Santa Monica’s Lincoln Boulevard - long known for heavy traffic, uneven commercial uses and a historically fragmented pedestrian experience is continuing to evolve into a housing dense hub with more than a dozen developments popping up along the stretch over the past decade.
City planning policies adopted in 2010 encouraged taller, denser development along major transit corridors and the northern stretch between Olympic and Wilshire boulevards has become a redevelopment hotbed, with mid-rise apartment complexes replacing diners, parking lots, and auto shops.
The most recent addition is Related California’s three-building, 650,000-square-foot development at Lincoln and Broadway, and the developer said that the corridor is experiencing one of its most significant transformations in decades, shifting from a car-dominated throughway into a connected, neighborhood-serving gateway to Downtown Santa Monica.
At the helm is Phoebe Yee, Executive Vice President of Design and Development at Related, who oversees a portfolio of 15 major projects across the West Coast. For Yee, the Lincoln development is not just another milestone - it is a defining statement about what urban living in Los Angeles can become.
“We wanted to create an oasis in the midst of one of the busiest corridors on the Westside,” Yee said. “Something sculptural, something that breathes with the neighborhood — a place that blends indoor and outdoor life in a way that feels natural to Santa Monica.” She likened the intended experience to the High Line in New York, “where design, landscape and movement all intersect to create a sense of escape in the city.”
The development includes 280 residences, a full-service Vons with an integrated Starbucks, and a major Equinox Club set to open as a flagship Westside location. There is still an open retail space yet to-be-rented. It joins a wave of redevelopment along the corridor, from Lincoln and Colorado to the former Lionsgate site, while the stretch between Wilshire and the I-10 freeway remains one of Santa Monica’s busiest - carrying three to four times the traffic density of adjacent streets.
“This project represents a new identity for Lincoln,” said Peter Garofalo, Related’s Senior Vice President of Design. “For decades, the corridor has been defined by cars. We wanted it to be defined by people.”
Rather than building a single mass, Related designed three distinct structures connected by glass bridges, each calibrated to the scale and character of its block. Broadway carries a bold metal-and-glass expression suited to pedestrian flow. Seventh Street introduces a quieter, modern brick pattern for a more residential experience and Lincoln, the corridor’s hardest urban edge, is wrapped in a woven, textured brick façade engineered for durability and rhythm.
“The idea was never to dominate the corner,” Garofalo said. “It was to let each street breathe. Lincoln has a different heartbeat than Broadway or 7th Street, so the architecture had to acknowledge those differences.”
Yee underscored that achieving this nuance required deep collaboration with the City of Santa Monica. She credited longtime city figures - including City of Santa Monica’s Stephanie Reich, Design and Historic Preservation Planner for helping tie the project to the site’s history, from industrial brick patterns to the context of the original building. “Stephanie was instrumental in reminding us of the story embedded in this block - the brick isn’t nostalgic, it’s contextual,” said Yee.
She also emphasized that the project is a model for what strong public-private partnership can unlock in Santa Monica. “This building is the result of a truly collaborative effort with the city,” Yee said. “When the public sector and private sector are aligned on vision, you can deliver something that elevates an entire corridor. This project shows what thoughtful partnership can achieve - a more vibrant, walkable, connected Lincoln Boulevard.”
The development’s integration of market-rate, workforce and affordable housing has drawn notable support from city officials. Jennifer Taylor, Santa Monica’s Economic Development Manager, highlighted the importance of the mix: “One thing I really like about this project is the mix of housing they include. Santa Monica needs more workforce or moderate-income housing so that more of our teachers, police, fire, librarians, hotel staff and tech workers have opportunities to live in the community they serve.”
Taylor noted the broader benefits as well, “This development brings more residents to our downtown and more customers to our businesses. And what a fun place to live — within walking distance of the beach, the Pier and the Third Street Promenade Entertainment Zone.”
Street activation was treated as an essential design component. The Vons Starbucks includes a pass-through window onto Lincoln, outdoor seating softens the corridor’s historically hard edge, and a secondary residential lobby increases pedestrian movement. Related widened the sidewalk significantly through a landscaped setback and curving planter to encourage more walkability. “If we were going to transform Lincoln, it had to start at the pedestrian level,” Garofalo said. “A wide sidewalk with planting, shade and transparency can do more for a corridor’s character than almost anything else.”
On the ground floor, Vons brings a long-missing daily-needs anchor, while Equinox is expected to serve as a major fitness and lifestyle draw for both residents and the wider community, with expansive glass-walled fitness floors, two saunas, fire pits and a 360-degree rooftop deck. “Equinox is opening at 710 Broadway because Santa Monica and the Lincoln Boulevard corridor in particular - continues to evolve in exciting ways,” said Jeff Weinhaus, President and Chief Development Officer at Equinox. “The area is seeing thoughtful development, a growing mix of residential and retail offerings, and an increased emphasis on walkability and wellness. Our new club will complement this momentum and serve as a hub for the growing community that lives, works, and spends time here.” Yee added, “Equinox is a true generator of activity, It’s not just a gym – it’s a driver of street life.”
One retail bay remains available, and the team is being highly selective. “We want a tenant that reinforces the rhythm of the street,” said Kaley Pickett Doherty, SVP of Marketing. “Think café, boutique wellness something that invites people to linger.” Garofalo added, “Retail should pull people into the street, not close it off. That last space is an opportunity to complete the block.”
Doherty said the company’s marketing and community-integration strategy mirrors the long-term commitment: digital campaigns, partnerships with neighborhood organizations, experiential programming and outreach tied to local culture. “Leasing isn’t the finish line — it’s the beginning,” she said. “We want this property woven into the fabric of Santa Monica.”
For Yee, the project’s impact extends beyond its borders. She believes it marks a pivotal step in the broader economic and cultural revival along Lincoln, especially as the corridor gains new restaurants like Hermanito, increased residential density and proximity to the Bergamot Metro. “This development doesn’t stand alone,” she said. “It’s part of a larger story about what Lincoln can become vibrant, walkable and reflective of Santa Monica’s identity.”
The attempt to reorient the street has had less success south of the freeway.
The city launched the Lincoln Neighborhood Corridor Plan in 2017, investing millions in streetscape improvements including landscaped medians, crosswalks, pedestrian lighting, and dedicated bus lanes. The plan aims to transform Lincoln into a "mixed-mode, livable street environment" while maintaining vehicle flow for 40,000-50,000 daily drivers and supporting existing auto-oriented businesses.
However, the effort hasn’t spurred significant redevelopment along the stretch, either commercial or residential. The largest project along that stretch, Lincoln Center, found itself mired in controversy from the start. While the project did obtain approvals despite community opposition, the project’s momentum stalled. In September of this year the property owner announced it was withdrawing the Lincoln Center development, effectively putting the project on indefinite hold.
The halting of the Lincoln Center project highlights the concerns some residents have about changes long the strip saying the street is losing its eclectic, local character to luxury development. Critics worry about taller buildings creating shadowed "canyons," worsening traffic congestion, and overwhelming infrastructure. Development advocates have countered that the new projects aim to balance growth with corridor improvements encouraging walking, biking, and transit use—with some new projects reducing or eliminating parking in favor of bike amenities to create a transit-oriented district less dependent on cars.
For the developers at Related, the street is the better for being less car focused.
“Lincoln has always been a connector. Now it has the chance to become a destination,” said Garofalo. Flower distilled it simply, “This is the corridor’s new front door. And you can feel that shift the moment you walk the block.”
By Michelle Edgar