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SLO City Council approves Art Center design: The resolution provides exceptions for a modern three-story building in historic downtown areaFeb 19, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The design of a sleek and modern San Luis Obispo Art Center, complete with an inverted cone tower, emerged relatively unscathed when the City Council voted to treat it as an exception to rigid policies that can govern development in the city's historic downtown. The council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday after haggling late into the night over wording, and members stated they hope it will be their final review of a project that Art Center supporters have wanted for almost a decade. The proposal calls for replacing the current 5,429-square-foot Art Center at Broad and Monterey streets with a modern 50-foot tall, three-story building of 23,000 square feet. The city leases the land to the Art Center for $1 a year to promote culture in the downtown core. The project cost is estimated at $10 million, and center supporters have said they needed an approved project to kick off a fund-raising campaign. The council adopted wording that made specific exceptions for the Art Center, in hopes of not establishing any precedent that would encourage other developers to seek similar treatment. The exceptions recognized the center as: compatible and complementary to Mission San Luis Obispo and other nearby historic buildings; monumental; different from retail storefronts that must match surrounding buildings since it stands alone in a "sylvan setting;" and specifically as an art center. The council sent the project back to its Architectural Review Commission, saying it must "assure" the exterior color, texture and material are compatible in the area and consider how to make the building along Broad Street and on Monterey Street more pedestrian friendly. The project will return to the council only if any decision of its architectural commission is appealed. The proposed building's modern design and its proximity to historic buildings such as Mission San Luis Obispo and the Carnegie Library are factors that have been hanging up the project for years. The Carnegie Library houses the San Luis Obispo County Historical Society Museum City staff said that while the proposed Art Center design might be interesting architecture, it was definitely not compatible with the other buildings, and the council did not dispute that point. When the council itself rezoned the area to allow the construction of the new Art Center in 2008, it even advised its own Planning Commission to make sure that the resulting building was "compatible and complementary" to its important historic neighbors. Tuesday's action could be seen as a departure from that earlier tack. A crowd of 75 had dwindled to only a few by the time the council made the decision late in the night. But at the height of the public hearing, council members had heard from almost 25 speakers, with supporters four to one in favor of the project. A myriad of speakers said staff proposals to change the entrance, alter the windows and perhaps do away with the conical tower would be "like carving limbs off the design." Others worried about how trying to replicate historical features would amount to "gimmicky mimicry." The few opponents either did not care for the architecture in its setting, or for its size. City Manager Ken Hampian waited until after the council made its decision to describe the hard spot staff has been in, enforcing strict city policies against a vocal and influential group of art enthusiasts. He suggested that if the council wants to allow for exceptions in architectural design in the future, it could make that part of the policy process so staff could better apply those policies in the future. "It is difficult for staff to navigate through all the passion when our policies are really quite specific," Hampian said. He noted that major additional developments are pending downtown, such as the Chinatown Project proposed for just one block away from the Art Center site, and these issues of consistency may come back. But Councilman Allen Settle said that the art center was unique, and the council was being clear that it would not set precedent for other development. To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sanluisobispo.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |