Developers, SLO is waiting for you 

Consider this an open letter to any fat-cat developer who is considering building a project in SLO:

In case you’re thinking that SLO has a deserved reputation for being unfriendly to rampaging development, think again. Oh, sure, we have lots of rules and regulations, but not to worry: The city doesn’t enforce them. That applies to little things (smoking on downtown sidewalks; rules against illegal signs, such as the ones regularly displayed at Madonna Meadow; vehicles parked on the street) and to bigger things (building-height limitations, traffic-mitigation requirements, damage done to parking-space availability). Why, we have a mayor who, in public, ordered staff to approve any and all permit requests it had before it. And, our Beverly Hills-bred city manager has an obvious vision of our town as BH North. Planning to ram your oversized, bloated project into our supposedly quaint little town? Come on down! I’d suggest you throw around terms like “sales tax,” “green project,” and “affordable housing.” We’ll lap it up like hungry dogs. Worried that your project will add thousands of car trips a day to already-overcrowded streets? Well, if anyone complains, we’ll just remind him/her that we’re the happiest place in North America so, in the words of that same mayor: “Just shut up.” Pay no attention to the rules. SLO leaders don’t.

-- Will Powers - San Luis Obispo

-- Will Powers - San Luis Obispo