> ## 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. # Council to weigh permanent ordinance exempting small affordable housing projects from review - URL: https://www.smdp.com/digging-in-for-affordable-housing-council-can-expect-some-opposition-to-ordinance-waiving-review-process/ - Published: 2007-01-09T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T23:40:56.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Government & Politics, Main St, #archive-import *Housing ordinance is really nothing new* CITY HALL — A temporary ordinance that exempts certain affordable housing projects from public review — drawing fire recently, even though it’s been in effect since 2003 — will go before the City Council tonight for the first step toward permanent implementation. Under the ordinance, any projects slated for development in multi-family districts that are 50 units or less and dedicated entirely to affordable housing will be exempt from Development Review by the Planning Commission. Those same types of projects planned for development in the Main Street Special Commercial, Special Office Commercial and Industrial Conservation Districts will also be exempt from the Conditional Use Permit requirement. The Planning Commission typically attaches conditional uses to developments to mitigate identified adverse impacts. The proposed ordinance has been widely criticized by residents who feel that the city should not eliminate a public review process on developments that have the potential to not only change the landscape of the neighborhood,but to affect property values of the surrounding homes. Presented as an amendment to the zoning code, the provision is meant to speed up the affordable housing approval process and give developers the comfort of knowing that their project will most likely be approved if it falls under the ordinance. This reassurance aids developers in the competitive world of public funding. Developers will still be required to submit their plans to the Architectural Review Board \[ARB\]. “It enables them to know with relative certainty when they can go forward and how long it will take,” said Eileen Fogarty, Planning and Community Development Director. The ordinance was first implemented for the test phase in 2003 and the Planning Commission voted last month to recommend permanent implementation to the City Council. “What was surprising to me was how few people spoke out when it came before us in the Planning Commission,” said Chairman Gwynne Pugh. “There were a wide range of people who spoke highly in favor of the idea that affordable housing be promoted.” In the past few years, at least two projects utilized the exemption. In May of 2005, the ARB approved the design for a 36-unit development on Centinela Avenue near the 10 Freeway. The ARB approved the design for a 44-unit development on the corner of Pacific and Main streets in 2003. Critics have been vocal as the ordinance moves closer to permanency, upset that the city would take away a public review process for projects that, in many cases, are partially funded by the city and taxpayers. “If the chief of police can’t buy a car for officers without City Council approval, why should the staff be able to spend $8 million for a low income housing project without the council or public having any voice in the spending of their money?” asked Matt Millen, an attorney in Santa Monica. “The public should have input as to where these projects are going to be placed, how big they are, and what the impacts are on schools and parking.” Public participation has proven successful in the past in preventing unwanted developments and renovations from moving forward, said Barney Alff, of Ocean Park, citing how Macerich’s original proposal to renovate Santa Monica Place was shot down. “That got shut down beautifully due to citizen participation,” said Alff. But supporters say this ordinance is consistent with the goals of making Santa Monica an affordable place for everyone, especially its workforce, who have to commute 20-30 minutes each day. Many of these workers are teachers, students and nurses, according to Pugh. The proposed exemption is just one of the policies that make Santa Monica an attractive city in which to develop affordable housing. Developers of these projects are awarded other benefits, including density bonuses and housing fee discounts. “The city needs to make every effort to ensure affordable housing can be viably built in Santa Monica,” said Denny Zane, cochairman of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights. “The city needs to make procedural accommodations for affordable housing or it simply won’t be built here.” But the ordinance seems to go against the goal of the city to encourage public participation and transparency in the decision its officials make, argues Zina Josephs. “Only residents within 500 feet receive notification and I think that’s wrong,”said Josephs, president of the Friends of Sunset Park, which has not taken a position on the ordinance. Even though certain projects will bypass the Planning Commission if the ordinance is approved, those projects will still be open to public participation, said Joan Ling, executive director of Community Corporation of Santa Monica \[CCSM\], the largest producer of affordable housing in Santa Monica. CCSM held more than 20 community meetings for the 44-unit development on the corner of Pacific and Main streets. Ling believes the zoning issues about the scale of the project, parking and traffic issues cannot be handled on a project basis. City officials need to tackle those issues on a policy level. “If people don’t like the density, the parking, those are things that should be dealt with on a citywide policy level,” she said. Mayor Richard Bloom voted for the ordinance in 2003 when it was presented to the City Council for the interim. Bloom has received a large amount of correspondence from both opponents and supporters, but feels the proposed ordinance has a positive future in Council Chambers. “I think this certainly has a strong chance of passing, based on the history of supporting affordable housing,” said Bloom on Monday. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 9, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/010907.pdf?ref=smdp.com)