Lionsgate project a step closer to reality
EASTSIDE The proposed future home of Lionsgate Entertainment’s corporate headquarters on Colorado Avenue is one step closer to fruition as city planners and developers prepare to enter into negotiations for a project that has drawn a mixed reaction from the community.
The film industry giant has called Santa Monica home for the past decade, located in the MTV Network business complex on the corner of Colorado Avenue and 26th Street. With its lease set to expire in the near future, Lionsgate is seeking to develop a new entertainment production facility at 2834 Colorado Ave., located just two blocks east of its existing home in what is considered a hotbed for the creative arts industry.
The City Council on Tuesday authorized city planners to begin negotiating a development agreement with Lionsgate, hoping to broker a contract with City Hall that would outline design details and requirements for the project. The development agreement must ultimately be approved by the council, which gave some direction during the meeting as to what it would like to see out of the project, including providing employment opportunities for residents, public benefits, pedestrian amenities and a traffic management plan to help mitigate congestion.
The 1.76-acre site is owned by Jack Walker who purchased the parcel in 1999 and was planning to move forward with an artist studio complex project a few years ago before Lionsgate approached him about a deal in which the company would develop and own the production facility. The artist studio complex idea has been put on hold.
Lionsgate was interested in the site because of the proximity to its existing headquarters, allowing it to stay in Santa Monica where the film company has established itself as a good corporate citizen for the past 10 years, donating to OPCC and working with various non-profits, Walter said on Thursday.
“They want to support the community and be a good neighbor,” Walter said.
The proposed project would be a three-story 45-foot-high entertainment production facility taking up roughly 153,000 square feet on the corner of Colorado and Stewart Street. The project would also include a two-level subterranean parking garage that would hold approximately 142 spaces.
Eileen Fogarty, the director of planning and community development, said the project is consistent with the city’s existing general plan and would be in line with the Land Use and Circulation Element, based on the goals and visions expressed for the updated plan thus far.
But there were some concerns with the project, including its mass and scale, sitting at 490 feet long. Fogarty added that the project should have public benefits and a transportation management plan, pointing to the LUCE’s stated vision of all future developments resulting in no new net trips and having clear advantages to the community, such as shared open space.
The development would be located just blocks from a proposed Exposition Light Rail line at Bergamot Station.
The company employs a number of young workers who are more likely to car-pool, take public transit or ride their bikes to work. Walter also pointed out to a list of public benefits, including new revenue from the project going to the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District, internship programs and employment opportunities for Santa Monica residents, and open space on the corner of Stewart and Colorado.
Lionsgate also intends to support programs at the Pico Youth & Family Center.
The project generally received a favorable response from residents who spoke at the City Council meeting, pointing to the need to retain a large employer in the community.
Hector Ramirez, a long-time resident who belongs to several non-profit organizations, reminded the council of when First Federal Bank, which he called a stand up corporate citizen, bolted from Santa Monica for Playa Vista. The bank had been in the community since 1931.
“I don’t want the same fate bestowed on Lionsgate,” Ramirez said.
Sharon O’Rourke, who works with The Gas Company which abuts the Walter property, also spoke in favor of the project. She said that previous proposals have been for either all or partial residential developments.
“From our perspective, we picked this site because it was commercial and no residential around it, similar to what the city does in picking a site for its city yard,” she said.
But several residents urged the council to halt the project from moving forward, fearing the negative traffic impact on the neighborhoods.
Zina Josephs, president of the Friends of Sunset Park, said the board in 2004 took a position to oppose all large-scale developments unless the traffic impact on the neighborhoods was mitigated.
She pointed out that many of the Lionsgate employees might commute from Venice, which could entail cutting through the Sunset Park neighborhood.
David Latham, who lives a block away from the anticipated Lionsgate site, suggested sending the project back for consideration for a smaller-scale development.
“If it proceeds, we set a trend to develop on the eastern end of the city, increasing density, and we just don’t need more of that,” Latham said.
Councilmembers made it clear that they would not hesitate to reject a project that does not clearly meet the bar for traffic mitigation and public benefits.
“We’re prepared to vote no if all this stuff isn’t here,” Councilmember Bobby Shriver said.
The lone vote in opposition to allowing the negotiations to commence came from Councilmember Ken Genser, who said he wasn’t sure such a development should occur before the adoption of the LUCE. Mayor Herb Katz recused himself from the discussion because he is working on a separate project close by.
“We have enough commercial development in the city,” Genser said.
Walter has been a regular fixture at the LUCE meetings for more than a year, hoping to find out about the concerns of the neighborhood.
“I wanted to learn about the city, being in the fold and being part of the community,” Walter said.
While the project is still in its infancy stages, Lionsgate officials expressed hope to stay in the community they have called home for the past 10 years.
“We take our responsibilities as corporate citizens seriously and we appreciate the opportunity we have been provided to give back to our community through our involvement with the OPCC and many other projects,” Nancy Coleman, the executive vice president of human resources and administration for Lionsgate, said on Thursday. “We are excited about the prospect of remaining in Santa Monica for years to come.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 11, 2008. Read the original PDF.