By Mathew Millen Santa Monica
I went on a trip into the future last week and it was truly frightening. The City Council controlled by Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) through the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) is proposing to increase the density on the commercial streets in Santa Monica. The proposal would allow commercial on the first floor and between three and four floors of high density low income housing above the commercial. The City of Los Angeles has already passed the type of zoning changes SMRR is proposing. To see what Montana Avenue and Ocean Park Boulevard might look like when SMRR’s proposals are implemented, I took a trip to Sixth Street and Alvarado in Los Angeles. I was shocked. That intersection is clogged with people and traffic. The Los Angeles Police Department also reports this is a high crime neighborhood.
My suggestion is for everyone to travel to Sixth and Alvarado and see for yourself what the future holds if the SMRR proposal is approved by the council. If you don’t agree with that type of development let your council members know.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 22, 2008. Read the original PDF.