By Sharon McGeeney Santa Monica
I am writing to respond to Bill Bauer’s column (“Civic Center plan is doomed to fail,” June 18). I could not agree more with what he had to say about the plans for the Civic Center. I am appalled that such a plan could possibly get approved. I observed the last meeting of the Planning Commission and could not believe what I saw, and according to some of the expressions on their faces, I don’t think some of them were very happy about it either!
It has that same “Disneyland-ish” quality that just about all the housing projects have taken on — high density and no aesthetics. In fact, considering the potential removal of the beautiful trees in the downtown area, I do believe that City Hall is taking classes in “butt-ugly.” I drove down Fourth Street and Second Street today and had absolutely no problem seeing the signs.
It is pitiful and outrageous that our town, with so many beautiful and historic buildings and the SM Pier, has to compromise common sense to achieve their objectives. I am afraid that this is a slippery slope and what revenue the city has in tourism will begin to fade along with our quality of life. One of the things that draws people here is the “timeless quality” of Santa Monica.
This is reckless and irresponsible to the citizens of this community. The city of Santa Monica has a responsibility to make public any environmental impact reviews on this project to the taxpayers.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 21, 2007. Read the original PDF.