Santa Monica City Council Unanimously Endorses the Final Draft Downtown Community Plan Including a Call for Increased Housing Production

July 12, 2017 5:19 PM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The Santa Monica City Council unanimously endorsed the final draft Downtown Community Plan (DCP) at last night’s Council meeting on July 11, 2017. This result came after a six year-long planning process that concluded with more than 100 community members providing public testimony on the DCP at a special meeting on Monday, July 10.

The final draft DCP maintains Downtown Santa Monica’s many roles as a thriving neighborhood, public gathering space, international visitor destination, and a regional business district. Six key elements anchor the Plan:

  1. Housing is strongly encouraged to accommodate new residents of all incomes, family situations, and stages of life.
  2. New and enhanced public spaces will add to Downtown’s attractiveness.
  3. Expanded cultural, entertainment, and artistic offerings will add to Downtown as the city’s cultural heart.
  4. Preservation of historic and character-defining buildings will help maintain Downtown’s identity as new infill projects take shape.
  5. Downtown’s economic engine will be supported to maintain services and residents’ high quality of life.
  6. Improvements to the mobility network will make getting around town efficient and safe.

Here’s a summary of Council’s changes in response to public comment. These refinements will be reflected in the DCP, which will be before Council for ratification on July 25.

Emphasis on housing production with an increase in affordable housing requirements

Rigorous process and clear limits for Established Large Sites

  1. 1133 Ocean Avenue: 3.0 FAR
  2. 101 Santa Monica Boulevard: 4.0 FAR
  3. 4th/5th and Arizona Avenue: 3.5 FAR

This does not result in a decision on the ultimate disposition of these sites. Any proposed projects on these sites will still be required to be processed through a negotiated development agreement, perform additional environmental review, be required to conduct extensive community outreach, and demonstrate how the project meets priorities of the DCP during public hearings and review.

Eliminates parking minimums to leverage existing parking resources

“I'm pleased that after robust, but civil dialogue on some key issues the Council unanimously endorsed the final draft DCP,” said Mayor Ted Winterer. “The DCP will preserve the historic character of our Downtown, while allowing continued enhancements of public green space and plazas, and new buildings that complement the economic prosperity and environmental sustainability of our entire community. The Plan creates opportunities to help meet the needs of low and fixed-income households, downtown workers and working families by prioritizing housing production with substantially increased requirements for deed-restricted affordable housing.”

Council will vote on the final draft DCP after public comment on Tuesday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall Council Chambers.

More Information

Staff Report >

Presentation >

Presentation with Council changes >

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