> ## 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. # Commissioners push land swap - URL: https://www.smdp.com/commissioners-push-land-swap/ - Published: 2007-08-18T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:36:13.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Santa Monica, #archive-import EASTSIDE Residents charged with guiding development in Santa Monica are urging the City Council to either purchase the Village Trailer Park or offer its owners another piece of property to develop so that tenants there will not be forced to relocate. The owner of the trailer park, located at 2930 Colorado Ave., has plans to shut it down in January and redevelop the 3.85 acres of land with a mix of 109 rent-controlled studios, 240 market-rate condominiums and roughly 40,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving commercial space. A subterranean parking garage would provide 469 parking spaces, with 34 spaces above ground. Planning commissioners voted Wednesday night to urge the council to begin negotiations with the property owner to either purchase the site, or make a trade. Commissioners felt it was critical to protect the park since it represents one of the few remaining affordable housing options left in the city, which has experienced an increase in the development of pricey condominiums. The lack of affordable housing prompted City Manager Lamont Ewell to create a workforce housing committee comprised of city staff, property owners and representatives from major employers like St. John’s Health Center and Santa Monica College. The committee is looking at ways to develop housing that could be affordable for nurses, teachers, fire fighters and others who provide essential services. Citing concerns about traffic and density, commissioners also requested that the council not approve any development agreement with the owners of the trailer park until the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) is closer to completion and city staff has a better idea as to what residents want to see in the light manufacturing district, which is where the trailer park is located. The area has seen a rapid increase in development, particularly the construction of small studios ranging in size from 250 to 375 square feet. The LUCE process will determine how land is used in the city during the next 20 years or more. The motion, which was unanimously approved, also recommended that negotiations between the council and the developer include discussions about spreading out the rent-controlled units to include some larger apartments; financial assistance for those looking to buy; and the size of the studios, which one tenant said were about the size of a “cracker box.” One of the owners of the trailer park, Mark Luzzatto of the Luzzatto Company, said he is willing to go above and beyond what is required by law when one decides to close down a trailer park. He has offered to pay moving expenses for 20 to 22 residents who would like to relocate to the Mountain View Mobile Home Park on Stewart Street, which is owned by City Hall. Luzzatto is also offering to build his project in phases so that residents could remain in their trailers for as long as possible before moving into the rent-controlled studios, which would have new, energy-efficient appliances, an elevator and a community garden. Luzzatto said the amenities being offered, along with money to pay for moving expenses, should help offset the loss of equity residents have earned over the years by owning their own trailers, which are not expected to be worth much once the park is gone. He has even offered to purchase trailers from those who want to sell and move into a new unit or go elsewhere. “We are working with the city and the residents to come up with something that makes sense for everyone,” said Luzzatto, who considers himself a compassionate developer who lives in Santa Monica and wants only the best for his community. As for the idea of selling the park to the city or trading it for another parcel, Luzzatto said Wednesday night was the first time he had heard of those ideas and could not comment on them. “It’s hard to respond to that because I have no idea where that came from,” he said. “Our plan at this point is to redevelop the property into something which is really positive to the community. The city is free to talk about something like that, but it’s not something we are looking at.” Luzzatto said the new units built would add to the small number of affordable units in the city, enabling nurses at nearby St. John’s or professors at SMC to purchase a home and walk or bike to work. That would cut down on traffic, he added. In a letter to Planning Director Eileen Fogarty, the chief executive officer of St. John’s, Lou Lazatin, expressed support for the project, saying, “the proposed units … would provide our employees a viable range of living options that would accommodate a range of household types. “We would see great benefit in being able to offer our employees the opportunity to live in new, affordable and reasonably priced rental and for-sale housing located within walking or biking distance of our hospital.” Many of the trailer park residents are strongly opposed to any redevelopment of the site and so are some neighbors living across the street. Those who spoke at the commission meeting were concerned about traffic congestion and the impact the development would have on the area’s infrastructure. “For 22 years I’ve tried to build a little peace of mind in that little park,” said Jack Donner, 78, a resident of the Village who suffers from diabetes, an enlarged prostate and arthritis. “To be forced to move out of my space, which is over 800 square feet … to a proposed 250 to 350 square foot cracker box, I think, would be detrimental to my mental and spiritual health.” One resident said she supported the project and felt it would be a significant improvement over the park, which has “gone down so bad,” in the last few years. “Mr. Luzzatto is a very reasonable man and he will work with us in any way possible,” said Ruth Lewis. “I believe this development will be a big improvement on the property that we have here … I believe this project will be a benefit for all of us.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 18, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)