> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Letter: Residents urge downzoning, not more density, in earthquake redevelopment area
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/q-line-from-page-4-20051008/
- Published: 2005-10-08T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:54:44.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Montana, #archive-import

don’t want increased heights, they don’t want increased density, and they don’t want increased traffic. We want the city to solve the circulation problems that were created by the previous plan before they started increasing the density and just compound the traffic problems. They want down zoning to prevent the kind of multi-story, multi-use, mixed use structures that they seem to be proposing for the earthquake redevelopment area.” ✆ “City Hall can best understand and represent the will of the citizens by walking away and turning their back on the financially motivated plan that they are making. The fact that they are getting this 100 percent increase of the earthquake money on any redeveloped land in the center of the city, this huge area from Montana to Pico and from the ocean east all the way to Centinela and Cloverfield. This is a very big motivation for them to redevelop and the citizens don’t want this. We want down zoning, we want them to solve the traffic problems they’ve already got that aren’t solved and to stop being motivated by the money and be motivated by serving the people who elected them.” ✆ “By turning away from financially motivated reasons for growth and focusing on quality of life issues that concern voters such as traffic, noise, and density. People need to realize that the thrust of the city’s push for development comes from the huge increase it will get from county property taxes in what is called the earthquake redevelopment project area. This huge windfall will come from 100 percent of the increase in property taxes resulting from new construction. Usually the city gets only 8 percent. This development area covers more than half the city spanning from Montana to Pico, from Ocean to Cloverfield/ Centinela. Projected housing increases range from 8,800 to 14,000 units. This has to be stopped.” ✆ “I used to think that Santa Monica was a place where citizens’ participation mattered. I don’t think that anymore. It might help if we had an elected mayor who could be held accountable rather than a city manager who is not accountable to the public and operates largely out of sight.” ✆ “It will be very difficult to add to Bill Bauer’s excellent comments on City Hall inertia. Someone might take a look a look at the city of Santa Barbara. Yes, I know it’s not divided by the 10 freeway, yes I know it’s not next to Los Angeles, its beaches aren’t as nice as ours and they allow dogs on them. But there is something simple and quite serene about the city. Regarding, our City Council members, some of who have been on our council for almost 20 years and the rest not far behind, are you happy with the last 30 years of development in this city and do you want these people to plan the next 30 years? Our City Council’s priorities seem to be funding the ever increasing nonprofit organizations that are funded by taxpayer monies. They include high salaries, do nothing of importance, and talk a lot of BS. They include groups like Heal the Bay, Heal the Bums, Heal the Gang Members, Heal the School District Salaries, Heal the Pier, Heal the Mall. How about healing the taxpayer? These taxpayer monies should be diverted to a new city infrastructure. We need new people with vision and a common sense approach to planning for the future. Maybe we need to not look east of LA for inspiration but to the west and the Pacific Ocean. Maybe we need leaders that truly love Santa Monica and will have an abundance of common sense instead of intellectual elitism and greed.” ✆ “City Hall just needs to listen to its residents. The residents spoke to City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 27 to tell them what they want and what they don’t want. They have done that many times before but City Hall just does what it wants as it represents special interests who want to profit from building in Santa Monica. City Hall does not listen to or represent its residents. That is the problem.” ✆ “How can City Hall best understand and represent the will of the citizens? Less ego, less greed, more brains, more sensitivity.” ✆ “The city should be having city wide referendums on future community corporation and commercial development policy and let people vote on which way they want to go. I think they would be quite surprised.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 8, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100805.pdf?ref=smdp.com)