Developers look to public to inspire new mall
SM PLACE There’s strong support for a remodeled Santa Monica Place mall, but residents remain cautious, raising concerns about traffic, the compatibility with the Third Street Promenade and whether new stores will be able to cater to both those with six-figure incomes and those making minimum wage.
And then there’s the senior community. “What’s in it for us?” an elderly woman asked during a community meeting Thursday with city staff and the mall’s owner, Macerich Co., which is planning to rip the roof off the mall and make use of the city’s warm weather and cool ocean breezes.
“What about the seniors?” the woman said, referring to the Santa Monica Strutters, a group of retirees who walk through the mall in the mornings as a safe and secure place to exercise.“If it’s open air, what are we to do in the wintertime when it’s cold?”
The meeting was the second of what will be several hosted by City Hall to give residents, business owners and others a chance to voice their opinions on major projects before getting deep into the development process. That way, potential conflicts may be easily avoided, said Eileen Fogarty, director of planning and community development for City Hall.
Macerich learned this the hard way, when in 2004, it proposed a massive redevelopment of the mall that included demolishing the Frank Gehry-designed structure and replacing it with three, 21-story office towers that would have included space for offices, retail and housing.
Residents balked at the idea because it would have been out of character for the neighborhood and would bring more traffic to the area.
Admitting they made a mistake, Macerich officials this summer met with community members in a series of 14 meetings and used their input to craft a dramatically different concept. The current plan is to tear the roof off the “central spine” of the mall to create an open-air, multilevel complex that better connects with the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier and Civic Center. The new structure will be slightly smaller than the current mall and will include a variety of retail options. There will also be a food court on the third floor that will combine traditional mall faire with more upscale restaurants, along with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
“This plan creates more of a flow and this overall feeling that you are not in a shopping center,” said Fogarty, who stressed the importance of creating synergy between the promenade, the mall and a new park and housing development in the Civic Center across the street from City Hall. “All of this has to connect. You cannot have barriers.”
Officials with Santa Monica-based Macerich Co., one of the nation’s largest retail investment trusts with 73 regional shopping centers in its portfolio, said they learned a lot from the community about what they want and have created a plan that reflects that.
Resident Carl Swirkal agrees. “Their first proposal was too grandiose of a project for this area,” said Swirkal, who lives on Second Street near the mall. “That would have brought in too many cars, too many people and would have create chaos in downtown.This proposal seems to be downsized and more realistic. I think Macerich listened to the community and we are going to get what we want.”
While many seemed to be in favor of the new proposal, which city staff will be analyzing over the coming weeks to determine what environmental studies will have to be done, there are some who are not looking forward to the adaptive reuse of the site.
Karin Morris, who has been shopping at the mall since it was built, said she has grown fond of the mall and blames much of its downfall on the success of the promenade.
“I think it’s a beautiful mall,” said Morris, an admirer of Gehry. “It’s been a good place for the community for years … The new design looks pretty on paper, but how will it look in real life?”
Morris’ husband, Roger Templeton, said he too had “a soft spot” for Gehry and the mall, but loves the idea of opening the mall up and taking advantage of the ocean views and cool breezes.
“I think it if really opens up and connects with the promenade, that will be a net gain,” Templeton said.
Judging from comments made Thursday night, many are still concerned about the potential affects a new mall would have on the promenade.
Barbara Tenzer, a commercial real estate manager who works with many merchants in downtown, said there has always been a “sea-saw” effect with the mall and promenade. When one does well, the other seems to suffer and vice versa.
That said, Tenzer and her clients feel the mall’s design allows itself to become one with the promenade and other stores in downtown, finally creating one distinct shopping district.
“For the first time we see a whole area that is connected and tenants are very excited about that,” Tenzer said. “We don’t want to have this beautiful shopping area and then lose people because of a dumpy, old mall. On the other side, we don’t want people to leave the mall and come to the promenade and get panhandled to death. This seems to give us one complete area that blends together.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.