bread was buttered on. And now Carlyn Christenson saying “the city WILL DIE” unless the developments aren’t approved.


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The City of San Luis Obispo has allot of water to spend and they will need other resources too, “From the Town of Bedrock”


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Sorry everyone….but the San Luis Obispo airport is in the stupidest place that an airport could be. The Airport’s commercial airlines should be relocated to Paso Robles.


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It is in a place that was not at all stupid when it was first built. I would bet that those who chose the location figured that between the distance from town, the agricultural/industrial surroundings of that time and restrictive development ordinances, there would be no big problems. Hindsight is 20/20. Try putting yourself in their shoes with the knowledge and technology of that era before passing judgment.


As for relocating to Paso, that would pretty much cut the passenger business in half. There are a lot of people who would not make that drive to get the same level of service that SLO now gets. I would drive to Santa Maria first or to SB, SJ, SF or LA for better choices and prices.


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Talk to any airline pilot that flies into SLO about whether this is a good location for an airport.


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Maybe it’s the city, not the airport, that’s in the stupidest place. Practically the whole town’s a flood zone. We have high earthquake damage potential due to bad soil and nearby faults. Wild fire is a constant threat. Maybe we should relocate the whole town to San Luis de Robles, and leave the airport to be. Seriously, if it weren’t for stupid people like Marx, Christianson, Ashbaugh and Rivoire putting stuff next to the airport that doesn’t belong there, the airport would be just fine. How many cities have an airport just 3 miles from the heart of town? Very convenient. We should protect and cherish it. But with the political hacks doing the dirty work of the ever intelligent Chamber, the airport will have to relocate — probably to Paso Maria.


The real jerks here, though, are the county supervisors, who own and operate the airport, and are about to spend tens of Million$$ building a new terminal. Wouldn’t you think they’d want to protect it? The city council’s actions have “Adam Hill” written all over them. He’s the one behind all this. He and his developer cronies. He even sponsored appointing a new member of the airport land use commission who’s a representative for developers around the airport and immediately said he supports screwing the airport in favor of allowing nearby development. Talk about corrupt.


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