> ## 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. # Downtown is filling up - URL: https://www.smdp.com/downtown-is-filling-up/ - Published: 2006-07-08T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T18:46:43.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import *It’s looking up for downtown* DOWNTOWN — It appears that the retail and office climate here has reached a critical mass. With most vacant spaces either filled or soon to be filled, retailers are finding Santa Monica to be a vibrant place to set up shop — even if rent prices exceed more than $12 per square foot in some areas, like the Third Street Promenade. retailers circling and trying to figure out what works best,” said Rob York, a retail consultant who works with the Bayside District Corp., which manages the downtown area along with City Hall. “By early fall, we’re going to be in great shape.” A new tenant has just finalized a lease at 312 Wilshire Blvd., where a New York-style fine dining restaurant called “Scarboni” will serve up high quality steaks and seafood, particularly lobster, said the restaurant’s co-owner Steve Scarduzio. The building — site of the former Pentola restaurant and bar — has been empty for months. And for years, the eatery was rarely open except for routine movie and commercial shoots. Now it’s under new ownership — the Hughes family, which owns public storage facilities throughout the country, recently bought the building. After some slight remodeling, Scarduzio hopes to have his restaurant open within 90 days. He and his partner, Tommy Saboni, have already cleared one major hurdle — they have a parking lot and valet service. Just up the block on Wilshire Boulevard, the historic landmark building that housed Zucky’s, which has been vacant for years, will reportedly soon be turned into a small bank. Other long-vacant spaces are filling up as well — the old Burke Williams space at the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street will soon be filled by Active Ride, a skate-shop chain that features clothing and boards for skateboarders, snowboarders and surfers. Active Ride has shops throughout California in Chino, Escondido, Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga, San Dimas and Temecula. “It’s very appropriate for Santa Monica,” York said, adding the retailer has typically stayed in the suburbs. Broadway — which has been in flux in recent years — appears to be bustling with new shops and restaurants entering the scene, like Orchid, which recently opened at 119 Broadway. The Orchid prepares mainly Thai food, although not exclusively. “Broadway is finally turning the lights on,” York said. Meanwhile, Second Street still suffers from sitting on the periphery of the busy Promenade. Several retail shops and offices remain vacant, particularly on the block between Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard. York said that a few businesses are looking at the area and it’s just a matter of time before it fills up. “It’s probably the next area to go because we’ve taken up all the other prime spots,” he said. “People still want to be part of it here.” That’s the case for Buddahs Belly, a Pan- Asian eatery, which has signed a lease on Second Street and will move in this year, York said. Rents for retail space downtown are going for as low as $8 and upwards of $12 a square foot, with the Promenade commanding the top prices. There are no empty retail spaces along the Promenade, but there are several available office locations. Still, the number of empty commercial office spaces in downtown Santa Monica have decreased dramatically since five years ago, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the bust of the technology industry helped contribute to a downturn in the economy. After the economy slowed, office space was going for as little as $1.80 a square foot in downtown Santa Monica. Now it’s upwards of $3 a square foot, York said. A quick walk around downtown indicates that there are nearly two dozen open offices on Second Street, the Promenade and Fourth Street. Life might be good for retailers now in Santa Monica, but officials are continuing to address downtown’s issues, such as a lack of parking. “It’s not a future problem,” York said. “Five years ago it was a future problem. In the short-term, it’s a management issue, but mid-to long-term, it is something that needs to be addressed.” York added that there are still several under-utilized spaces throughout the downtown area, including surface parking lots and the ground-level floors of the public parking structures, which should have retail in them. As they are retrofitted, retail space will be included. Now it’s just a matter of how to appropriately mix residential, retail and commercial throughout the rest of downtown. Plans to redevelop the Santa Monica Place mall are pending and there have been discussions on revamping the aging movie theaters on the Promenade. “We’re doing great, we’ve come full circle,”York said.“We have a lot of momentum right now. > “We have a lot of momentum right now.” — ROB YORK RETAIL CONSULTANT “But the real issue is where do we go from here?” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 8, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070806.pdf?ref=smdp.com)