> ## 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. # Controversial project gets green light - URL: https://www.smdp.com/controversial-project-gets-green-light/ - Published: 2007-12-12T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T04:22:46.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Government & Politics, Ocean Park, #archive-import *Construction approved despite considerable reluctance by residents* CITY HALL A new two-story residential construction project — one of two ruffling feathers in the Third Street Historic District — got the official nod from the Landmarks Commission to move forward on Monday, despite a number of pleas by neighbors asking any action be postponed until the following month to hear the two projects together. The commission awarded a certificate of appropriateness application to Mark Gorman and Beth Burns, allowing the couple to demolish the existing one-story duplex at 2642 Second St., in Ocean Park, in favoring of erecting a new home that some opposing neighbors have called “modernist.” Residents asked the Landmarks Commission to abstain from making a decision until the January meeting, when a much more controversial project — at 2617 Third St., which includes moving the front house forward a few feet and building an addition in the back — is heard, noting that the two projects are part of a larger developmental issue threatening the survival of the Third Street Historic District. Established in 1990, the historic district is bounded by Third Street to the east, Hill Street to the south, Second Street to the west and Ocean Park Boulevard to the north. Though the existing building on the Gorman-Burns lot is not a contributing structure to the district, its demolition and any new construction still require support from the Landmarks Commission because it lies within the historic district. “I do believe the future is at stake here,” said Karen Blechman, a 12-year resident of the district. The property owners presented their project to the commission in October, during which time the commissioners, who seemed generally supportive of the project, sent the proposed designs back to the couple, asking revisions be made in order for the new home to fit in better with the historic district. Gorman and Burns came back to the commission with a new design that included the removal of a stair tower that some commissioners found problematic, and a reduction in floor area by 235 square feet. The home was designed to borrow architectural elements from some of the historic homes in the district, which includes turn-of-the-century bungalows, beach cottages and Victorians. Tony Haig, who owns a Victorian house under construction around the corner on Beach Street, presented a photo slide show of historic homes in the district, attempting to make the case that the proposed project is a departure from the contributing structures and does not necessarily incorporate their architectural features. The slide show included photos of the newer apartment buildings in the district constructed in the past 40 years, arguing that the proposed project is more aligned with the modernist and boxy feel of those buildings. While some residents agreed the design of the proposed house is beautiful, they said it doesn’t belong in the historic district. The timing of the Gorman-Burns project coincides with a much more controversial proposal just up the block on Third Street, where resident Mark Woollen is planning to move his house forward, bringing it in line with the setback of the adjacent homes in order to make more room in the back for an addition to an existing building. Neighbors have spoken out against the project, arguing against the scale of the back addition to an existing non-contributing structure where the homeowner currently resides. The front bungalow is uninhabitable because it doesn’t have a kitchen or a bathroom. The project includes the planting of ginkgo biloba and evergreen trees in the backyard, essentially shielding the back home from street view, Woollen’s architect, Michael Folonis, has stated in the past. The owners of the Second Street house said they made a good faith effort to include the neighbors in the project, soliciting their input and incorporating those concerns into the revisions. “I guess you can’t please everyone, but then, we don’t expect to,” Burns said at the meeting. The commission approved the project with a contingency — the color of the house should be changed from bright white to a softer color. “I just think this is something that will work very well in this community,” said Commissioner John Berley. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 12, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)