City officials expect to finalize deal bringing restaurant to new structure
CIVIC CENTER Enjoying midday weather on Monday, Fernando Cornejo sat on a bench outside City Hall with a brown bag lunch as many of his city government co-workers foraged Santa Monica for a place to eat.
Bounded by Colorado Avenue to the north, Fourth Street to the east, Ocean Avenue to the west and Pico Boulevard to the south, the block of government facilities — consisting of the Santa Monica Courthouse, Public Safety Facility and City Hall — represents slim pickings for employees seeking out lunch options.
But that may soon change, once a new restaurant opens around the corner inside the new Civic Center Parking Structure — an 882-space garage on the corner of Fourth Street and Olympic Drive that finally opened to the public on Monday.
“There is no place really to eat around here,” said Elana Buegoff, the senior administrative analyst for the city’s Economic Development Division. “[Most people] get in their car and drive or take the long walk to the Third Street Promenade and the food court at the [Santa Monica Place] mall.”
The city is currently in negotiations with an applicant interested in opening a restaurant in a 3,500 square-foot space in the Civic Center structure, which includes both indoor seating and an outdoor terrace with an ocean view.
Officials in the Economic Development Division (EDD) hope to finalize an agreement to present to the City Council by early June for approval. If approved by June, the new restaurant should be able to open by the end of this year, Buegoff said.
She could not disclose the type of restaurant the applicant is proposing since the parties are still in negotiations.
“We’re looking for an operation serving the Civic Center clientele,” Buegoff said.
The city sent out a request for proposals in September 2006, but was not able to offer tours to respondents until recently because the structure was still under construction.
The staff at the EDD informally surveyed the workers in the Civic Center area, which also includes the RAND Corporation, asking employees what they would like to see offered at the new restaurant. Most said they would like the restaurant to offer a diverse menu and coffee on the go.
A fresh face himself in city government, Cornejo started his post last week as the revenue operation analyst for the city’s Finance Department. Eating a mango chutney chicken sandwich from Vons on Monday, Cornejo said he has brown bagged his lunch every day since he started working, mainly because of a lack of time to go out and find food.
“I’m eagerly looking for an alternative to the brown bag,” Cornejo said.
In the new Civic Center space, Cornejo would like to see health food served, especially since many of the mid-range priced eateries in Downtown Santa Monica serve fast food or bar food.
“I’m going to burn out on brown bags,” he said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 18, 2007. Read the original PDF.