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By Lookout Staff

March 11 -- The City Council Tuesday night will consider placing attendants and upgrading the facades at the two parking structures at Santa Monica Place, which is undergoing a major remodel.

The council also will consider adding 100 spaces for bicycles and installing solar panels on the roofs of the structures, which are owned by the City’s Redevelopment Agency and currently operated by Macerich Company, which owns the 30-year-old mall.

It also could greenlight retail on the ground floor of the structure facing Broadway, which could accommodate “small kiosk-type commercial operations” such as a coffee stand, newsstand or florist.

“Given the need to streamline operations and to eliminate pricing inconsistencies, City staff and Macerich representatives have developed proposed contract terms for the conversion of the structures to attendant parking,” staff wrote in its report to the council.

Under the proposal, the 1,968 spaces in Structures 7 and 8 would be managed by the City, which currently runs the six other public structures Downtown. Macerich would continue to be responsible for maintenance and security, and the two parties would continue to split the revenues evenly.

“Including Structures 7 and 8 in this system would improve coordination of parking strategies, reduce confusion through consistent parking procedures and pricing, and allow for better management of peak parking demand periods,” staff wrote.

Installing the proposed parking controls will cost $2 million and result in the loss of 41 spaces, which will be offset at the Civic Center lot that opened a year ago next to City Hall, staff said.

For the remodel, which will tear the roof off of the struggling mall and connect it to the thriving Third Street Promenade, all the stores except Macy’s have been shut down. The mall will be closed until the fall 2009.

Under the staff proposal, Macerich will continue to provide valet parking service in the daytime on weekdays when the mall reopens.

The proposed façade, designed by the local architectural firm Pugh + Scarpa includes “solar photovoltaic panels, trex-clad veneers, colored channel glass enclosing stairwells, public art and creation of space for ground-level pedestrian-oriented uses,” according to staff.

The $4.5 million façade improvements will “enhance the pedestrian experience by creating a more dynamic public space with improved connections between the mall and other downtown destinations,” staff wrote.

Under the proposed façade improvement concept, the Frank Gehry-designed chain link curtain on the south-facing side of Structure 8, which spells out Santa Monica Place, will be retained and restored, according to staff.

The façade improvements would be bankrolled with agency funds allocated for structure improvements, as well as the $1.4 million payment from Macerich for removing part of Structure 7.

If the council approves the plan, staff will return at a later date to obtain formal authorization to proceed with negotiations with Macerich for terms of construction related to Attendant Parking and Façade Improvements Program. The proposal also requires permits from the City and the California Coastal Commission

In addition to tearing off the roof and connecting the mall to the Promenade, the remodel calls for an open-air courtyard and a food court on the top floor with ocean views.