Preservation + Change a Community Conversation about Preserving Character and the Future of Downtown Santa Monica
August 9, 2016 9:47 AM
WHEN: Saturday, August 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
WHERE: Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 4th Street, Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- The City of Santa Monica will host Preservation + Change, a community event and workshop about preserving Downtown’s past while preparing for its future. The event will dive into how we maintain Downtown Santa Monica’s unique character and options for the scale of new buildings, types of uses, and how these contribute to the Downtown neighborhood. The Saturday event will include breakout workshops and a panel discussion with:
- Hamid Behdad, President, Central City Development Group. Hamid has served three Mayoral Administrations for the City of Los Angeles, where he earned the title “Czar” of Adaptive Reuse Projects for the city.
- Robin Hughes, President & CEO, Abode Communities. Robin is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit developer, architect, manager, and operator of service-enhanced affordable housing.
- Dan Rosenfeld, Real estate investor. Dan is a private real estate investor who alternates between private and public-sector service, having served as Director of Real Estate for the State of California and City of Los Angeles, and as a Senior Deputy for Economic Development with L.A. County.
This event will look at how the City plans to preserve Downtown’s character and sense of history, while also considering how new uses, experiences and buildings can be woven into the community’s cultural, economic, and entertainment center.
This is the second of three community events for the final phase of preparation of the Downtown Community Plan. The final plan is scheduled for release in spring 2017. For those who can’t attend, comments can be shared at downtonwsmplan.org. A schedule of focus groups and an online survey tool will be released later this month for further community participation.
To RSVP for Preservation + Change, visit the event webpage. To learn more about the Downtown Community Plan, visit downtownsmplan.org. Follow along on social media, using #ThePlanSM.
Big Blue Bus Lines 2, 3, R3, 5 and 9 and Metro Lines 20 and 720 serve the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club. Car parking is available in Parking Structure #1 at 1234 4th Street. Bike valet will be available on-site.
About the Downtown Community Plan
The Downtown Community Plan is guided by the 2010 Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) vision of a thriving, mixed-use urban environment that provides multiple opportunities for living, working, entertainment, and enrichment. The LUCE envisioned an energetic and contemporary Downtown for residents, employees, and visitors that integrates the Expo Line and preserves the unique character of the district and its commercial and residential life. The LUCE also called for enhancing Downtown through better linkages to some of City's most visible attractions: the Civic Center and the Beachfront. However, the LUCE deferred implementation of the vision and the specific standards to creation of a Specific Plan for Downtown.
Over the past two years, the Downtown Community Plan process has included over a dozen workshops and public hearings, as well as stakeholder interviews and discussions with various boards to develop an action plan to achieve a community vision for the future of the Downtown. For more information, visit downtownsmplan.org.
# # #
Media Contact
Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager
Constance.Farrell@santamonica.gov
Departments
More Information
http://www.downtownsmplan.org/events/view/213
http://www.downtownsmplan.org/