> ## 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. # Residents not sold on project - URL: https://www.smdp.com/residents-not-sold-on-project/ - Published: 2008-04-16T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:15:51.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Business, Ocean Park, #archive-import *Property owner presents project* OCEAN PARK Nearly a year after the birthplace of Dogtown was saved from demolition, the owner of a building that housed the old Zephyr surf shop returned to the Ocean Park neighborhood, this time with a new set of plans. Juli Doar, whose family owns an 86-year-old commercial structure on the corner of Main and Bay streets, presented plans last week to develop a three-story apartment complex behind the original home of Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions, where the Z-Boys skateboard team was credited with revolutionizing the recreational activity into the form seen today. The building caused a stir among Dogtown loyalists and Ocean Park residents after Doar filed a demolition permit in fall 2006 to build an environmentally-friendly apartment complex. The demo permit was subsequently withdrawn after Doar learned about the impact that Zephyr and its skateboard team had on the world of skateboarding. The Landmarks Commission designated the western part of the C-shaped building as a landmark, which is the retail space, in May of last year, keeping it intact while allowing the rear to one day be demolished. The retail space is currently the home of Horizons West Surf Shop, which was founded by one of the Z-Boys and is now in the hands of long-time surfer, Randy Wright. Doar and her architect, Howard Laks, returned to the Ocean Park community last Thursday with new drawings showing a three-story apartment complex being erected in the rear portion of the building, which is along Bay Street. The project received a mixed reaction from the small crowd that congregated in the Ocean Park branch library, some criticizing the project as being overbearing and out of character with the existing surf shop, others praising Doar for proposing a development made of sustainable materials. “I look at this property and I don’t see the character and scale of Main Street,” Kent Fernandez, who lives around the corner on Bicknell Avenue, said at the meeting. The complex would be 27 feet tall and include 14 residential units — a mixture of one, two and three bedrooms — and 48 underground parking spaces. The project is still undergoing the environmental review phase and could go before the Planning Commission as soon as this fall. The building is expected to be LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for sustainable design elements. “It’s a very high quality, detailed building,” Laks said at the meeting. “It’s not your typical apartment building.” As part of the project, the preserved portion of the building will undergo substantial upgrades and rehabilitation. The aging structure will require seismic upgrades and will need to be made compliant with federal disability accessibility standards, Laks said. The changes will be necessary for the retail viability of the space’s occupant, which Doar stressed would be Horizons West Surf Shop. The longevity of Horizons appeared to be a concern of many residents who attended the meeting, some wondering whether Wright would be able to afford the rent or whether he would want to return after being displaced during the construction phase. “It’s in our best interest to keep Horizons West there,” Doar said. Wright said he doesn’t like the way the project looks aesthetically and spoke about the way the neighborhood has changed over the past several decades, with new developments popping up along Main Street. He added that the shop’s visitors come from around the world, all hoping to glimpse the legendary surf shop that spawned a series of documentaries and movies. “I deal with it every single day,”Wright said. “They know the building will be torn down.” Stephanie Ponce, who grew up in the neighborhood and whose teenage son patronizes the surf shop, chimed in her opposition to the project, saying she would rather see the entire building stay intact. “I don’t think it matches Main Street and the beach community,” she said. “It totally doesn’t match what Santa Monica is all about.” But the project wasn’t without its supporters. Halil Parlar, who has lived across the street from Horizons since 1968, said the project would be a benefit to the neighborhood and would help beautify Main Street. Parlar, who knows the property owner, pointed out that Doar could’ve proposed a project with more than 14 units, bringing in more revenue, but that she respects the concerns of neighbors and decided to keep the development smaller in size. “This kind of building will be good for Santa Monica,” he said.“Let’s get over with it and build this building.” If it’s one thing that the detractors agreed on with the supporters, it was in commending Doar’s willingness to work with the community in developing the project. After withdrawing the demolition permit, Doar held several community workshops last year to get a sense of what residents wanted out of the project and how the history of Dogtown should be honored. Some of the ideas that came out of those workshops were displaying a plaque or building a skate park elsewhere in the city at Doar’s expense. In the end, Doar and Laks suggested a compromise — landmarking the Main Street portion of the building and demolishing the back. “We all support this feature of the neighborhood and its association with the skate-board culture and that is something we want to maintain,” Laks said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/041608-02_01.jpg) of Howard Laks (Photo: Photo courtesy) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/041608-02_02.jpg) of Howard Laks (Photo: Photo courtesy) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 16, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)