> ## 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. # Future of city atstake - URL: https://www.smdp.com/future-of-city-atstake/ - Published: 2006-01-10T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:02:12.000Z - Author: Ryan Hyatt - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Changes likely on tap for Bergamot Station* CITY HALL — Speak now or forever hold your peace... well, for 20 years anyway. For any residents with something to say about what the plan should be for development, parking or traffic in Santa Monica over the next 20 years, tonight is the night to be heard by elected officials, who will soon be making a decision on the city’s future path. The Santa Monica City Council is expected to choose three of five concepts on Tuesday, one of which will ultimately become the city’s blueprint for its new general plan. Meanwhile, some residents have expressed concern their wishes have not been heard because the concepts being considered call for too much development. At issue is what’s referred to as the “land use” and “circulation” policy documents that lay out the vision for Santa Monica’s built and moving environment, governing everything from specific development projects to how particular neighborhoods and transportation lines should grow and be used. The land use and circulation elements are part of the city’s general plan, which last underwent an overhaul in 1984. The process is expected to be complete by the summer of 2007\. City Hall’s zoning ordinance, which is the practical implementation of its policies, also will be re-written in the process. The goal is to produce “a clear, accessible and easily administered zoning ordinance that can be understood by all,” according to city documents. The concepts to be considered for further study include: Building more around the city’s neighborhoods; building more along the city’s current commercial corridors; building “downtown/uptown” districts that would re-develop Bergamot Station to support more cultural and medical uses; studying a “status quo” plan that would project what might happen in Santa Monica if current zoning isn’t changed; and, lastly, looking at how a “no growth” policy might affect the city. Some citizen groups have expressed frustration with the concepts being presented to the City Council. The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) — a nonprofit group which recently sued City Hall to find out about scrapped plans to re-develop Santa Monica Place Mall — told elected leaders in a recent letter that desires to restrain growth in Santa Monica, as expressed during previous public outreach efforts, weren’t being taken seriously. “The process is deeply flawed because the alternatives suggested do not even attempt to reflect the repeated views of residents,” the letter said. The letter also criticizes the concepts because factors like population and traffic growth weren’t mentioned in the reports. According to the reports, the purpose of the neighborhood centers’ concept would be to reinforce a town-scale community that would allow residents to access local services through non-motorized transportation, according to a city staff report. That means there would be some growth along some of Santa Monica’s major boulevards. The eastern portion of the city’s light manufacturing and studio district would transition into a new mixed-use neighborhood center around the planned light rail stop at Bergamot Station. Parcel sizes in that area would reflect Santa Monica’s existing neighborhood streets and existing traffic grid. The purpose of the grand boulevards’ concept would be to build on Santa Monica’s existing commercial corridors and focus development in those areas, including Wilshire, Santa Monica, Ocean Park, Pico and Lincoln boulevards. Under that scenario, Main and 26th streets, Ocean Park Boulevard and Montana Avenue would continue to support local needs, but also serve regional visitors. There would still be some growth along Bergamot Station, and the eastern portion of the city, but not for housing, according to a city staff report. The purpose of the uptown/downtown concept focuses future growth within two primary districts — downtown and a newly-created uptown district at Bergamot Station. The amount of commercial activity in the Bergamot Station district would extend northwest toward Saint John’s Hospital, providing more medically-related services. It also would balance galleries, office and discount retail stores with apartments and condominiums, making the amount of activity in that area second only to downtown. The purpose of the status quo concept would be to understand what the long-term impact would be if City Hall stuck to its current general plan and zoning. City staff expects that if the status quo were maintained, Santa Monica would continue to have unlimited demand for housing, little demand for office space and little to no demand for industrial uses. The purpose of the no growth concept — which was requested to be reviewed by the city’s planning commission — would study the implications of not allowing any growth in the city. Such a study may be considered along with the three alternatives that are chosen, according to reports. The information to be compiled would explain the cultural, economic, legal, and physical results of such a policy. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 10, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)