‘The Village’ to be addressed
CITY HALL Elected officials look to weigh in tonight on three issues that will affect Santa Monica for generations to come.
In addition to a new mixed-use housing project in the heart of the Civic Center, the City Council is also expected to discuss the future of the electoral process and the way in which neighborhoods should be protected and enhanced.
City planners are recommending that the council endorse key placemaking principals and conservation guidelines developed by residents over the last six months. The principals are a driving force in the development of a new Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), a document that guides development throughout the city, providing a blueprint for how land should be used and how neighborhoods should interact with commercial corridors and open space.
The LUCE has not been updated in roughly 20 years.The process was delayed somewhat over the last two years by the departures of the planning director and city manager, both of whom have since been replaced.
Residents were asked their opinions on neighborhood conservation and placemaking — the integration of planning and people to create a place that is ideal in which to play, work and live. They focused primarily on what makes for a good neighborhood and how to maintain those aspects when building for the future. The discussions included public transit, landscaping, traffic impacts and building bridges between residential areas to the east and west.
Residents overwhelmingly showed support for active uses along boulevards, such as restaurants, cafes and outdoor dining to attract people looking to leave their cars at home. There was also a call for better landscaping, more attractive streetscapes and the creation of pocket parks where available.
The next topic to be tackled in the LUCE process will be the future vision for the city’s industrial lands and how they may be able to accommodate a diverse range of housing, thus relieving pressure on existing neighborhoods.
In a somewhat related topic, the council is also being asked to begin negotiations with the Related Companies for the development of The Village, a mixed-use project that will include affordable and market rate housing mixed in with live-work spaces, ground floor retail and open space. The development will be located in the heart of the Civic Center, just yards away from City Hall and the RAND Corp. headquarters.
The project is intended to breathe life into the Civic Center, but there are critics who claim the initial concept design shows a development that is too dense and out of character for the city. Debate is expected on density and height and whether or not Related should be allowed to build higher to accommodate the call for more affordable housing without having to cram so many units together.
Landscaping could also become an issue, along with parking, with some calling for a parking structure to be built underneath an adjacent park.
Currently, there are approximately 325 residences planned,160 of which will be affordable. The plan calls for the extension of Olympic Drive from Main Street to Ocean Avenue, integrated public art and a public plaza.
Ways of improving the electoral process in Santa Monica will also take center stage tonight, with council members set to receive a report stemming from a community meeting in May.
The meeting was the result of a council discussion earlier this year on whether or not to create a public financing program in which residents’ tax dollars would be used to fund political campaigns.
Residents floated several ideas and showed strong support for public financing.
Residents felt that City Hall was providing timely information to new candidates and that the information helped prospective candidates navigate through the nomination process. They also applauded the work of the City Clerk’s Office, which is responsible for posting campaign expenditures online as well as candidate statements and information on the electoral process.
The public indicated its support for the existing $250 contribution limit, although there were those who were for both increase or decreasing the limit.
Overall, participants seemed to feel that the electoral process is working, but that special interests groups are having too much of an influence on who wins. People wanted clarification on the campaign contribution limits and how of if they applied to independent expenditure committees.
The council is expected to review the comments and then give staff direction on how to proceed. This could mean public financing or a host of other things, such as the creation of term limits, ranked voting, and the mentoring of new candidates by incumbents so that more minorities run.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 19, 2007. Read the original PDF.