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# McDonald’s to be part of new building downtown
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/mcdonalds-to-be-part-of-new-building-downtown-2/
- Published: 2003-04-03T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:00:28.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import

*Plans to go in front of City Council next week*

McDonald’s on Second Street is getting a face lift.

The three-story building is planned for the intersection of Second Street and Colorado Boulevard. The building will have retail stores on the street level, office space on the top floors and McDonald’s will be renovated, said Tom Landau, the project’s architect.

“It’s a Spanish-revival type architecture with tiled roofs and towers and balconies,” he said. “If you squint your eyes and look at it, most people would think they’re in Santa Barbara on State Street.”

The project, which has been in the making for eight years, received the go-ahead last week from the Bayside District Corp., a non-profit organization that manages the downtown in conjunction with the city.

The project is scheduled to be reviewed by the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday.

Developer Norman Kravetz said he is optimistic the council will approve the project. The Chamber of Commerce, the Pier Restoration Corp. and several Santa Monica homeowners groups also have backed the proposed development.

“I think the town is very supportive,” said Kravetz of the project, which is estimated to cost $15 million. “We’ve tried to meet every request to make this the project the community wanted.”

Kravetz said a key obstacle to getting the building approved was the traffic it would generate in an already congested area of downtown. In response to the community’s concerns, Kravetz said he designed the auto entrance to be in the alleyway and incorporated 300 underground and surface parking spaces, exceeding the city’s requirements by 10 percent.

The parking spaces will be available to the general public in the evenings and on weekends, Kravetz said.

McDonald’s will have a spot in the new building, along with one to four retailers and 46,000 square feet of second-and third-floor office space. Additionally, there will be a large outdoor courtyard on the second floor, Landau said.

McDonald’s, which has been on the corner for 22 years, had hoped to serve drive-through customers on the new site. But Kravetz said he had to scrap that plan due to heavy community resistance because of traffic concerns.

Developers and officials hope the new 75,000-square-foot building will clean up an area of downtown that is known as a destination for vagrants.

Kravetz said he is excited to help clean up a blighted area, while continuing to offer affordable food.

“Santa Monica is going to have a safe place for women and children and families to get that meal that doesn’t price them out of the marketplace,” he said.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/040303-03_01.jpg)

of Tom Landau Pictured above is a rendering of a proposed building on Second Street and Colorado Boulevard. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/040303-03_02.jpg)

of Tom Landau Pictured above is a rendering of a proposed building on Second Street and Colorado Boulevard. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 3, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040303.pdf?ref=smdp.com)