No, that’s not a $250,000 “tiny home” being erected at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and Highland Drive in SLO.
As with most projects slowly coming to fruition in the County these days, the initial concept for a “Scenic Gateway Monument” to enhance the Highway 1 corridor coming into the city is over a decade old.
Way back in 2006 the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) received a grant from the National Scenic Byway Program to start placing “enhancement” signs to guide visitors entering communities along the route. By 2007 they’d selected spots in San Simeon (headed northbound), Cambria (southbound) and San Luis Obispo (northbound, across from Cal Poly’s western entrance) and started working on plans with locals.
By 2012 and 2014 the planning approvals had made their way through most processes, namely the SLO Architectural Review Committee signed off on the Mission themed one pictured here, although not all members of the SLO City Council were thrilled with the majority decision allocate $125,000 toward the $250,000 construction price.
Now a replica Mission Bell slated for installation on the Santa Rosa / Highway 1 and Highland monument sits in the office of Jeff Brubaker, a transportation planner with SLOCOG and the project manager.
Brubaker came aboard in 2014 when they started getting all the permits required and he notes that the regional agency, and himself, worked closely with local communities to pick out the designs that best represent them along the stretch designated as an “All-American Road” from the SLO intersection all the way to the City of Monterey.
With the special spot, SLO’s was the biggest, and most expensive, of the three although the $107,180 San Simeon sign is expected to be completed first. Cambria’s $51,376 marker will take a little longer due to special material s needed for their design.
In SLO construction on the monument, which was actually a little smaller than originally envisioned, though still designed to be seen at highway speed, will near an end in July.
“It should be complete next month in time for Cal Poly to return,” he said. “it will be a nice feature for their entrance as well as SLO, to remind parents and vistors that they’re reentering the City.”
– By Camas Frank
