CITY HALL — After decades of often acrimonious debate, the City Council and car dealers appear to have found common ground in the form of a temporary law passed Tuesday that gives dealerships more room to maneuver while preserving residents’ quality of life.
The law, which makes changes to how land is used under the city’s general plan, would allow dealerships to expand into a light-industrial zone known as M-1, which runs from 14th Street to Fifth Street, between Colorado Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. Parking structures can also be constructed on dealership lots located near neighborhood streets, as long as the total height does not exceed that which has been set for residential developments.
The law is temporary because it is incorporated in City Hall’s general plan, which dictates all development in the city, and is currently being overhauled. When a new general plan might be adopted is still undetermined.
In order to protect residents, the unloading and loading of cars on all city streets will be regulated closely, and all dealers will have to demonstrate a need to unload on public property as opposed to private property.
While recognizing that the auto industry is the largest sales tax revenue generator in Santa Monica, city officials have for years grappled with how to respond to resident concerns and dealer complaints that City Hall has created an unfriendly business climate. As a result, car dealership owners have threatened to move their businesses outside of the city.
Previously, there was an application process for the loading and unloading of vehicles, but city staff
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 30, 2006. Read the original PDF.