Preliminary plans would put 325 units in three buildings downtown; architects pushing for a 120-foot height limit
CITY HALL — Elected leaders are at odds over how many apartments and condominiums should be built on government-owned land in downtown Santa Monica, and how much of it should be open space.
At issue is a proposal to construct 325 housing units in three complexes standing as high as 120 feet on land between City Hall and Ocean Avenue. Members of the City Council last week gave the project a preliminary approval, but said they would track closely the evolving plans.
Whatever ultimately happens, the project likely will have a significant impact on controversial plans to redevelop the Santa Monica Place mall. Mall officials have proposed building five high-rise towers with three standing 21 stories tall, the same height as the tallest building in Santa Monica.
Meanwhile, three teams of architects and developers were chosen to draft detailed proposals for the 11.3 acres of land currently occupied by the former headquarters of the Rand Corp., as well as a construction area and a parking lot. Once completed, the city’s housing development will be a key component of a planned $120 million Civic Center revamp that also encompasses City Hall and the courthouse.
Pleasing the entire City Council will be a tall task. Two council members indicated they would rather not build condominiums and instead move ahead only with the 160 affordable rental units, using the rest of the land for park space. All new developments must include affordable housing under state law and City Hall is no exception.
Other council members pointed out that housing officials originally had hoped for as many as 600 units on the site.
Ron Barefield, a housing administrator at City Hall, encouraged the council to consider the higher height limit and the inclusion of condominiums because it would generate extra revenue for other housing projects. Tens of millions of housing dollars could be at stake, housing officials said. What’s more, approving just the 160 affordable apartments and no ownership units would turn the area into a veritable housing project, with a lower quality of life, said Bob Moncrief, the city’s housing and redevelopment manager.
“We’ve got 10 pounds of plaster in a five pound bag right now.”
“We’ve got 10 pounds of plaster in a five pound bag right now.” — HERB KATZ City Councilman
The current plans call for two buildings on the east side of Ocean Avenue and one west off of Main Street and just north of the new Rand Corp. building, according to Jim Adams, director of urban design and a principal at the Roma Design Group, the design firm that did the initial planning. The project would have a mix of units for senior citizens, artists, families and other groups. Allowing one of the buildings to reach 120 feet high will be critical, Adams said.
Several council members disagreed. “I don’t share the vision of building a new neighborhood in Santa Monica,” City Councilman Bob Holbrook said. “I think we’re really a dense city.”
City Councilman Herb Katz, an architect, said it was “the most dense, unimaginative” proposal he’d seen in years.
“There is a quality of life that’s missing here,” he said. “There isn’t much open space there, and I’m looking at that with a professional eye. That isn’t pleasant.
Holbrook was joined by City Councilman Bobby Shriver in proposing that only 160 housing units be built on the site. That proposal failed.
On the other side of the debate were City Councilmen Ken Genser and Kevin McKeown, who reiterated the demand for affordable housing and said developers should retain flexibility at this point.
To help guide the architects, Genser suggested a set of guiding principles. Those principles, which later were backed by the entire council, included mixing owned and rented units in the development; minimizing heights where possible; maximizing open space; designing on a human, pedestrian scale; including live-work space and family housing; and establishing a relationship between residences and park space.
No matter what City Hall decides to build on its land downtown, local residents will have something to say about it. A handful of people spoke up on the issue at last week’s meeting, most with strong criticisms.
“I see a little triangle in the middle of a bunch of buildings and they call it open space, and I think that’s a joke,” Ocean Park resident Jacob Samuel said. “I just think it’s imperative that we put the brakes on building and development and really try to bring a park-like atmosphere — especially by the beach areas.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 24, 2004. Read the original PDF.