By Karen Blechman Santa Monica
It would seem obvious that both the Landmarks Commission and the Santa Monica Conservancy are on the side of historic preservation and yet after months of hearings neither body has committed to protecting the Third Street Neighborhood Historic District in Ocean Park.
The Landmarks Commission has now been through five or six hearings on one project (I’ve basically lost count, there have been so many, starting in December last year) and since the applicant has requested another continuance, this will presumably drag on into the new year. The unsuitability of this project for a very sensitive site in the heart of the designated historic district is so obvious that many residents of the District expected it to be turned down at the very first hearing. The other project will be heard for the second time at the landmarks hearing on Monday.
Why are the commissioners taking so long and being so timid? And why hasn’t the conservancy been vocal in support of the city’s one tiny historic district? The city would like to designate more historic districts but if the Third Street Historic District is not supported, what’s the point of trying to establish others?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 10, 2007. Read the original PDF.