became aware of the tour in various ways — through the city’s “hot topics” e-mails, an ad in the Santa Monica Daily Press and the city’s Seascape newsletter.
Those riding the bus Saturday proved to be a mixed bag. One participant is a professional Los Angeles tour guide who wanted to know her own city better. A boy interested in construction found the event on the Internet, bringing his mother along.
Tour guide Craig Perkins, the director of City Hall’s environmental and public works management department, answered questions and rattled off background information at breakneck speed. Perkins explained what each of the projects were about,what progress has been made, and any political, legal or financial obstacles they’ve faced. While completion and starting dates were sporadic, there was minimal discussion on the money spent or budgeted for the projects.
One highlight of the tour was Airport Park, an 8.3-acre parcel on the north side of Airport Avenue which is being converted into a public space. Right now, it looks like acres of dirt, but soon it will be an open space addition to the street’s restaurants, art gallery and theater. The new park will include sports fields, lawn areas, an off-leash dog area, playground equipment, restrooms and parking. The park, which will cost $8.6 million, is scheduled to open in January 2007.
Another massive construction site is the burgeoning Civic Center parking structure. The 900-space parking garage will serve downtown traffic, as well as the Civic Center and Santa Monica Superior Courthouse. It is due to open by the end of 2006. Located right next to the new Santa Monica Police Department headquarters, that section of Santa Monica has not experienced a break from construction for years. With the new parking structure in place, surface parking lots in the area will be able to be converted into parks and other community-oriented uses. The Civic Center parking structure will also provide parking during the earthquake retrofitting of other downtown parking structures. The cost of construction is an estimated $30 million.
The Village in the Civic Center area is another hotspot for development. The $120 million redevelopment project will someday be a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, as well as community open space. The Village is the housing component of the Civic Center plan, located next to the former RAND building, which is being remade into a community park. The Village project will be paid for by the redevelopment fund, as well as a private developer. Dialogue with the community to design the apartments’ height and footprint started in May. The City Council will make the final decision in the months to come.
After years of construction and a relocation to Fifth Street, the main branch of the Santa Monica Public Library is now operational. Its amenities include self-service checkout, a large browsing environment, the Bookmark Café, subterranean parking, a used bookstore, and artwork by Carl Cheng and the Stanton Macdonald-Wright murals. Paid through a combination of bond funds, general funds and redevelopment funds, the price tag for the facility was $57.7 million, plus $12 million for parking.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 13, 2006. Read the original PDF.