Landmarks Commission shelves vote
CITYWIDE The perpetual preservation of Santa Monica’s iconic ocean-view park will just have to wait.
Citing the need for city staff to spend more time reviewing an analysis of Palisades Park, the Landmarks Commission on Monday postponed a vote to designate the 26.4 acres of open space until its July 9 meeting.
While the details need to be sorted out, the park’s eventual landmark status seems a certainty.
The commission heard concerns on the potential landmarks designation application filed for the park on Oct. 9, 2006.
Two fairly lengthy reports by City Hall consultants and city staff in the Planning and Community Development Department didn’t come into the hands of Karen Ginsberg, assistant director of community and cultural services, until Monday. The 59-page Landmarks Assessment Report by PCR Services Corporation and a 12-page analysis by city staff will get another look.
On Monday, Ginsberg, the owner representative for Palisades Park, aired several concerns after reviewing the staff report, one being the time frame allotted to prepare a Park Management Plan following the landmarks designation.
City staff would have just 95 days from the time the Landmarks Commission acts on designation to prepare the management plan, which would outline a regulatory process the commission would follow in reviewing future alterations to the park.
The 95-day window is too small to prepare the Park Management Plan, Ginsberg argued, and that at least 150 days would be needed.
“While I appreciate wanting to expedite (the process), I thought it was overly ambitious,” Ginsberg said on Tuesday. “It would-n’t give adequate time to Recreation and Parks Commissioners who would likely like to review the plan at least twice.”
The Recreation and Parks Commission was also interested in formulating a subcommittee with the Landmarks Commission to develop the management plan, said Ginsberg, one of the staff liaisons to the Recreation and Parks Commission.
Ginsberg was also concerned about inaccuracies in the staff report, specifically in a chart listing significant physical features in Palisades Park and seeing whether they serve as contributing or potentially contributing historical features to the site.
There were “factual discrepancies” in the description of the features, she said.
While the Recreation and Parks Commission could discuss the reports at its meeting on June 21, it doesn’t seem likely with an already stacked agenda. Ginsberg wondered if Recreation and Parks Commissioners will even have a chance to discuss the reports before the next Landmarks Commission meeting.
There seems to be little to almost no concern among members of the Recreation and Parks Commission and Landmarks Commission in the historic designation of Palisades Park. The former has been discussing designation for several years.
“We just want to make sure the information is all complete in terms of identifying significance,” said Landmarks Commissioner Ruthann Lehrer on Tuesday.
Palisades Park was originally established in 1892, known as Linda Vista Park. The park extends from the 200 block of Ocean Avenue south to the 1500 block, a total of 1.5 miles. The only break in the continuos park is the California Incline.
The park has long been a hot spot for tourists for its beauty, a favorite workout location for exercise buffs and a favorite hangout for the homeless. Palisades Park houses several monuments, including the Sister Cities monument, the Veterans Memorial and the George Washington Memorial. The park is also home to the Senior Recreation Center and the shuffleboard courts.
“We do feel it is an important Santa Monica landmark,” said Susan Cloke, chairwoman of the Recreation and Parks Commission, on Tuesday.“Palisades Park, like the beach and the (Santa Monica) Pier, is a defining icon for the city of Santa Monica.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.