By Ann K. Williams
Lookout Staff

July 8, 2011 – The first of three major projects on Colorado Boulevard north of Santa Monica's future Bergamot Expo Line Station appeared to come close to stalling out before clearing the Planning Commission Wednesday.

Plans for the Colorado Creative Studios complex – the future home of Lionsgate Executive Headquarters – came before the commission with a list of community benefits that city staff valued at nearly $1.8 million.

But that wasn’t enough for the commissioners. They wanted more.

“The project's come far since I first saw it,” said Commissioner Gerda Newbold, who chaired the meeting. “It's definitely going in the right direction.”

But like her colleagues, Newbold wanted to add nearly twenty conditions to the project's Development Agreement (DA) before sending it on to the City Council, and the overall design of the building wasn't to her liking.

“It looks very corporate still to me, especially that expanse on Stewart Street,” said Newbold.

Commissioner Hank Koning agreed with her, saying the facade along Stewart Street looked “flat.”

The current designs show two four-story structures built over three levels of subterranean parking running the length of a city block along Stewart Street south of Colorado Avenue. The project, which has been in the works since 2007, would replace an expanse of businesses in an old industrial park.

Offices and creative space for Lionsgate will occupy the top floors, while the ground floor, set back to allow for wider sidewalks, will house retail and office spaces.

“For this very first project, this isn't what I thought we were going to be getting in this district,” Newbold said, adding that she was inclined to vote against it. Newbold suggested putting off a decision until another meeting.

Koning agreed that the designs could be better. “It feels a bit out of place,” he said.

But commissioners went ahead and recommended that the City Council enter into the DA after considering a list of additional community benefits the commission would like to see.

A number had to do with trees – they want more trees, and they want the developer to complete a study showing the impact of subterranean parking on existing trees on Stewart Street, a study they want the City Arborist to sign off on before plans make it to the City Council.

Then there's traffic. Fresh from recent reviews of St. John's Health Center and Yahoo! Center DA's, the commissioners want Lionsgate held to the same kinds of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) requirements, including 1.5 Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR), going up to 1.6 AVR when the Expo Line is completed.

Space for Bike Share Stations, an upgraded garage exhaust system, a requirement that the building be certified LEED Silver or LEED Silver equivalent, a 400-square-foot community room annexed within the community cafe already planned, wider setbacks on the top floor – these werejust a few of the additions to the DA commissioners want the City Council to consider.

Developer Jack Walter kept his game face on as the list grew.

The DA already includes a community cafe, internships to Santa Monica College students or Santa Monica residents majoring in film, a local hiring program for construction-related jobs and a contribution to the Bergamot Expo Line Station of some $363,000.

Walter said he'd be happy to meet with commissioners to work out the details, within the limits of the Brown Act.

“I want a good project. I want a good building. I want a happy city. I want to get along,” he said.

But there are limits, mostly financial ones, Walter added.

“I don't want to say this is a recession building, but when we started this in 2007, the rents were 40 per cent higher,” he said. “I can't expect Lionsgate is going to pay more than market rate.”

After hours of discussion, the four commissioners present – Newbold, Koning, Jennifer Kennedy and Jason Parry – voted unanimously that the City Council consider their review and approve the DA.

If the Council approves the project, it will go to the Archictectural Review Board (ARB) for more analysis.

“You guys are tough, but the ARB is brutal,” said Walter.