City Council Extends Public Review for Downtown Projects

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

May 14 – Smaller buildings Downtown will continue to get public scrutiny after the Council voted 4 to 2 Tuesday night to extend for another three years an interim ordinance that calls for Planning Commission review of projects larger than 7,500 square feet.

The stop-gap ordinance -- which doubles the square footage for projects that are mostly residential -- will stay in effect until March 12, 2007 or until City planners craft a more permanent review system and design standards for the area.

In the meantime, debate will likely continue to rage over a proposed ordinance that would eliminate most public process for Downtown buildings smaller than 30,000 square feet -- or 60,000 square feet for projects that are mainly residential -- if they meet a proposed set of design guidelines.

Several council members, joined by slow-growth advocates and Landmark and Planning commissioners, said there should be no rush to change the extended ordinance. The issue, they argued, should be tackled over the next couple years in tandem with the City’s update of its arcane zoning regulations, land-use laws and General Plan.

“I frankly think it would make more sense for the Downtown to do this as part of a larger provisional land-use element, because I think this is really a key focal point,” said Council member Ken Genser, whose suggestion was backed by Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown.

City staff concurred with a slower approach to Downtown.

“If the council is interested in having an extensive public process,” said Planning Department head Suzanne Frick, “then what we would suggest is that (the interim ordinance) is extended for a much longer term.”

That would allow staff to fold the ordinance into the larger planning issues and avoid “competing processes,” Frick said.

But Council members Pam O’Conner and Herb Katz – who have contended that the existing ordinance encourages a culture of micromanaging and drags development out to unnecessary lengths -- disagreed.

They argued that a long-term ordinance should be crafted in the coming months so that the thousands of hours put in by staff and its design consultants would not be wasted.

Prominent land-use attorney Chris Harding backed the faster approach.

“Two and half years is too long to wait” for a more efficient planning process, Harding said.

Harding, however, added that any streamlined approach should still include public input, and denied a rumor that interested developers had a hand in crafting the staff proposal to reinstate the 30,000-square-foot threshold dropped to 7,500 square feet by the interim ordinance approved in 2002.

Mayor Richard Bloom and Council member Michael Feinstein advocated a more moderate position on the issue, including asking staff to return with “more aggressive scheduling options” for development review and design standards Downtown, instead of waiting two years.

About a dozen members of the public waited past midnight to address the issue.

“I’m not too enamored to have highrises in the downtown area,” said City resident Mitchell Lachtman. “Seems like the progression of planning is always towards more density.”

When asked by McKeown what the council needs to do to get the community more involved on the City’s future design, Lachtman said he personally needs to “feel more affected” by the issues. He also suggested more “advertising” of the issue.

Despite efforts by members of the Planning Commission and a few community activists to advertise the design and review issues through flyers and a website (www.bettersantamonica.net) only a handful of fresh faces, including Walkmen, attended the meeting.

The council will again take up design and review guidelines for both the Downtown and multifamily units throughout the city at next Tuesday’s council meeting.