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Is San Luis Obispo’s downtown losing its allure?

January 27, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

For years, travel writers have produced glowing reviews of San Luis Obispo’s downtown, at times referred to as the best downtown in the country. But that was before reduced parking, roadway reconfigurations and store closures.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article titled, “Anything’s better than empty: This store in a struggling California downtown is managing to thrive,” paints a picture of a decaying downtown where businesses struggle to stay open. The article touts the ability of Boo Boo Records to thrive while the downtown decays.

“Over the past decade, businesses in San Luis Obispo have struggled to stay afloat, resulting in long-time local retailers and restaurants — many beloved for generations — shuttering, one after the next,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle article. “The onset of industrial decay is set off by nearby Bishop Peak, towering and green — courtesy of the late-December rain.”

The CEO of Downtown SLO, Bettina Swigger, disagrees with the article noting that 28 new businesses opened in the downtown in 2021.

“The downtown is vibrant,” Swigger said. “I do not agree with the article, that the downtown is in decline.”


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When I lived in the area, the late 1990’s, you could be guaranteed a good time downtown. Good food, good drink, a safe environment and friendly crowds to mingle with. I don’t live in the area anymore but it seems to me that if it’s not fun anymore then you have lost the battle.


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Over the years, downtown economies have been pummeled by suburbanization of the middle class, deindustrialization, economic recessions, and globalization. Resilient downtowns have been able to successfully adapt to these changes and to even develop the capacity to overcome future hardships.

Downtowns that failed to successfully respond to the changing trends continue to decline. Research has identified 10 reasons why downtowns fail:

1. Lack of vision by City leaders and Chambers of Commerce. Most see dollar signs today and forget about tomorrow. San Luis Obispo leaders have focused in on the quick buck, develop, develop and develop, and simply ignore that factors that made downtown SLO so vibrant – its unique character. That unique character is now gone and likely Johnson and his cronies will move on and wreak havoc on the next community.

2. Following what other failed communities have done. San Luis Obispo leaders are following the Santa Barbara model which failed. It works for a while then miserably fails. Again, Johnson read it in a book, this is the model to implement and now the downtown is suffering.

3. Following the leader and adding bars, swanky joints, and pot dispensaries is a short term gain. Families don’t go to downtowns with bars, swanky joints and pot dispensaries. Well, some City officials like this kind of stuff. Maybe a strip club will help. Oh that is right, the downtown had one for a while across from the court house. All City leaders, visionaries like Johnson see is the quick buck, but wait doing business with former criminals engaged in the drug trade (pot) doesn’t’ work out so well, because those people lie, cheat and steal. City leaders then claim that the revenue projections didn’t work out so well and they are surprised, why? Do business with former criminals and you get screwed over. Great job Johnson and team.

4. Build it and they will come. Keep adding higher density has always failed long term. It is another short term gain that makes your books look great for a while. Once the community is built out and there is no ability to build-up in the downtown, what do you do now? That’s easy, crime enters the community.

5. Homeless Population. Like many in government City leaders continue to fail to develop meaningful plans to assist the homeless, but outside of the downtown area. Santa Barbara placed its’ homeless services in the downtown and with that came more homeless who use the sidewalks as their bedrooms and restrooms and the public move elsewhere.


That’s just five of the reasons. And why is Santa Barbara a great example of what not to do? Because, Johnson was instrumental in these failed plans when he was at Santa Barbara.


49

Good post. I’m with you on #5 but there are a few considerations for the rest.


1. That’s not really the role of the Chamber and Downtown Association. Those fingers pointing at the City are more appropriate.


2. What model? They haven’t changed anything except for the parklets and that is a covid reaction.


3. There are no added bars. The only added ones are attached to the hotels. The same amount of liquor licenses etc have remained for decades. However, bars are the steadfast and surviving industries downtown with a couple of exceptions for certain.


4. When you say higher density…what zone do you mean? They haven’t added square feet save for Monterey/Chorro-ish where there used to be a parking lot and now it’s new commercial and hospitality. (Hotels SLO and Cerro’s)


5. Absolutely 100% impactful. I drive to work down Higuera every morning at 7:30 and was JUST thinking I could leave here easily for the first time. I was about to call my wife. I’m 50 and I was born here. People sleeping in every doorway and alcove, one young guy in $200 Nike’s batting away demons and shouting near a coffee shop. Near the corner of Morro, a guy walking down the sidewalk screamed F____ You!! and flipped me off as I drove by.


Interestingly, many blame “high rents.” I agree it’s ludicrous downtown, but property rents at the cost people are willing to pay. The ones that are remaining empty ruin the downtown and either they are waiting on permits (very common) or are free and clear and holding their ground for a tenant. (this, imo, really hurts downtown.


I think focusing on #5 is the root of many of the problems. Remember when everyone had to retrofit after the earthquake? There was plenty of vacancies and construction and I still wanted to walk downtown.


Again, a good start to a discussion.


37

The anything goes and more freebees mind set has attracted what SLO didn’t have in the past. Today we have to watch our step, not because of those who pick up after their pooch but for the I. Squat & Levitt movement afflicting our downtown. I can remember when trans was about the drive train under your vehicle and today we have a festival at the Mission for trans that has nothing to do with your car. As a kid I watched the Flintstones where the jingle was, “we’ll have a gay old time” today that too is the center of attraction at the Mission and having nothing to do with Flintstones. Maybe nothing has change from the past but certainly what some have publicly embraced and focus on has. As for bicycle, don’t me started…..


28

Downtown SLO lost its charm in the mid-1980’s. Investing in homelessness has paid handsome dividends – the city got lots more of it. Taller buildings only blot out views of the blue sky and scenic mountains that cradle the city and promote an atmosphere of claustrophobia in a generic & dreary downtown urbanscape. Real bicyclists don’t need dedicated/separate bike lanes, they just need to adhere to the vehicle code, as do drivers. SLO missed the mark when they had a chance to provide quality, aesthetic, outdoor illumination in the downtown core. Now they have to live with unattractive, glare-inducing, sub-par night lighting which is only worsened by the tacky addition of endless Coney Island lighting in the form of military grade string lights. Like lipstick on a pig, no matter how many strands of string lights you hang, you ain’t gonna turn your downtown into Disneyland, but you may make it look like a poor substitute for the county fair midway.


31

High rents, no parking, bike lanes, homeless, designed by Heidi Harmon, what could go wrong!!!


99

I go into SLO multiple times per week/weekend. I have never once had a problem parking. If you can’t afford 3 dollars for a parking garage, why are you in a downtown area?


-52

So are you saying downtown’s only for the rich — those who can “afford” a $3 parking fee? Amazing arrogance.


21

Yes. Because I cant afford to eat or shop there.


57

Unfortunately, this is capitalism. Are you in favor of price fixing?


-34

This probably shouldn’t be downvoted as much. If a coffee shop owner is willing to sign a lease on a downtown location for $XXXX per month, they have to assume they have to sell XX cups of coffee for X or they won’t make it. You and I may not want to/can pay that much for a coffee, and if that’s the case for enough of us, that shop won’t make it.

Any businesses owner that either purchases or signs a lease has their costs and the market will prove if they succeed or not. If a property owner is holding out on a rental amount, they will sit empty until someone is willing to pay that amount.


0

The way the city has screwed up the streets and putting in those stupid curbs for the bike bunch, that in itself is bad enough right there but add in the camping crew as indabarrel puts it makes you want to go home and order from amazon, I’d rather spend my money locally but not when it takes all day and a parking ticket for the grand prize.


81

They use to say SLO was recession proof…we will see if that holds….


40

honestly good… don’t need anymore asshat bay area people setting up shop here and playing cowboy or beach bum. And i don’t really mind seeing these monstrosity developments and renovated retail spaces sit empty while LA developers and building owners burn cash for thinking they could turn SLO into SB. Yet the city keeps allowing this kind of “let’s just keep changing things every 5 years” that perpetuates the out of touch retail rental prices downtown. Gosh it sucks! We don’t need tan colored sidewalks and faux spanish stucco plastered on top of post 2003 earthquake cheap garbage “retrofits”. I miss old downtown. If they needed parking they shouldn’t have built the damn banana republic abercrombie peets coffee ghost town development that once was a nice ol lot. Now it’s turn over rate is so high. Such a shame. Maybe these shmucks will run out of town. go bankrupt. and we locals can pick up the pieces and rebuild a real town again.


bye


108

I get what you’re saying but it’s not local government setting the rental prices, although that can be argued by the enormous tax implications of owning property here that force property owners to keep them high. Ultimately, the property owners set rents- what someone is willing to pay and they decide what to accept or not, just as obviously a tenant decides to pay that mostly-crazy rent too.


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