Planning Commission Green Lights Late Night Drinks at Santa Monica Place

By Ann K. Williams
Lookout Staff

June 20, 2011 – Patrons of Santa Monica Place restaurants will be able to enjoy a late-night glass of wine while listening to quiet music under the stars, thanks to Wednesday's Planning Commission vote.

Commissioners approved the shopping mall's request for a conditional use permit (CUP) allowing seven top-floor eateries to serve alcohol to customers on their outside patio areas after midnight while broadcasting “low-level ambient music.”

“Our primary goal is to be good neighbors to our entire community and create an environment of hospitality,” said Julia Ladd, senior property manager for Santa Monica Place (SMP). “We are committed to our neighborhood and our community relationships.”

But, Ladd added, “Timing is really critical. We're coming into the height of our summer season.”

Residents who live in surrounding apartments objected to the proposed CUP when it first came before the Planning Commission in March, arguing that selling drinks after midnight would result in intolerable noise and boisterous behavior, making it hard for them to get a decent night's sleep.

Since then, at the Commission's request, Santa Monica Place management and city staff have been working with the management of the Promenade Gateway, the Luxe and the Silvercrest Senior apartments and the Shore Hotel to make sure that their residents' concerns are met, Associate Planner Grace Page told commissioners.

They've also sent letters to the residents with a 24-hour SMP hotline so apartment dwellers can complain about noise as it happens.

Ladd said that SMP has taken care of two other complaints heard at the March meeting.

First, SMP has bought new machines for night cleaning that should be quieter than the power washing machines that some Promenade Gateway residents said kept them up in the wee hours of the morning.

And live music on the Zengo patio will be shut down after 9 p.m. on weeknights, another source of friction among those living in the Promenade Gateway apartments.

Public comments were cautiously favorable.

Downtown Santa Monica Inc. wrote a letter of support for the CUP – as did the Shore Hotel – and CEO Kathleen Rawson told commissioners that SMP's management has worked hard to meet its neighbors' concerns.

“Santa Monica Place is an important new part of downtown, and we want to do what we can to make them be successful, but certainly not at the expense of anyone who lives downtown,” said Rawson.

While acknowledging that “living on the promenade has its advantages, disadvantages, we know what we're getting ourselves into,” Promenade Gateway resident Sara Masoud said that if the late-night noise coming from SMP got too loud, her family would consider moving.

The CUP as approved by the Planning Commission will allow patrons to order alcohol outside until 12:30 a.m. and remain on the patio area until 1 a.m. on weeknights, and order alcohol outside until 1:30 a.m. and remain on the patio area until 2 a.m. on weekend nights and New Years Eve.

After midnight, live music and tv's outside will have to be shut down, but speakers can broadcast “low-level ambient music” as long as it's inaudible beyond the boundaries of the outdoor dining areas.

The restaurants affected by the CUP are Ozumo, Sonoma Wine, Pizza Antica, La Sandia, Zengo, the food court and The Market.

The CUP was approved by all of the commissioners except Jason Parry.