City says building at 1150 Laurel Lane is unsafe; tenants and businesses urge extensions and clearer tenant notice

San Luis Obispo city staff told the City Council on April 1 that a building official had issued a 30-day notice to vacate for the commercial/mixed-use property at 1150 Laurel Lane after concluding the building had become unsafe. Tenants, business owners and neighbors used the meeting’s public-comment period to press the council and staff for help, asking for extensions, clearer communication and guidance on relocation support.

City Manager (name not specified) told the council that on March 10 the city issued a notice and 30-day order to vacate because the building official found the structure unsafe and previously issued temporary certificates of occupancy had expired. “We did not take this decision lightly,” the City Manager said; the report said the city had worked with the property owner for 18 months to address construction and safety concerns but had not achieved compliance.

Several businesses and community members — most prominently Noelle Dubois, the owner of the local music venue Bang the Drum — told the council a sudden 30-day deadline would cause significant hardship. Dubois asked whether the city could grant an extension or a pause to the notice so Bang the Drum and other tenants could fulfill booked events,…