By Hector Gonzalez
Special to The Lookout

December 11, 2015 -- The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a five-story, 78,000-square-foot development proposed at the site of a former Norms Restaurant on Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue, a major intersection in the city.

Council members, however, asked developer and property owner Fifield Co. to make a few changes to the mixed-use project, which features upper-story housing and ground-level commercial space and sits along the future Expo light rail route within a half-mile of the Downtown terminal.

"I like it," said Council member Kevin McKeown.

Council members specifically asked Fifield to dedicate four ground level lofts facing Colorado Avenue as artist studios, and that they be designated as affordable.

Fifield attorney Dave Rand said the developer would be “happy to do that,” provided it retains the option of renting the studios to non-artists “if the demand isn't there.”

Because the project exceeds height restrictions for the area, it required the Council's approval of a development agreement.

In return for the height variance, Fifield will pay the City more than $2 million for municipal programs, including transportation, parks and recreation, affordable housing, sustainability, early childhood initiatives and historic preservation.

In September, the City's Planning Commission approved the project but offered its own set of design-change recommendations (“Norms Replacement Project Gets Santa Monica Planning Commission Nod", September 18, 2015”).

These included expanding the amount of solar paneling to cover half the roof, increasing the number of electric vehicle spaces and providing more accessible bike storage, as well as various design adjustments.

City Council members also heard an appeal by the developer, which was denied a permit by the JDRB. Members of the JDRB determined the project was “not expressive of good taste, good design, and in general does not contribute to the image of Santa Monica as a place of beauty, creativity and individuality.”

Council members neither upheld nor rejected the developer's appeal.

Situated on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Colorado, the proposed project consists of two structures separated by a 20-foot-wide driveway and linked by four pedestrian bridges. It features 168 underground parking spaces.

The project would contain 90 residential units, 20 percent of which would be designated as affordable housing. A 4,128-square-foot courtyard would include a lap pool, yoga deck, cabana, barbecues and seating areas.

“I'm very happy that we were able to achieve 20 percent affordable without having to pull teeth,” said Himmelrich.

An economic study of the project prepared for the City by Keyser Marston and Associates (KMA) estimated the proposed project would increase the value of the property by approximately $4.91 million.

Fifield Co. also owns three properties adjacent to the Norms site, and the company has expressed a desire to develop them.

All four properties ultimately could form one single large development built around a unifying theme, but Fifield attorney Dave Rand told the Council on Tuesday that his company's main focus now is the completion of the Lincoln Boulevard project.

“To the extent that there is any development on the adjacent properties, whatever it may be, it's highly speculative at this point,” said Rand. “We want to move forward with the Norms project and get it approved and we're hoping you do so tonight.”

Note: This story was updated to remove paragraphs that were inadvertenly included from other stories.