> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Can’t trust city on development?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/cant-trust-city-on-development/
- Published: 2008-04-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:09:40.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Mid-City, #archive-import

THERE’S ONLY A COUPLE WEEKS LEFT for registered Santa Monica voters to sign the Resident’s Initiative to Fight Traffic (RIFT) to qualify it for the November ballot. RIFT calls for a limit in future commercial development to a maximum of 75,000 square feet, annually, for the next 15 years.

Over the last 25 years, the city has approved over nine million square feet of new office, retail and industrial space — far in excess of city projections. This runaway development has substantially contributed to the traffic congestion and other quality of life problems we have here today.

The city seems to be pushing for expanded development, especially on major traffic corridors in its update of the general plan. And, there are already a number of larger commercial and mixed use projects in the pipeline — mostly in the mid-city area along the Broadway, Colorado Avenue and Olympic Boulevard corridors.

When City Council refused to impose the temporary moratorium on new commercial construction urged by some neighborhood groups last year, activists stepped up their game. RIFT, the brainchild of members of the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, was created and is now being circulated to qualify for the ballot. In other words, the people are taking control where city government has refused to intervene.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual. Tuesday night, Council will discuss approving a development agreement being proffered by a developer who owns the corner of Colorado Avenue at Stewart Street.

The 1.76 acre property is currently home to single story, mom-and-pop type industrial, repair and service shops with garage bays. The developer proposes replacing them with a three-story, 115,200-square-foot entertainment production building over a two-level subterranean parking garage with 412 parking spaces. The project was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission at its Dec. 12, 2007, meeting.

Two other sizable developments are under consideration in the immediate vicinity including at 2930 Colorado Ave. where a development agreement involving the Village Trailer Park is pending. That development is a mixed-use project with 240 condominiums, 109 single-room rental units, commercial and retail space and below grade parking for 503 vehicles. One block away at Olympic Boulevard and Stewart Street, a 300,000-square-foot, multi-story, mixed use/production facility is proposed for the former Paper-Mate property.

Based on the historical record and observing how the public Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) process has been manipulated to “push” more development with increased heights and densities, there seems to be little confidence that the city has a real desire to slow the current pace of growth. Maybe that’s why all five neighborhood groups have endorsed RIFT.

However, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce has gone on record opposing the initiative. The Chamber’s board of directors voted unanimously to oppose RIFT claiming “it will do nothing to reduce traffic..." I’m curious. Does the board know how much more development is needed to reduce traffic?

SMCLC Chair, Diana Gordon, reports, “SMCLC volunteers have collected over 6,000 signatures so far and are shooting for 10,000 which we expect to have by the April 23rd filing deadline.” For more information: www.smclc.net

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 7, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)