1318 FOURTH STREET
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
DEVELOPMENT
Request for Proposals
APPROVED FOR ADVERTISEMENT
AUGUST 15, 2019
CITY CONTACT: James Kemper
i
City of Santa Monica
Request for Proposals
1318 Fourth Street Affordable Housing Development
Table of Contents
1. Project Overview and Objectives
2. The Site
3. Evaluation Criteria
4. Submission Instructions
5. Developer Agreement
6. Amendments
7. Cost Liability
8. Statement of Rights and Understanding
9. Conflict of Interest
10. Terms & Conditions
Attachments:
A. Site map
B. Assessor map
C. April 9, 2019 Council Staff Report - Affordable Housing on City Land D. March 26, 2019 Council Staff Report - Annual Report on Homelessness E. Housing Trust Fund Guidelines
F. Downtown Community Plan
G. Prevailing Wage Form
H. Living Wage Form
I. Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form
ii
Contact Information
This work is led by the Housing Division in the Housing and Economic Development Department.
James Kemper
[email protected]
310-434-2647
1901 Main Street, Suite B
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Department:
Housing and Economic Development Department
Timeline
Release Date
August 15, 2019
In-Person Pre-Submittal Meeting (mandatory)
September 10, 2019, 10 am
RSVP required – please email [email protected] by September 3, 2019, to RSVP, with subject line “RSVP for 1318 4th Street Affordable Housing RFP Meeting.” Those who RSVP will receive details about meeting location.
Question Submission Deadline
September 17, 2019, 5 pm (PT)
Proposal Submission Deadline
November 1, 2019, 5 pm (PT)
1 1. Project Overview and Objectives
For more than four decades, Santa Monica residents and voters have supported the preservation and production of affordable housing as a core local value. As market pressures and changes in state law have affected the affordability of housing in Santa Monica, the community has continued to support the urgency and need for more affordable housing. Creating more affordable housing is a key strategy for maintaining economic diversity and affordability in Santa Monica.
In 2018, the Santa Monica City Council approved a Housing Trust Fund Plan to invest in affordable housing production and preservation, particularly in instances where there can be significant cost savings, such as developing affordable housing on City-owned land. One of the priority goals of the Plan is to provide supportive housing in Santa Monica for those experiencing homelessness. Santa Monica’s Housing Trust Funds come primarily from ongoing revenue provided by a voter-approved sales tax and are currently being supplemented by the repayment of loans made by the City of Santa Monica to the former Santa Monica Redevelopment Agency.
To reduce the costs of creating affordable housing, and thereby increase the reach of the Housing Trust Fund, the City Council authorized staff to solicit proposals for the development of affordable housing at 1318 Fourth Street, the current site of Public Parking Structure No. 3. The age and condition of the parking structure necessitates its demolition. Newly constructed Parking Structure No. 6 was specifically designed to replace the parking capacity of Parking Structure No. 3. The City seeks creative proposals from successful developers and operators of affordable housing to build affordable housing at the site.
In addition, the City wishes to ensure that the ground floor of the proposed affordable housing development helps enliven the site and the neighborhood by incorporating commercial uses that are not existing or in limited supply within Santa Monica’s Downtown.
1.1 Housing Objectives for the Development
The following affordable housing objectives for the development at 1318 Fourth Street include:
• All residences in the proposed development must be subject to long-term income eligibility and affordability covenants. All residents of the affordable housing must be referred from a Citymaintained list of prospective tenants. • The affordable housing must include a significant commitment to permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness (see section 2.6 for more details). • Affordable housing that targets other populations may be included, such as senior housing, artist live/work housing, and housing for working families and individuals. • The development should maximize affordable housing and the cost-effectiveness of producing affordable housing and minimize City Housing Trust Fund investment.
1.2 Ground-Floor Objectives for the Development
The City would like the development to include uses on the ground level that help activate the site and the neighborhood by offering unique experiences and resources for Downtown and the greater community. Opportunities for local nonprofit service organizations to lease affordable space not fronting the street should also be considered.
2 2. The Site
Located one block from the Third Street Promenade, the site is near the geographic center of one of California’s most dynamic downtowns. Downtown is the most urbanized area of Santa Monica and has long been considered the heart of the City, a popular destination for local residents, regional visitors, and world travelers alike. This pedestrian-oriented district is comprised of a diverse mix of uses including retail, restaurant, hotel, entertainment, office, and residential. Other nearby attractions include the world-famous Santa Monica Pier and Beach, the open-air Santa Monica Place Shopping Center, and the blufftop Palisades Park.
For over a decade, the City worked with two different companies to develop a contemporary cinema at the site. Both companies withdrew from negotiations to develop the site and the cinema discussions have ended. Given the plans for redevelopment of the site, Parking Structure No. 3 has not undergone the seismic retrofitting that has been completed for most Downtown parking structures. As the parking structure is nearing the end of its useful life, the City has included funding in the FY 2019-20 budget to demolish it.
2.1 Site Location
The approximately 30,000-square-foot site is located at 1318-1320 Fourth Street, between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. Regional roadway access to the site is provided from the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10) and Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1). These highways are located approximately 0.4 miles southeast and 0.25 miles southwest of the site, respectively. Fixed-transit access is provided by the Exposition Light Rail Line, with its terminus station less than 0.25 miles to the south. Rapid and local bus service in the vicinity is provided by Los Angeles Metro and the Big Blue Bus.
Dedicated lanes for bicycles and scooters are located nearby.
2.2 Planning and Zoning Information
The City Council adopted the Downtown Community Plan in 2017, which identified goals and objectives for new development Downtown. The Downtown Community Plan (DCP) is a roadmap guiding the evolution of Downtown Santa Monica, a 229-acre area identified by the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) as bounded by Wilshire Boulevard and the I-10 Freeway, and between Lincoln Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. Considering that only four percent of Santa Monica lies within Downtown (roughly half a square mile), the DCP lays out a framework that integrates housing, jobs, mobility, historic preservation, public open space, infrastructure, and art and culture into a comprehensive long-term plan.
Downtown Community Plan priorities are reflected in seven key elements:
1. Housing is strongly encouraged to accommodate residents of all incomes, household sizes, and stages of life;
2. New and enhanced public spaces will add to Downtown’s attractiveness;
3. Expanded cultural, entertainment, and artistic offerings will add to Downtown’s identity as the City’s cultural heart;
4. Preservation of historic and character-defining buildings will help maintain Downtown’s identity as new infill projects take shape;
5. Downtown’s economic engine will be supported to maintain services and residents’ high quality of life;
3 6. Improvements to the mobility network will make getting around town efficient and safe; and
7. A diverse range of new uses, activities, and preferred services will support the emerging Downtown neighborhood and promote social connectedness and community wellbeing.
The site is located within the Bayside Conservation District of the Downtown Community Plan, which allows for affordable housing up to 70 feet in height with a maximum floor-to-area ratio of
4.0. The street-facing ground floor must house non-residential uses that help activate the sidewalk.
There also may be community interest in building features at this site as they pertain to the immediate surrounding area.
The site is located within the Coastal Zone. As a result, it will likely require a Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission.
Additionally, the site is located in Zone 2 of the downtown Santa Monica property-based assessment district of which the property and improvements will be annually assessed and included in the possessory interest/property tax bill from LA County. The assessment district provides enhanced maintenance, an ambassador program, marketing and special projects, above and beyond those provided by the City of Santa Monica. For a description of the assessment formula and rate for the site please this webpage for further information:
https://www.smgov.net/Departments/HED/Economic_Development/Doing_Business_in_Santa_Monica /Business_Organizations/Downtown_Santa_Monica_Property_Based_Assessment_District.aspx
2.3 Land Ownership
The City will maintain ownership of the land and offer a long-term ground lease to the developer. The housing created must remain affordable for the longest of a) the length of the ground lease term; b) as long as the site is developed with a residential use; or c) 55 years.
2.4 Governing documents
The ground lease will be subject to City Council approval. Depending on the exact nature of the proposed development, it may also be governed by a development review permit, development agreement, or disposition and development agreement.
2.5 CEQA
Given the scope of the development, it may not qualify for the typical CEQA exemption for affordable housing. If so, the development is expected to tier off the Environmental Impact Report certified for the Downtown Community Plan (DCP). Projects consistent with the DCP Final EIR would be exempt from CEQA as a mixed-use housing project.
2.6 Permanent Supportive Housing
While the City does not wish to prescribe the exact composition of affordable housing, the proposed development plan must include a substantial commitment to Permanent Supportive Housing, providing at least 50 supportive units for people experiencing homelessness.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) must be:
• Made available to households earning below 30 percent of Area Median Income who experience multiple barriers to housing stability.
• Deeply affordable with rents subsidized so that a tenant pays no more than 30 percent of household income towards rent, even when tenants have limited or no income. Therefore, 4 tenants without income would initially not be required to pay rent, though they should be provided with benefits enrollment assistance (i.e. SSI, GR) or job-placement and training assistance to help increase income.
• Supported by a flexible array of comprehensive services that are marketed and made available to all PSH tenants, with tenant participation being voluntary. Each tenant must have access to an array of services including, but not limited to, case management, medical services, mental health services, substance use treatment, employment and life skills counseling, eviction prevention programs, social and recreational events, benefits enrollment assistance, and tenant advocacy. However, a lease may not be terminated solely because a tenant chooses not to participate.
Development proposers must include a supportive services plan in partnership with either a homeless service provider that is under contract with the County, or with another source of similar services. The supportive services plan should at minimum include a funding strategy, agency partners and roles, MOU or letter of support with partners, staffing plan, services on-site, services off-site, schedule of on-site staff, steps before beginning eviction, and coordination services with the County and/or local providers.
The service provider(s) must have at least five years’ experience providing services to proposed homeless populations in supportive housing. See the Housing Authority’s Administrative Plan for information on how the City prioritizes homeless populations. The service provider(s) must be in good standing with LA County Department of Health Services. The development is expected to provide on-site office space to the providers of or liaisons to the array of services described in the proposer’s supportive services plan.
2.7 Other Affordable Housing
The proposal may include other types of affordable housing, in addition to permanent supportive housing. Community conversations have highlighted the need for senior housing, artist live/work housing, and housing for working families and individuals. Depending on the populations targeted, additional amenities and services (community room, exercise facility, homework center, etc.) should be considered.
2.8 Ground-Floor Activities
The ground-floor space is expected to house activities and uses that support the Downtown and the larger community. Community conversations have highlighted the need for nighttime activities, entertainment venues, and unique or locally owned retail and restaurants, as well as the opportunity to create subterranean space that could support these uses. If the site depth is greater than needed for storefront tenants, community conversations have also identified the need for service and work space that could be leased to local non-profit organizations that serve Santa Monica. The City anticipates that the ground lease will include requirements and limitations regarding the ground floor (and basement, if applicable) leasing. Office use is only permitted if the tenant space and primary entry are at least 50 feet from the front property line; other permitted commercial uses must occupy the remainder of the ground floor.
5 3. Evaluation Criteria
3.1 Overall Development Concept
The proposal must demonstrate a thoughtful and feasible response to both the affordable and supportive housing, as well as activation of the ground floor (and basement, if applicable).
3.2 Development and Operational Experience
The team must possess strong qualifications and experience in the successful development and operation of affordable housing of comparable complexity and scale, including leveraging diverse funding sources, and management of permanent supportive housing and services.
3.3 Design Experience
The team must demonstrate design experience with successful, completed projects of comparable complexity, scale, and nature.
3.4 Financing Analysis and Capacity
The proposal must demonstrate an ability to construct and operate a mixed-use affordable housing development that minimizes the City’s Housing Trust Fund contribution, leverages diverse resources, and will be financially feasible, sustainable, and dynamic for at least 55 years.
4. Submission Instructions
4.1 Criteria
Submit proposals that emphasize criteria outlined in Section 3.
4.2 City's Online Vendor Portal
The website for this RFP and related documents is: ProcureNow or https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/santa-monica-ca. All project correspondence will be posted on the ProcureNow website. It is the responsibility of Proposers to check the website regularly for information updates and RFP clarifications, as well as any RFP addenda.
4.3 Where to Submit
Proposers are required to submit a digital copy of the proposal to ProcureNow by November 1, 2019, 5:00 pm (PT).
4.4 Number of Responses
Proposers may submit multiple proposals, if desired. The City is not recommending or suggesting that proposers submit multiple proposals. The City is merely stating an available option. If a proposer chooses to submit multiple proposals, each must be entirely separate from the others. The Evaluation Committee will not collate, merge, or otherwise manipulate the proposer’s proposals.
4.5 Submittal Content
4.5.1 Cover Letter
The cover letter shall serve as an Executive Summary of the major points contained in the proposal and must be signed by a principal or officer authorized to represent and commit on 6 behalf of the firm(s). Cover letters should be no more than two (2) single‐spaced pages and shall include the name, address, phone number and email address of the proposer’s lead contact person.
4.5.2 Development Team Information
Lead Developer Information:
a. State the official name, address, and the names and titles of the proposer’s principals. b. Indicate the form of legal entity (e.g., individual, limited partnership, nonprofit corporation, general partnership, joint venture, for‐profit corporation, limited liability company, etc.) and any relationship the development organization may have with a parent corporation, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other entities. c. Experience working within the region and in Santa Monica specifically. d. Submit one copy of the proposer’s Articles of Incorporation, partnership, or other business organizational documents (as appropriate) filed with the California Secretary of the State. Organization must be in good standing and authorized to do business in California.
Development Team:
e. Provide the name, title, address, telephone and fax number, email address, and resumes for key development team members such as the developer(s), service provider(s), architects and designers, and other team members who will play a key role in the development and operation of the project. Please provide an organization chart that identifies key contacts and the relationship between team members.
4.5.3 Development and Services Concept
a. In narrative form, provide a description of the overall vision, housing concept (including affordability and rent targets), ground-floor concept (and basement, if applicable), and development program. Include a summary of uses and floor areas. The submittal should include statements indicating how the development concept satisfies the objectives and conditions specified in the RFP.
b. Provide a general description of the on-site location where supportive services will be provided, the name of the organization(s) who will provide the services, and a conceptual service plan from the partner organization(s), and a funding strategy for the services. Each proposal must include a letter of intent with any service partner identified in the proposal.
c. Provide a conceptual site and floor plan illustrating proposed site and building configurations, number of residences and bedroom sizes, target populations, amenities and services for residents, service-provider space, and bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular circulation and access points.
d. Include a preliminary schedule of performance outlining the estimated time for each step and phase (if appropriate), including a summary timeline or other similar graphic representation of the development process. The schedule should recognize the time involved in finalizing the Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA), receiving project entitlements, designing the project, financing the project, commencing and completing construction, lease negotiations, marketing and final occupancy. 7 4.5.4 Community Involvement Plan
Describe a plan and overall approach for engaging residents, Downtown stakeholders, target populations, and other interested individuals in providing feedback on the project, as well as how the development team will address community feedback on the development.
4.5.5 Financing Strategy
a. Provide a conceptual construction period sources and uses of funds statement and a permanent sources and uses of funds statement for the proposed scope of development broken down by use (i.e. residential, commercial, etc.) b. Provide an annotated development pro‐forma that identifies the direct construction costs, the indirect construction costs, and the construction period financing costs for the proposed scope of development. The information must include preliminary estimates of the contractor-related costs; developer fees; any payments proposed to be made to parties related to the development team; and any costs associated with providing the community benefits requirements imposed on the project. The project will be subject to the California state prevailing wage rates.
c. Provide a summary of notes that will assist the City in understanding the assumptions applied in the financial analysis.
d. Provide the following operating pro forma information:
• Estimates of income, operating expenses and debt service payments for the project at stabilized occupancy.
• A conceptual cash-flow projection for the project for the 55‐year period following the project’s full buildout and achievement of stabilized occupancy.
The projection should identify payments anticipated to be made to the tax credit partner, debt service payments on any City assistance to the project, and the ground lease payments. Describe the assumptions applied in the projections.
e. Based on information provided in the sources and uses of funds statements, clearly set forth the following information:
• Construction loan underwriting terms;
• Permanent loan underwriting terms; and
f. Describe any responsibilities and/or obligations that the team is proposing that the City accept.
g. Identify any financial contingencies that the team is imposing on the proposal being offered to the City.
h. Identify the proposed repayment structure for any requested City financial assistance. i. Identify the proposed ground‐lease term, structure and payment schedule being proposed.
j. Financing timeline.
k. Services to be offered and budget with sources.
4.5.6 Development Team’s Financial Capacity and Experience a. The most recent audit, including the management letter, review or compilation financial statement prepared by an independent accounting firm in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Financial Capacity Materials should be submitted for the team member(s) that will be held responsible for the project financing and 8 ground lease obligations imposed on the transaction. The Financial Capacity Materials must cover a three‐year period ending no earlier than 2017. b. Complete list of portfolio of developments, including current developments and developments in the pipeline. Highlight developments that are analogous to the project being proposed.
c. Complete list of portfolio of partnerships and financing for supportive services, including current partnerships and partnerships in the pipeline.
d. Demonstrated experience obtaining the funding sources identified in the sources and uses of funds statement required in 4.5.5.
e. List of developments that have successfully competed for 9% tax credits. f. Receipt and administration of federal housing subsidies. g. Identification of the outstanding recourse and non‐recourse debt, including repayment terms for the team member(s) that will be financially responsible for the proposed project.
h. Identification of any non‐performing loans including the outstanding balance and duration of the delinquency for the team member(s) that will be financially responsible for the proposed project.
i. Identification of any loans or financial obligations that the team member(s) that will be financially responsible for the proposed project have defaulted on during the last five years.
j. Any legal actions taken against developer in the last five years, including fair housing violations.
5. Developer Agreement
The final agreement to develop the site between the team and the City will be in the form of a Ground Lease. Depending on the nature of the proposed improvements, a disposition and development agreement (DDA) may also be necessary. Additionally, if rental housing vouchers involving the Santa Monica Housing Authority (SMHA) are anticipated, a contract with the SMHA for vouchers would be required.
6. Amendments
Any amendments to the RFP will be issued through the City and posted to ProcureNow. The City will not be bound by any oral statements or modifications. If this RFP is amended, all terms and conditions that are not modified will remain unchanged. All teams will acknowledge receipt of each amendment to this solicitation in writing by including a statement to such effect in its proposal.
7. Cost Liability
The City is not liable to pay or reimburse any costs incurred by the respondents in the development, submission, or review of the Request for Proposals (RFP) packages. This includes, without limitation all costs incurred by the team in its response to this RFP, in response to any request for information made by the City throughout the selection process, in negotiating with the City, on any matter related to this RFP, or otherwise, unless specifically agreed to in writing by the City. 9 8. Statement of Rights and Understanding
The City reserves, and may, in its sole discretion, exercise the following rights and options with respect to this Request for Proposals (RFP) to:
1. Accept, reject, or negotiate modifications to any and all submissions as it shall, in its sole discretion, deem to be in its best interest; submission of an RFP does not bind the City to any action or to any party. Submissions do not create or assume any relationship, agency or obligation by the City, its officers or employees.
2. Issue additional solicitations for proposals and/or addenda;
3. Negotiate with any one or more of the respondents;
4. Waive any irregularities in any submission;
5. Select any submission as the basis for negotiations, and to negotiate with respondents for amendment or other modifications to their submission;
6. Conduct investigations with respect to the qualification of each respondent; and/or to obtain additional information deemed necessary to determine the ability of the respondent. This includes information needed to evaluate the experience and financial capability of the respondent.
9. Conflict of Interest
Teams must comply with the requirements of all applicable federal, state and local laws related to this Project, including those pertaining to conflicts of interest or appearance thereof. Teams must disclose any and all circumstances which could give rise to any potential conflict of interest or appearance thereof in connection with its participation in the project with the City of Santa Monica, and its agents, representatives and consultants.
10. Terms & Conditions
The RFP selection process will be conducted in accordance with the City of Santa Monica codes and procedures.
10.1 Documents to Provide If Selected for Service
If you are selected to undertake this development opportunity, you will be subject to submitting forms outlined on the Finance section of the City’s website under the Forms & Standards subcategory. You will also be required to obtain a City of Santa Monica business license. You can go to the Business License page (https://finance.smgov.net/doing-business/business-license) for more information. Additionally, you will need to complete the Housing Trust Fund application process.
10.2 Receiving Time / Late Proposals
The proposer is solely responsible for on-time submission of their electronic proposal via ProcureNow.
The City will only consider proposals that have been submitted through ProcureNow.
The proposer shall be solely responsible for informing itself with respect to the proper utilization of the RFP management system (ProcureNow), for ensuring the capability of their computer system to upload the required documents, and for the stability of their internet service. Failure of the proposer to 10 successfully submit an electronic proposal shall be at the proposer’s sole risk and no relief will be given for late and/or improperly submitted proposals.
Proposers experiencing any technical difficulties with the proposal submission process may contact ProcureNow via their website. Neither the City, nor ProcureNow, make any guarantee as to the timely availability of assistance, or assurance than any given problem will be resolved by the submission deadline.
10.3 Acceptance of Conditions Governing this RFP
Submission of a proposal constitutes acceptance of the evaluation factors contained in this RFP.
10.4 Primary Partner Responsibility
Any agreement that may result from the RFP shall specify a primary partner who is solely responsible for fulfillment of the agreement with the City. The City will make agreement payments only to the primary partner.
10.5 Additional Team Members
In addition to the primary partner, additional team members who will play a significant role in the proposed partnership must be identified by name. Primary partners shall be wholly responsible for the entire performance whether or not additional team members are used.
10.6 Amended Proposals
A proposer may submit an amended proposal before the deadline for receipt of proposals. Any amended proposal must be a complete replacement for a previously submitted proposal and must be clearly identified as such in the transmittal letter. City personnel will not merge, collate, or assemble proposal materials.
10.7 Proposer's Rights to Withdraw Proposal
Proposers will be allowed to withdraw their proposals at any time prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals. The proposer must submit a written withdrawal request signed by the proposer’s duly authorized representative addressed to the City Contact.
10.8 Final Modifications to the Proposals
The City reserves the right to request clarifications and/or technical modifications to the proposal from any or all proposers. This will be an opportunity to amend or modify proposals based on feedback from the City. Information from competing proposals will not be disclosed to other proposers prior to the documents becoming available to the public.
10.9 Living and Prevailing Wage Requirements
Any agreement issued as a result of this RFP may be subject to the City’s Living Wage Ordinance, Santa Monica Municipal Code Chapter 4.65 (LWO), and its implementing regulations. The project also will be subject to the California state prevailing wage rates.
10.10 Disclosure of Proposal Contents
All proposals are subject to the provisions of the California Public Records Act, California Government Code section 6250 et seq., and any information submitted with a response is a public record subject to disclosure, unless a specific exemption applies.
11 10.11 No Obligation
This RFP in no manner obligates the City to enter into any form of an agreement related to the disposition of the site until a valid written agreement is executed by the City and the selected proposer.
10.12 Termination
This RFP may be canceled at any time and any and all proposals may be rejected in whole or in part when the City determines such action to be in the best interest of the City of Santa Monica.
10.13 Errors and Restrictive Specifications
If a proposer discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in the RFP, the proposer should immediately notify the City Contact designated in Contact Information. Without disclosing the source of the request, the City may issue a written addendum to clarify the ambiguity, or to correct the problem, omission, or other error.
10.14 Legal Review
The City requires that all proposers agree to be bound by the General Requirements contained in this RFP.
10.15 Governing Law
This RFP, and any agreement entered into pursuant to this RFP, are governed by the laws of the State of California.
10.16 Oral Changes and Basis for Proposal
Proposers may not rely upon oral explanations. All changes and addenda will be issued in writing. Only information supplied by the City in writing through the City’s Contact, or in this RFP should be used as the basis for the preparation of proposals.
10.17 Proposer's Terms and Conditions
Proposers must submit with the proposal a complete set of any additional terms and conditions that they expect to be non-negotiable in an agreement with the City.
10.18 Proposer Qualifications
The City may make such investigations as necessary to determine the ability of the proposer to adhere to the requirements specified within this RFP.
10.19 Right to Waive Minor Irregularities
The City reserves the right to waive minor irregularities and the right to waive mandatory requirements, provided that all of the otherwise responsive proposals fail to meet the same mandatory requirements and/or doing so does not otherwise materially affect the selection process. This right is at the sole discretion of the City.
10.20 Change in Agreement or Representatives
The City reserves the right to require a change in the selected proposer or representatives if the assigned representatives are not, in the opinion of the City, meeting its needs adequately. 12 10.21 Right to Publish
Throughout the duration of this RFP process and agreement term, potential proposers, and proposers, must secure from the City written approval prior to the release of any information that pertains to the potential work or activities covered by this RFP or the subsequent agreement. Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in disqualification of the proposer.
10.22 Ownership of Proposals
All documents submitted in response to the RFP shall be become the property of the City of Santa Monica and are subject to the provisions of the California Public Records Act, as described in the "Disclosure of Proposal Contents" item. Depending on the partnership agreement, the selected partner may also be entitled to ownership of work product.
10.23 Agreement Award
Proposal will be evaluated by a committee comprised of City staff and may include outside advisors (the “Evaluation Committee”). The Evaluation Committee will make an award recommendation to City staff.
City Council may give approval of the agreement and/or direct staff to negotiate the final terms and execute the agreement.
This agreement shall be awarded to the proposer or proposers whose proposal is best qualified, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in the RFP. Proposers will be notified when the award is being made or an award recommendation goes to the City Council for approval.
10.24 Partner Selection
The City of Santa Monica, through either the City Council or the City Manager (or his designee) has the sole authority to select the team of experts and reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. The City reserves the right to approve or reject any personnel proposed as part of the team. Upon signing of the agreement, no change in proposed team members can be made without the City’s review and written authorization.
The City reserves the right to select any number of finalists. In addition, the City reserves the right to issue written notice to all prospective teams of any changes in the RFP terms or proposal submission schedule, should the City determine in its sole and absolute discretion that such changes are necessary.
The City reserves the right to request additional information from any proposing team and to reject any and all proposals.
The City reserves the right to retain an expert to evaluate the proposing team’s work or qualifications at all stages in the selection process.
The responsible proposer whose proposal is the most advantageous to the City, taking to consideration all the evaluation factors will be recommended for the award of the development opportunity.
Notwithstanding the Evaluation Team’s selection, the City reserves the right to select a proposer in any manner it deems to be in the best interest of the City and make the selection based on its sole discretion. The City is the sole and exclusive judge of quality and compliance with proposal specifications in any of the matters pertaining to this RFP.
13 10.25 Developer Selection and Execution
Selection of a proposer with whom the City enters into negotiations with, or a recommendation of an award by the Evaluation Committee or any other party, does not constitute an agreement to convey the site. If the City and the selected proposer are unable to reach agreement on terms and conditions, the City will begin negotiations with the second highest ranking proposer.
The RFP document and the successful proposal response, as amended by agreement between the City of Santa Monica and the successful proposer, will become part of the project file. Additionally, the City of Santa Monica may verify the successful proposer’s representations that appear in the proposal.
Failure of the successful proposer to perform as represented may result in elimination of the successful proposer from further negotiation.
No oral explanation or instruction of any kind or nature whatsoever given before conveyance agreements are executed shall be binding. The City of Santa Monica shall not be bound, or in any way obligated, until all documents have been executed. The successful proposer may not incur any chargeable costs prior to the final execution of the conveyance agreements.
10.26 Protest Deadline
All parties wishing to file a protest shall comply with the procedures found here (http://qcode.us/codes/santamonica/view.php?topic=2-2_24-2_24_105&amp%3Bframes=on).
Proposers may file a written protest with the Director of Finance ([email protected]) no more than seven calendar days following the posting of award recommendation on the City’s online vendor portal website.
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Notes
Parking Structure 3 Lot Legend
City Boundary
Bureau of Land Management, Esri, HERE, Garmin, INCREMENT P, NGA, USGS | Los Angeles Region Imagery Acquisition Consortium (LARIAC) | Emilio Solano Los Angeles County
Assessor
500 W Temple Street
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[email protected]
a
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: April 9, 2019
Agenda Item: 8.A
1 of 11
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Andy Agle, Director, Housing and Economic Development, Housing Division Subject: Affordable Housing on City-Owned Land
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize issuance of a request for proposals for the development of affordable housing on City-owned property at 1318 Fourth Street, and
2. Authorize staff to continue to explore similar opportunities on other City-owned properties.
Summary
For over four decades, Santa Monica residents and voters have supported the preservation and production of affordable housing as a core local value. As market pressures and changes in state law have affected the affordability of housing in Santa Monica, the community has continued to identify the urgency and need. Reflecting community sentiment, in 2015, Council identified Maintaining an Inclusive and Diverse Community as one of its strategic goals, and in 2019, Council identified Affordability as a Framework Priority. Creating more affordable housing is a key element to maintaining economic diversity and affordability in Santa Monica.
The great need for affordable housing is accompanied by the reality that producing affordable housing can be very expensive. A major driver of the expense is the cost of land. Using City-owned land for the creation of affordable housing presents an opportunity to significantly reduce the City’s cost associated with financing housing production and thereby increase the number of households than can be assisted.
This report recommends that the City solicit proposals for the development of affordable housing on City-owned land at 1318 Fourth Street, currently home to Downtown Public Parking Structure No. 3. Because of the age and condition of that structure, the City 2 of 11
has long anticipated demolition of the parking structure and specifically designed Parking Structure No. 6 to replace the parking capacity that would be lost. While the existing structure is currently heavily utilized, overall parking occupancy in the downtown public parking structures is declining. If current users shift to available capacity in the downtown’s other structures, significant impact on parking availability and revenues is not anticipated.
Given the long-term plans for demolition, the parking structure has not undergone the seismic retrofitting that has been completed for most downtown parking structures and suffers from chronic maintenance issues, particularly of its elevators.
Finally, given the deep need for additional affordable housing resources, staff recommends that the Council authorize continued evaluation of other City-owned properties as potential future affordable housing opportunities.
Background
The Housing Commission continues to consider opportunities to enhance the City’s efforts to support affordable housing. The considerations extend beyond efforts to increase funding for affordable housing by identifying the need to reduce the cost of creating affordable housing so that limited housing funds can be stretched further.
The cost-efficiency measures that the Commission has identified and begun to assess include opportunities to reduce construction costs, zoning changes that could support affordable housing development, and use of City-owned properties to construct affordable housing. Creating affordable housing on City-owned land offers the possibility of reducing or eliminating one of the largest expenses in the creation of affordable housing: the cost of land.
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Pursuant to a Commission request, staff from Information Services and Housing and Economic Development (HED) created an interactive mapping tool that provides information about City-owned properties. At the October 2018 Housing Commission meeting, staff shared a matrix of the City-owned properties and discussed them with the Commission (Attachment A)
At the November 2018 Housing Commission meeting (Attachment B), staff shared more information about each property, including aerial photos, zoning information, housing potential, current use, key considerations, and recommendations. Following discussion, the Housing Commission prioritized two sites for near-term consideration, 1318 Fourth Street and 612 Colorado Avenue. Compared to the larger list considered by the Commission, the two sites appeared to face fewer obstacles to consideration for affordable housing. The Commission also recognized that Council approval of requests for proposals (RFPs) on the sites would represent the initial step in the process, and that the City would have to evaluate the quality of affordable housing proposals for the sites before committing to creating housing at the sites. The Commission also signaled that prioritizing the two sites should not remove the other sites from consideration. For the other sites, efforts will need to continue with respect to assessing and potentially remediating barriers, where feasible, for use as affordable housing.
At their February 2019 meeting, the Housing Commission considered more refined information (Attachment C) regarding the two sites. Between the Housing Commission meetings in November 2018 and February 2019, staff completed additional due diligence regarding the 612 Colorado Avenue site, a parking lot at the southwest corner of Seventh Street and Colorado within the Big Blue Bus yard. The due diligence identified a significant obstacle to moving forward in the near term related to the Big Blue Bus’ plan to convert its fleet to 100 percent electric by 2030. Due to the current fleet site and the need to fuel compressed-natural-gas vehicles overnight, the existing Big Blue Bus yard lacks additional capacity to accommodate the significant new infrastructure that will be required to charge and maintain electric buses. The Big Blue Bus is embarking on a planning process for integrating electric buses and the associated infrastructure into the Big Blue Bus yard. As the Big Blue Bus will need to 4 of 11
service both electric and gas-powered buses for many years, there is a strong likelihood that additional space will need to be dedicated to bus operations. As a result, HED staff recommended that the issuance of a request for proposals for the site be delayed until there is more clarity regarding the spatial needs associated with electric buses.
The Housing Commission recommended (see Attachment D) that the City Council authorize issuance of an RFP for affordable housing at 1318 Fourth Street with the following goals for the housing:
Affordable housing at the site should include a major commitment to permanent supportive housing;
The development should maximize affordable housing and the cost-effectiveness of producing affordable housing;
The development team must possess strong qualifications in the development and operation of affordable housing, though non-profit or for-profit development team members may be considered;
The development must support the Housing Trust Fund Plan of moving people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing;
The development should further the City’s goals with respect to the voterapproved Proposition R, which mandates that 30 percent of all multifamily housing built in Santa Monica should be affordable to low- and moderate-income households.
With respect to 612 Colorado, the Housing Commission recommended that:
consideration of affordable housing should be a high priority for the site; considerations should include combined use of the site for bus operations and affordable housing, as well as consideration of alternative locations for the Big Blue Bus yard; and
considerations for the site should include the opportunity to create a permanent shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
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Discussion
One of the primary benefits of using City-owned land is the preservation of limited housing trust funds that would typically be invested in purchasing privately owned land.
To gauge the potential savings, staff looked at five pipeline affordable housing developments that are currently either in predevelopment as a result of a City loan commitment or in the application stage, undergoing review by the City. The data shows that while there is considerable variation among the developments, there is a range that could be considered for future projects (broken out by unit and by bedroom (BR):
CHART 1
PROPOSED AFFORDABLE NEW CONSTRUCTION (in 000s)
Pipeline
Affordable
Housing
Developments
Land Cost
(City Funded)
Per
City Loan for
Soft + Hard Costs
Per
Tax Credit Equity
Per
Permanent
Bank Loan
Per
Percent
Funded
by City
Unit BR Unit BR Unit BR Unit BR
1 $200 $195 $ 71 $ 69 $383 $373 0 0 41%
2 $136 $133 $139 $136 $325 $318 0 0 46%
3 $142 $ 80 $116 $ 65 $434 $243 0 0 37%
4 $218 $123 $ 55 $ 31 $432 $245 $39 $22 36%
5 $174 $ 97 $ 73 $ 41 $427 $238 $24 $13 35%
Average $174 $126 $ 91 $ 68 $400 $283 $31 $18 39%
Most of the developments above are too small to qualify for permanent bank loans (e.g., 35-40 apartments), reflecting that the projected operating income is too modest to service a loan or that the overall amount of the loan does not justify the financial feasibility process by a bank.
The five developments reflect land acquisition costs in the range of approximately $135,000 to $215,000 per residence (with an average of approximately $175,000) and approximately $80,000 to $195,000 per bedroom (with an average of approximately $125,000). As is typical for City loans, the land acquisition costs are expected to be funded entirely by housing trust funds.
For each development, the City is also expected to fund some portion of the construction costs, ranging from approximately $55,000 to $140,000 per residence and $30,000 to $135,000 per bedroom. All five developments are expected to successfully 6 of 11
leverage City funding with a greater amount of outside funding, primarily Low-IncomeHousing Tax Credits.
Using costs from the five new construction developments can help inform the potential savings from using City-owned sites for affordable housing development. The following provides more detailed information regarding the City-owned property at 1318 Fourth Street for which the Housing Commission recommended issuance of an RFP for affordable housing.
1318 Fourth Street
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The 30,000-square-foot site at 1318 Fourth Street is currently the location of Downtown Public Parking Structure No. 3. Since the early 2000s, the City has planned to demolish the parking structure. When Parking Structure No. 6 was rebuilt, the number of parking spaces in Parking Structure No. 3 was more than replaced in order to allow for its demolition. Given its small size, the parking structure experiences above-average occupancy within the downtown system. However, overall parking occupancy in the downtown public parking structures has been declining. As a result, there is ample parking availability to accommodate motorists who would otherwise use Parking Structure No. 3 and a significant impact on parking revenues is not anticipated.
For over a decade, the City worked with two different companies to develop a contemporary cinema at the site. Both companies withdrew from negotiations for the site and the cinema discussions have now mostly ended. Given the long-term plans for demolition, the parking structure has not undergone the seismic retrofitting that has been completed for most downtown parking structures. As the parking structure is nearing the end of its useful life and incidents related to its age are occurring with greater frequency, staff anticipates that the structure’s demolition may be considered as part of the FY 19/20 Capital Improvement Budget. If the demolition does not occur within the near term, a significant investment in seismic retrofitting would be required.
The site is located within the Bayside Conservation District of the Downtown Community Plan, which allows for affordable housing up to 70 feet in height with a maximum floorto-area ratio of 4.0. Using simple floor-area-ratio calculations, staff projects that the site could accommodate approximately 100 to 150 affordable residences, depending on the design and target population(s). The street-facing ground floor could house nonresidential uses that help activate the sidewalk and contribute to the sense of safety in the area. Ground-floor space could also house activities and uses that support the Downtown and the larger community but have otherwise been priced out of commercial storefronts Downtown.
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Using the range of land acquisition costs of the five proposed developments above, an estimated $13,600,000 to $32,700,000 of housing trust funds could be saved by using the City-owned site, as identified below.
CHART 2
POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS WITHOUT LAND ACQUISITION COSTS
LAND ACQUISITION COSTS
PER RESIDENCE
LOW END HIGH END AVERAGE
RESIDENCES $136,000 $218,000 $174,000
100 $13,600,000 $21,800,000 $17,400,000
150 $20,400,000 $32,700,000 $26,100,000
With an average City investment of $265,000 per residence ($174,000 for land plus $91,000 for construction, as shown in Chart 1 above), the land-acquisition savings could be used to create another 51 ($13.6 million / $265,000) to 123 ($32.7 million / $265,000) long-term affordable residences. The cost savings related to acquiring equivalent land Downtown is even greater, given the cost of land Downtown.
Because a parking structure currently exists at 1318 Fourth Street, developing affordable housing at the site would require some investment to make the site suitable for development. The primary cost is demolishing the parking structure. In addition, some remediation of the soils would likely be necessary, given the likely presence of some hydrocarbons associated with vehicle fuel. Environmental studies associated with previous proposals on the site did not anticipate significant remediation costs. Previous cost estimates for demolition and remediation were in the range of $3 to $4 million. The demolition process would include de-commissioning of parking operations, including harvesting the parking-revenue equipment, re-orientation of the electronic wayfinding 9 of 11
and parking-guidance equipment, and communicating with short- and long-term users of the parking structure.
In addition, there would likely be a need for some housing trust fund assistance for construction costs on the site. The chart below illustrates the expected range of potential city assistance based on the five proposed developments.
CHART 3
POTENTIAL CITY ASSISTANCE FOR SOFT AND HARD COSTS
ADDITIONAL CITY ASSISTANCE
PER RESIDENCE
LOW END HIGH END AVERAGE
RESIDENCES $55,000 $139,000 $91,000
100 $5,500,000 $13,900,000 $9,100,000
150 $8,250,000 $20,850,000 $13,650,000
The actual amount of additional City assistance at the site likely will be greater than for the five pipeline developments, primarily because the scale of the affordable housing development could make it less competitive for nine-percent tax credits. All five pipeline developments have received a nine-percent allocation or intend to apply for ninepercent tax credits. A development at the site could be competitive for four-percent tax credits, which are considerably less valuable, and possibly Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funding or SB2 (Building Homes and Jobs Act) funding from the State of California.
Staff has initiated conceptual consideration of a long-term, permanent replacement for the City-owned Santa Monica Shelter (Samoshel). Given that Samoshel was created approximately 25 years ago as a temporary facility, staff believes that consideration should be given to creating a permanent replacement facility. The City-owned site at 1318 Fourth Street is one of the locations that could be considered, though staff from a variety of departments have raised concerns about the location’s suitability for a shelter. 10 of 11
In the coming months, staff proposes to engage the Council and community regarding the feasibility of and potential sites for a permanent replacement of the shelter.
Given the potential for substantial savings and efficiency in the use of limited housing trust funds, staff seeks direction to issue a request for proposals for affordable housing development at 1318 Fourth Street. The RFP process would allow the City to consider in greater detail the opportunities related to the number of apartments that could be built, expected costs, and financing opportunities. The RFP process would also allow the City to facilitate a more informed community dialogue regarding the opportunities at the site. Pursuant to receipt of a viable proposal, staff would return to the Housing Commission and Council with recommendations related to an affordable housing development team and proposal, as well as conceptual terms of a long-term lease of City land and a potential Housing Trust Fund loan for affordable housing development.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action as a result of the recommended action. Following receipt and review of proposals, staff would return to Council with recommendations related to potential selection of an affordable housing development team, disposition of City land, and Housing Trust Fund loan.
Prepared By: Andy Agle, Director
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. October 2018 Housing Commission Handout
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B. November 2018 Housing Commission Staff Report (Web Link) C. February 2019 Housing Commission Staff Report (Web Link) D. Housing Commission Minutes
E. Written Comments
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: March 26, 2019
Agenda Item: 8.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Katie Lichtig, Assistant City Manager, City Manager's Office Subject: Annual Report on Homelessness
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Review and comment on the Four-Pillar strategy and activities in the report, and direct staff to proceed with the next steps;
2) Direct staff to proceed with feasibility analysis of possible sites for the replacement of SAMOSHEL and associated community engagement process and return to Council with recommendations;
3) Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts and Budget Actions section of this report.
Executive Summary
Homelessness has been a challenge in Santa Monica for decades. As the numbers of people experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles County has dramatically increased in recent years, the City Council in 2015 focused on Santa Monica taking regional leadership on this shared crisis.
Much has been accomplished, yet the latest numbers indicate that community public health, wellbeing and safety concerns remain unresolved. Despite progress in matching people experiencing homelessness to services and permanent supportive housing in Santa Monica and elsewhere in the County, there has also been an unprecedented increase in the number of housed residents at risk of becoming homeless.
In Santa Monica, results of 2019’s annual point-in-time Homeless Count tabulated by staff confirm that the City has made great strides in addressing homelessness in key geographic areas through its targeted interventions, while the overall number of people experiencing homelessness is holding steady citywide.
While we are committed to reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness in Santa Monica, we cannot end homelessness within our City borders alone. The City 2 of 23
must continue its role as a regional leader and seek a collaborative and innovative approach to finding short and long-term solutions that build capacity within neighboring communities, while serving the urgent needs of the most vulnerable living among us in Santa Monica and enhancing health and safety for all in our community. Specifically staff recommends a refreshed four-pillar approach that includes:
1. Preventing housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless and increasing affordable housing opportunities.
2. Addressing the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents.
3. Maintaining equitable access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces.
4. Strengthening regional capacity to address homelessness.
Background
Santa Monica has a robust history of designing innovative and comprehensive homelessness services based on the needs of the current population. Previous reports to Council outline this rich history and lay the foundation for our current homelessness services delivery system. Please see attachment A
City Council set taking a leadership role in regional efforts to address homelessness as one of its five strategic goals in August 2015. This led to the creation of a Homeless Strategic Goal Action Team that included several piloted initiatives by staff to document and respond to public concerns of a growing unsheltered homeless population. These initiatives were seeded with $1.4M in one-time general fund surplus dollars in November 2017 and reallocated departmental budget funding. A progress report on these initiatives, many of which have become promising practices that inform this report, can be found in, Update on Pilot Initiatives to Address Homelessness (Attachment B).
In January 2019, City Council voted to once again affirm its commitment to reducing homelessness within the City limits. Based on results from the “SaMo Says: Community Priorities Survey,” Council selected “Reduce Homelessness” as one of the six City Framework priorities for the FY2019-21 Biennial Budget cycle. See Attachment C for the survey results and summary of the Council discussion. 3 of 23
Staff propose to define the “Reduce Homelessness” framework outcome through a fourpillar approach outlined in this report, along with recommended next steps for consideration during the FY2019-21 Biennial Budget cycle.
As progress is being made, staff recognize public health and safety concerns expressed by residents and visitors related to homelessness in Santa Monica. It is important to reiterate that homelessness is not a crime, yet the presence of people meeting basic needs in open spaces can contribute to a public perception of discomfort that often leads to a sense of not feeling safe. At the same time, there is a percentage of people experiencing homelessness who do commit crimes, as in general population, and homeless people themselves are often victims of crime at a higher rate than the nonhomeless population. The City has and enforces strict anti-camping and other laws to regulate the use of public spaces to ensure safe, equitable access for all. Yet, as the proportion of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness increases compared to those seeking shelter, a countywide trend for which Santa Monica is no longer immune, the City must continue to respond with enhanced strategies to mitigate the impact of street homelessness. City Council held a study session on Public Safety in Parks and Beaches on March 5th and provided several items of specific direction for next steps (Attachment D). In 2018, the City doubled down on its homelessness outreach through expansion of place-based strategies that increased situational awareness of who is experiencing homelessness, what their needs are, and with whom city staff can coordinate to (re)connect them to services. A place-based approach, compared to the City’s historic “people” approach, created a pathway for nontraditional departments such as Library, Big Blue Bus and Public Works to join the conversation, increased data collection of incidents and engagements, and increased inter-departmental communication to more rapidly deploy proactive outreach services to mitigate rising concerns. The success of these efforts are reflected in the 2019 Homeless Count results.
The 2019 Homeless Count results indicate that the unsheltered count of people experiencing homelessness in Downtown Santa Monica area decreased by 19%, suggesting that the City’s investment in a geographic-focused multi-disciplinary street team and additional efforts by SMPD’s Homeless Liaison Program are making an impact. This is significant as we look 4 of 23
forward to prioritizing what programs are working effectively to move the needle on homelessness.
Overall, homelessness held largely steady in the city. The increase of 3% in the overall total count from 2018 to 2019 is essentially within the margin of error since the annual one night count is subject to variation by daily weather conditions and other day-to-day fluctuations. The total count of people experiencing homelessness increased from 957 to 985 between 2018 and 2019. The total number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness increased by 1% (646 to 654) mainly due to an increase in vehicle homelessness. The total number of sheltered people experiencing homelessness increased by 6% (311 to 331), as the number of people in local hospitals more than tripled from 8 to 27, possibly resulting from the implementation of a new state law (SB1152) that requires stricter discharge planning. The City has begun conversations with local hospitals to better understand this increase. Staff will report back to Council a more thorough analysis of these results after June when the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) releases the countywide results. See Attachment E for a year-over-year comparison.
Discussion
The City of Santa Monica has a longstanding commitment to reducing homelessness within its jurisdiction and is an innovator of intervention models that have become regional and national best-practices. The City continues this tradition, leveraging data, mobile and web-based technologies, and the principles of performance management to more effectively prioritize and evaluate strategies to put resources where they are needed most. The City is starting 2019 with renewed energy and refined focus on its strategy to address homelessness within our borders through a comprehensive streetoutreach approach while staying steadfast in our call-to-action of neighboring communities to increase homelessness resources within their jurisdictions. Reducing Homelessness as a Framework priority for the upcoming bi-annual budget process fosters momentum across the organization and memorializes that homelessness is an organizational-wide responsibility for which every department can contribute talent, expertise, and resources.
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The Homeless Action Team (a cross-departmental work team) proposes to define “reducing homelessness” inclusively, and not through a crisis-oriented lens, to achieve balance between immediate and longer-term strategies so that we mitigate current concerns while driving toward the roots of the issue so that our solutions do not simply accommodate and move people around, but eventually impact the number of new people falling into homelessness. To capture this balance, guide the organization’s comprehensive homelessness strategy for the next two years, and lay a foundation for quantifiable outcome metrics, the Homeless Action Team presents a four-pillar approach for Council’s consideration and adoption. This approach is introduced here, with each pillar associated to a Framework outcome as indicated:
1. Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless and increase affordable housing opportunities. Protect low-income residents who are currently housed in Santa Monica from losing housing and continue to dedicate Housing Trust Fund dollars to develop and rehabilitate affordable and supportive housing for special needs populations. [Economic Opportunity]
2. Address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents. Increase equitable access to comprehensive behavioral health services for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness and living with untreated mental health and addiction, often displaying anti-social behaviors in open spaces. [Health]
3. Maintain equitable access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces. Ensure public spaces are safe, healthy, and accessible to everyone through improvements to infrastructure, ongoing maintenance, activation, outreach and engagement, and enforcement. [Place and Planet]
4. Strengthen regional capacity to address homelessness. Santa Monica must restore regional equilibrium by increasing services, homelessness facilities, and housing opportunities in neighboring communities across the Westside through the development of a regional strategy in efforts to truly move the needle on this crisis. [Governance] 6 of 23
Implementation of the Four-Pillar Strategy
The four-pillar approached was developed based on data presented by departments over the past year, recommendations from the Santa Monica Homelessness Steering Committee (an all-volunteer homeless stakeholders group), and an analysis of regional trends.
Each pillar is presented below with 1) a description of the pillar and why it is significant to Santa Monica, 2) “Promising Practices” that have emerged since implementing the Homeless Goal Action Plan, and 3) “Next Steps” that staff recommend for Council direction.
Pillar One: Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless.
Within the City, there are over 12,000 households at-risk of homelessness identified as those whom earn less than $50,000 per year and pay over 30% of their income on rent. Currently, there is no evidence-based predictive analysis to identify who within this population will actually fall into homelessness. However, a recent Zillow report shows that if the average rental affordability worsens in the L.A. region by just 2%, meaning a renter must spend 51% compared to 49% of their income on rent, an additional 4,227 people will fall into homelessness. New homeless households are inevitable under current trends without intervention.
Santa Monica has invested in homelessness prevention for several decades through a commitment to renter protections and services for those facing eviction through partnership with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and St. Joseph Center. The Consumer Protection Division within the City Attorney’s Office helps tenants and property owners understand their rights and responsibilities under the law. The division also brings enforcement actions to enforce housing laws, successfully protecting residents from unlawful discrimination in seeking housing and unlawful harassment and evictions once housed.
In 2017, the City also piloted the Preserving Our Diversity (POD) program, an initiative that provides financial assistance using as a basic needs formula to low-income seniors residing in rent-controlled apartments. Additionally, the City voted to assess a quarter cent sales tax and dedicated it to affordable housing. The funds were matched with former redevelopment loan repayments to generate $15M annually for new affordable housing Development. Almost $4M per year is dedicated to special needs populations including homeless and formerly homeless households.
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One of the lesser-known prevention efforts revolves around first responders, primarily firefighters and paramedics with SMFD. Santa Monica Fire Department employees are uniquely positioned to provide insight into the hidden population of housed residents who are acutely vulnerable to losing their apartments in our current economy. Both SMFD and SMPD train their first responders to identify risk factors for homelessness and provide outreach tools and contact information for service providers who may be able to help retain housing.
Promising Practices
Preserving Our Diversity (POD) Pilot Program. In 2018, the City piloted the POD Program to help low-income rent burdened seniors retain their housing through a cash-based program based on need. This program is emerging as a regional prevention model for older adults.
Between 2017 and 2018 in L.A. County, the number of people 62 and older experiencing homelessness increased by 21%. As a response to the increase, staff is coming to Council with a request to expand the POD program and authorize funding from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. A funding request for staff time is also being submitted as part of the FY 2019-21 biennial budget process.
Farmer’s Market Food Security Programs. The Santa Monica Farmers Market (SMFM) participates in three food assistance programs: Cal-Fresh/EBT, Women, Infant and Children (WIC), and Market Match. Market Match is a grant-funded farmers market incentive program that is available only at the Pico market at Virginia Avenue Park and administered by Hunger Action LA, a local non-profit. In total, $79,067 of produce was sold through these programs, creating healthy food choices to low-income households to reduce hunger and help save limited disposable income.
Planning and Community Development Tenant Protections. The City’s Planning and Community Development Department manages two tenant protection programs:
temporary tenant relocation assistance and tenant protections during construction. In January 2017, the City hired a full-time Neighborhood Preservation Coordinator to help manage both programs. Since then, the Department has also implemented new tools and procedures to efficiently respond to tenant concerns related to the habitability of their homes and track the number of cases where tenants’ homes are rendered 8 of 23
uninhabitable. The data collected will be used to assess trends and help inform future policies and procedures. In 2017, the Department deemed 244 units as uninhabitable; however, the figure decreased to 162 in 2018. Nearly half of all units deemed uninhabitable in 2018 were cited for having no heat.
Next Steps:
Continue to promote the City’s Homeless Prevention services and expand affordable and supportive housing opportunities for households at risk of becoming homeless. Continue to improve demographic data collection at SMFM events to inform additional prevention interventions.
Leverage SMFD’s unique role in the community to connect housed vulnerable populations with the right resources to prevent homelessness and expand data collection of these incidents.
Expand the capacity of the POD program to include additional participants.
Pillar Two: Address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents Regionally, 30% of people experiencing homelessness self-report also living with mental illness, another 25% self-report addiction disorders, and 10% self-report cooccurring disorders. Homelessness, particularly unsheltered homelessness, exacerbates these illnesses by weakening recovery support systems, including creating barriers to accessing stabilizing medication. When untreated, these diseases lead to anti-social behaviors that negatively impact quality of life for the person and raise public health and safety concerns in the greater community. Locally, untreated mental illness and increased methamphetamine usage create the greatest challenge to the successful implementation of our homelessness strategies. The City has responded through coordination and professionalization of local outreach efforts.
According to David Downing, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Agency, Los Angeles Field Division, “while opioid abuse is becoming a national crisis, meth is a bigger problem in Los Angeles.” The Santa Monica Police Department has documented 9 of 23
a decrease in inebriates and significant increase in methamphetamine users over the past five-years. Since 2014, public intoxication decreased 43%, while persons in possession of methamphetamine increased by 152% across all populations. People experiencing homelessness represented 69% of possession of methamphetamine dispositions in 2018.
Likewise, the number of people living with untreated mental illness, induced by methamphetamine and other illegal drugs in some cases, has also increased. Santa Monica Police Department reports processing two 5150 Welfare and Institutions Code involuntary psychiatric holds on average per day and a 94% increase in voluntary and involuntary mental health transports since 2014. Fifty-nine percent of these transports were made to hospitals and intake facilities on the West side, including the two local hospitals (Providence Saint John's Health Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica), and Exodus Recovery’s Psych Urgent Care in Culver City. However, the remaining 41% of transports are made by police officers in patrol vehicles to locations outside of the area such as Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Carson, Exodus Recovery at the Martin Luther King Medical Center, Exodus Recovery Eastside, and the VA Hospital. Each of these transports represents a significant drain on patrol resources due to long travel and wait times.
In 2018, SMFD reported a 77% increase in the number of patients experiencing homelessness evaluated and treated by paramedics (see chart below). This percentage represents 30% of all SMFD responses. Of the 30%, 13%, or 119 people had a mental health complaint and 165, or 18%, people had an alcohol related complaint. Under current State policy, SMFD can only transport these individuals to a designated medical facility (i.e., one of the two local emergency rooms or Ronald Reagan Hospital for serious trauma) where these patients must then wait for an additional transport to a designated mental health facility. These circumstance create a strain within the health care community and delay access to appropriate treatment. 10 of 23
Per the state Welfare and Institutions Code, Article 1, section 5150, SMPD is able to transport those in need of emergency psychiatric treatment to hospitals and designated alternative care destination facilities. To provide more trauma-informed transports for persons in crisis, SMPD contracted with McCormick Ambulance in late 2018 to provide non-emergency ambulance transport. At the direction of police staff, McCormick can transport individuals suffering from mental illness with no acute medical issues directly to any regional intake centers without overburdening our local emergency rooms or patrol resources.
In 2018, the City increased the clinical capacity of local outreach teams by launching the new C3 Homeless Outreach Multidisciplinary Team, expanding the case management slots for the Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team (HMST), and strengthening the coordination with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) clinicians embedded within SMPD. An “as-needed” social worker position was also approved by Human Resources in 2018 and is expected to be filled by spring 2019.
Promising Practices
Expansion of the Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team (HMST): Funded in part by Supervisor Kuehl, the HMST Team provides ongoing case management services to high utilizers of local emergency medical and police systems. Since its launch in 2016, this team has placed 25 people into interim housing and 16 into permanent housing. In 11 of 23
2018, the team managed a caseload of 20 people and had 1,331 engagements with this highly vulnerable cohort.
Department of Mental Health Clinicians: One of the most effective inter-agency collaborations has been the partnership between L.A. County’s Department of Mental Health and SMPD. Two full-time clinicians are assigned to SMPD and deployed in the field with partner officers. One clinician is primarily with a patrol officer responding to radio calls for mental health evaluations in the community at large. The second clinician is devoted entirely to the HLP Team for evaluations of street residents, both in the field and jail. Given the high comorbidity of mental illness and the homeless population, having these resources in the field has improved response times for assisting those in crisis and created a more efficient pipeline for sharing information between case managers, service providers, and first responders.
Pilot Jail-In-Reach Program: Santa Monica Police Department initiated a pilot jail-inreach program in late 2018 to connect arrestees with housing, service providers, and behavioral healthcare. Using the county-funded Whole Person Care program and St.
Joseph’s Center resources, outreach workers are invited into the jail to engage individuals prior to their release from the City jail. Initial data indicates that the likelihood of arrestees will follow through with obtaining services is increased when the initial intake process is done prior to release. Still in a pilot phase, however, SMPD would like to pursue a similar program using drug counselors to perform similar in-reach with methamphetamine users.
Implementing new care coordinating technology: In 2017, the City partnered with Akido Labs, a subsidiary of USC’s D-Health Lab, and the Milken Institute to develop Project Connect. This is a mobile application that seeks to provide near-real-time communication between first responders (SMPD and SMFD) and homeless case managers to strengthen coordination of care. The pilot was launched on February 19, 2019 for a 13-week trial. The project team will reconvene at the end of the pilot to determine the app’s effectiveness in changing staff behavior in the field through increased communication and coordination of care.
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Animal Support Services: The City’s Animal Services Shelter temporarily shelters companion animals of people experiencing homelessness who must be temporarily hospitalized due to physical or behavioral health crisis. The shelter has also supported animals for owners transitioning into housing and employment opportunities. Costs for these services are currently absorbed by the department, however there is prospect for private philanthropy to help expand this service.
The Santa Monica Fire Department’s Community Response Unit (CRU): Launched in January 2019, the goal of the CRU is to create innovative ways to engage and assist Santa Monica’s most vulnerable populations. These include people experiencing homelessness, vulnerable housed adults, people with mental illness, people with substance use disorder, and high utilizers of public safety services. Effective response for these vulnerable individuals requires SMFD to act outside of its normal emergency model. Achieving this goal will improve the safety, health, and wellbeing of these populations and improve the availability of our fire engines and rescue ambulances. The CRU will focus on four areas to achieve results: Response, Education, Outreach, and Prevention.
Alternative Behavioral Health Care Facilities: The emergence of alternative behavioral health care facilities across the region show promising practice in increasing access to care for persons in mental health and addiction crisis. As the City strengthens is response to behavioral health crisis, staff recommend conducting a feasibility study on the local need for such as facility within Santa Monica to relieve the strain on local emergency departments, time away from patrol for SMPD officers, and to keep people closer to their safety-net of friends, family, and social service advocates as they recover.
At the same time, the City will continue to support a change in state law to allow SMFD to transport to such facilities so should one come online in Santa Monica in the future, SMFD will be able to transport patients.
Next Steps
Commit ongoing funding to the city’s multidisciplinary teams including C3 and HMST. Staff will return to Council with a funding request during the FY2019-21 13 of 23
Biennial Budget Process to sustain and enhance these efforts. Advocate for a change in state policy to authorize SMFD to transport nonmedical emergencies to alternative care facilities such as the Exodus Recovery Psych Urgent Care Center in Culver City.
Continue funding for SMPD’s pilot with McCormick Ambulance to transport persons with special needs to appropriate alternative care centers. This request will be made as a part of the biennial budget process.
Direct staff to explore feasibility options for developing a coordinated behavioral health response, including assessing the need to create a community-based behavioral health center in Santa Monica. Staff will be submitting a budget proposal under the Reduce Homelessness priority for a behavioral health consultant to conduct this feasibility study.
Outreach to the local hospitals and other key stakeholders to create a community ad-hoc behavioral health working group to strengthen communication, coordination of services, leverage financial resources, and advocate for legislative changes.
Work with the City Attorney’s Office to develop a mechanism for the City to receive private funding to support the purchase of or receive as a gift, a therapeutic van to provide field-based mental health triage and crisis stabilization services by October 2019. This van would be operated by the current multidisciplinary teams in partnership with LA County Department of Mental Health and SMFD.
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Partner with Friends of the Animal Shelter to secure private funding to expand support to pet owners experiencing homelessness who need temporary board and care for their companion animals.
Report back on the results of SMFD’s CRU 6-month pilots with SMFD’s recommendations on its next steps. SMFD will request ongoing funding for this program as part of the biennial budget process.
Expand the Akido Project Connect App users to additional City departments and homeless service providers.
Pillar Three: Maintain equitable access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces With over 600 unsheltered individuals spending some portion of their time on the streets, conflicts over open space usage are frequent, requiring unique skills and approaches to intervene and discern anti-social behaviors from respite and recreational behaviors permissible by all users.
In 2018, the City doubled down on its street outreach and engagement activities to address anti-social behaviors in public spaces. Specifically, Public Works, Library, Human Services, Big Blue Bus, and nonprofit partners worked with SMPD to collaborate on strategies to mitigate anti-social behaviors in key public spaces and create additional “no-wrong-door” opportunities for service connections. These efforts leveraged ongoing collaborative models such as the HLP Team’s partnership with West Coast Care (WCC) to provide outreach on the beach and in Tongva and Palisades Parks, offering referrals to shelter and other resources, emergency clothing, bus tokens and other support. A primary focus is Project Homecoming through which WCC reconnects those experiencing homelessness with family. Through these efforts, resources are deployed to key spaces where people experiencing homelessness gather to increase opportunities for service connection and mitigate the impact of homelessness on the wellbeing of the community. The City’s practices are in alignment with LAHSA’s 15 of 23
“Guiding Principles and Practices for local response to Unsheltered Homelessness,” recommended best-practices for municipal engagement adopted by the LAHSA Commission on February 28, 2019.
Promising Practices
Open space promising practices arose out of Council’s one-time funding and were described in detail in the March 13th Info item to Council. Therefore, they are listed here only by name and abbreviated description.
Launching of the C3 Multidisciplinary Outreach Team. Provides mobile health and clinical interventions and linkages to homeless services and housing to people experiencing homelessness in the Downtown Santa Monica area including Palisades, Tongva, and Reed Parks.
Homeless Outreach Services at the Library. An Outreach Specialist staffed by The People Concern provides onsite outreach services including weekly office hours and special events to engage people experiencing homelessness in nontraditional ways to increase engagement. This service will soon be enhanced with the hiring of an as-needed social worker position by spring 2019. Expansion of the Library Service Officers. The additional LSO hires allowed the department to educate and enforce the new guidelines among all patrons to maintain a safe, inclusive and learning environment. LSOs work closely with SMPD’s HLP Team and onsite Outreach Specialist to connect people to homeless, Veteran, and mental health services.
Incident Tracking on Big Blue Bus. In 2018, Big Blue Bus upgraded its incident tracker to better capture homelessness related data in response to growing concerns expressed by staff and riders. Big Blue Bus found that only 20% of all reported incidents were homeless related and the number of incidents that occurred out of over one million riders, were miniscule. Expansion of the Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team. In January of 2018, the HLP team expanded from six to eight full-time officers, along with a 16 of 23
Department of Mental Health Clinician and a sergeant. In the summer of 2018, HLP went from five to seven-day-per-week coverage.
Relocated street feeding operation indoors. In late 2018, Food Not Bombs partnered with Salvation Army to transition their street feeding program from the 3 rd Street Promenade to an indoor, sit-down setting. West Coast Care provides onsite outreach services including referrals to Winter Shelter, Project Homecoming, and intake at St. Joseph’s Homeless Services Center. The inside meal is hosted every Thursday, averaging 100 participants each week.
Next Steps
Continue funding for multidisciplinary teams. Continue funding to the C3 team to expand the current contract and explore additional funding to create a new C3 team possibly focused on the beach. This request will be made as part of the biennial budget process.
Expand the number of HLP Team Officers. The HLP Team is scheduled to grow to ten officers in the first quarter of 2019.
Continue services at the Library. The Library is targeting to fill the as-needed social worker position by April 2019 and secure ongoing funding for the additional LSOs and as-needed social worker position. This request will be made as a part of the biennial budget process. More consistent services and availability of resources will allow the Library to more directly serve some of our most vulnerable visitors through outreach, referrals, and case management. Increase Beach Outreach Coordination. Strengthen relationship between West Coast Care and businesses along Ocean Walk to increase engagement and homeless service connection.
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Pillar Four: Strengthen regional capacity to address homelessness The regional landscape has shifted significantly since Council first prioritized taking a leadership role in regional efforts to address homelessness as a strategic goal in 2015.
Voters in the City of Los Angeles approved Proposition HHH in November 2016, a 10- year housing bond dedicated to building up to 10,000 new units of affordable housing, supportive housing, and homeless facilities. The County of Los Angeles voters approved Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax that is anticipated to generate at least $355 million a year until 2027, to provide supportive services and leverage housing opportunities across the County’s 88 cities through a supply rental subsidies, landlord incentives, and housing retention supportive services. In 2018, approximately $1B was allocated to addressing homelessness in the L.A. County region through local, state, and federal funding placing 24,998 people into interim housing, 20,446 into permanent housing, and preventing 6,026 from falling into homelessness. Approximately 1,500 new units of interim housing and nearly 3,000 new units of permanent supportive and affordable housing have come online or in development since 2017.
This extraordinary collaboration between LA City and LA County has incentivized other jurisdictions including the “Big 11” large cities in California and the State to join the conversation and invest additional resources and ideas to address the growing homelessness crisis. The State allocated $500M in one-time surplus funding to form and implement the Homeless Emergency Assistance Program (HEAP). Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019-20 Budget proposal unveiled in January 2019 includes $1.3B in onetime general fund dollars to support an aggressive new approach to spur housing development to address the state’s affordability crisis and promote economic growth.
Santa Monica has been a direct recipient of these efforts through the expanded investment in the regional Coordinated Entry System (CES). The CES aligns the Single Adult, Family, and Youth Systems into a seamless, collaborative, county-wide platform for housing and service delivery to homeless households. St. Joseph Center leads the region-wide Coordinated Entry System collaborative for L.A. County’s Service Planning Area 5 (which encompasses Santa Monica and the Westside) for both Individuals and for Families. The collaborative encourages cities, L.A. County, and service providers to leverage their shared resources to end homelessness, improve coordination among 18 of 23
participating agencies, and increase the number of homeless people who obtain housing. In 2018, 725 people engaged in Santa Monica were entered into the countywide CES.
In February 2018, the City received a $70,000 grant from United Way and the County Homeless Initiative to develop a flexible training curriculum to deepen the public’s understanding of the regional homelessness crisis from the perspective of outreach workers and persons with lived experience, and to educate on best practices for engagement to multiply the City’s efforts. The first training videos have been produced and posted to the City’s YouTube channel. A robust communications campaign will engage a broad range of stakeholders—such as residents, landlords, businesses, and charitable organizations—and will allow core modules to be shared with neighboring communities. These grant funds have been fully expended.
By 2023, the City should also begin to experience relief as new homeless facilities and housing opportunities supported by Proposition HHH and Measure H begin to come online. These include an additional 200+ interim housing beds in Venice, Brentwood (VA Campus), and Westwood (West L.A. Armory) and over 400 new units of supportive housing by 2024. The City of Malibu has also opened a new homeless service center to better coordinate referrals to local services. Safe Parking L.A. opened a new site in the parking lot of West L.A. City Hall. The potential of these expanded services and the potential housing pipeline should be integrated into the City’s homelessness strategy moving forward.
The Senior Advisor and the Council Office & Legislative Affairs Liaison will continue to work with public partners at all levels of government and the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) to ensure the Westside receives its fair-share of new funding.
Currently the City is working with WSCCOG to develop a needs assessment to better understand the homelessness housing and services gap in SPA 5 required to effectively move the needle on local homelessness. Countywide, 24,000 people are in the Coordinate Entry System waiting to be matched to a housing unit. However there are only 9,600 available permanent housing opportunities and 8,649 interim housing opportunities to meet this demand. A better understanding of the local gap will enable the City and WSCCOG members to better advocate for private, state, and federal 19 of 23
resources for local providers so that they can meet the growing demand created through increased outreach and engagement services.
The expansion of interim housing capacity in neighboring communities creates an opportunity for the City to reimagine the Santa Monica Shelter (SAMOSHEL) to better meet local needs. Built under a 1994 emergency ordinance, the current facility is a sprung-tent structure that was originally built as a temporary facility to meet the regional homeless needs. Since 1994, the needs of residents placed in SAMOSHEL have become more complex requiring new design, smaller client-staff ratios, and flexibility to accommodate personal belongings, companion animals, and more. The reimagined SAMOSHEL would not be another emergency shelter, but a new facility that reflects the needs of the City and, today’s homeless population. Ideally, the reimagined SAMOSHEL would house an interim housing program with specialized capacity to support set-aside beds for first responders and outreach teams, and integrated new supportive housing residences. Initial first steps to the reimagined process include developing a community participation strategy to shape a new program model and assist exploring potential new sites. Replacing SAMOSHEL with a new permanent facility reflecting best practices is realistically a 3-5 year process. Staff recommends that the current facility needs of SAMOSHEL be addressed to extend the lifespan of the temporary housing for approximately five years while the City undergoes the process to design based on best practices, community input, and users.
Promising Practices
We Are Santa Monica: We Are Santa Monica is a community engagement campaign dedicated to joining neighbors, local nonprofits, businesses, and local organizations to create a stronger community for all. We see the needs of all the people in our city and inviting our community to learn more about the work happening across Santa Monica and invite them to get involved. This has been a successful vehicle to inform constituents about the City’s homelessness efforts that lead to engagement opportunities with local homeless service providers.
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Homelessness Steering Committee: The Homelessness Steering Committee is an all-volunteer effort led by civic leaders Bill Parent, Chair of the Santa Monica Social Services Commission, John Maceri, Executive Director of The People Concern, and Kathleen Rawson, CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. The Steering Committee meets with the community quarterly and accomplishes its work through four subcommittees including: Advocacy, Public Safety, Volunteerism, and Open Spaces. In 2019, the Committee will streamline its activities to more strongly focus on advocacy and volunteerism.
Westside Cities Council of Government (WSCCOG): The WSCCOG is a vehicle through which the City champions regional solutions and problem-solving in tandem with the leadership of neighboring communities. The Senior Advisor represents the WSCCOG on the Regional Homeless Advisory Committee- a regional body of 58 crosssector stakeholders. In 2018 the Homelessness Committee conducted an asset map of all current homeless programs and facilities. This report is being refined. Once complete it will provide a foundation for a Westside Cities Homelessness Strategic Plan that will include a housing and services needs assessment.
State and Federal Policy Agenda: City staff worked closely with the City’s state and federal lobbyists to advocate for funding and policies to ease the burden of homelessness in Santa Monica. In 2019, staff will advance a formal policy agenda to engage diverse stakeholders in championing legislation that furthers Council’s policy priority of reducing homelessness.
Increased Inter-Regional Collaboration: In 2018, the City of Santa Monica increased its presence in inter-regional conversations with the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles to shape emerging policies such as best-practice street-engagement strategies for cities, 2019-20 priorities for Measure H Funding Allocation, review and feedback on LAHSA’s HEAP Funding Spending Plan, and the passage of interim housing facilities standard. In 2019, the three entities will work closely to support citing of new homeless programs in neighboring communities outside of Santa Monica and to ensure that local nonprofits have adequate new resources to build capacity to meet growing demand created by expansion of homelessness services (i.e. staffing, adequate program space, staff training). 21 of 23
Next Steps
Advocate for a Westside Homelessness Strategic Planning Process: Work through the WSCCOG’s Homelessness Committee to create Westside Cities Homelessness Strategic Plan that includes a housing and services needs assessment, recommendations on where to site new housing developments, and estimated costs. Reimagine SAMOSHEL. Staff seek direction from Council to have staff look at a variety of sites for the future replacement of SAMOSHEL and develop a community engagement plan to involve the community with agreement to return to Council with recommendations.
Develop of a transparent state and federal policy agenda. In collaboration with the Homelessness Steering Committee, the City will develop the policy agenda by the end of March and work with the Office of Communications to distribute to the community with a call-to-action.
Explore the creation of community foundation to support innovation. Work with the City Attorney’s Office to explore options to streamline receipt of private funding to support homeless innovation projects and regional efforts. Launch the Online Homelessness Training Curriculum: The initial modules are completed. The City will develop a strategy to release and distribute the first in the series by spring 2019.
Continue the We Are Santa Monica efforts: Continue publicizing the City’s collective homelessness strategy and progress through the We Are Santa Monica platform. Continue support and encouragement for the Homeless Steering Committee: Staff will continue to provide administrative and logistical support to the Steering Committee.
Conclusion
In 2018, the City strengthened its historic approach to addressing homelessness through increasing its capacity by leveraging additional departmental expertise and resources; while at the same time increasing collaboration with regional partners. While 22 of 23
the numbers slightly increased in the 2019 Annual Homeless Count, the numbers decreased or remained stable in areas where there were targeted interventions.
Through doubling down on outreach efforts, staff made over 34,520 contacts with people experiencing homelessness, connecting to housing and supportive services when resources were available.
The City of Santa Monica is at an exciting juncture to explore how it can increase protection for housed Santa Monicans at risk of homelessness; continue to identify and engage persons experiencing behavioral health crisis; smartly deploy outreach resources to open spaces based on data to improve well-being for all; and how to support the expansion of regional capacity as new interim and permanent housing resources come online in neighboring communities.
Over the coming year, staff would like to report back to Council on a quarterly basis through updates of individual departmental progress and collective impact. Staff will coordinate through the City Manager’s Office on this effort.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions:
On August 8, 2017 Council authorized the City Manager to modify agreement #10291 with OPCC for operation of the Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team (HMST), resulting in a 3 year amended agreement with a total amount not-to-exceed $1.65 million, consisting of $1.05 million in City general funds and up to $600,000 in grant funding from LA County Board of Supervisors District 3 (SD3) (Attachment F). In that same staff report, Council authorized the City Manager to accept a grant award in the amount of $300,000 from SD3 for HMST, and to accept all grant renewals. As of the date of this report, a total of $1.35 million has been disbursed to OPCC. On January 31, 2019, the City and the County executed an amendment to renew the SD3 grant for one additional year and for an additional amount of $300,000, making available the full notto-exceed amount of $1.65 million. The renewal requires the following FY2018-19 budget changes:
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FY2018-19 Grant Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account
Number(s)
Amount Account
Number(s)
Amount
20400001.40547
0 $ 300,000 20400001.55593
0 $ 300,000
If the Supervisor’s grant is renewed and awarded for future periods, budget changes will be included in subsequent year budgets, contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Alisa Orduna, Senior Advisor to the City Manager on Homelessness
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Homeless_Spring_2017_FINAL
B. Update on Pilot Initiatives to Address Homelessness
C. Framework Priorities Report
D. Rec and Park Staff report
E. Homeless Count One Sheet final
F. HMST Staff Report
G. Written Comments
H. Powerpoint Presentation
Adopted 11-24-1998
Amended 5-2-2000
Amended 4-24-2001
Amended 1-11-2005
Amended 6-19-2007
Amended 2-25-2014
Amended 7-25-2017
(* Loan/Grant Limits and Developer Fee Limits have been updated for the FY2017-2018 period) Housing Trust Fund Guidelines
City of Santa Monica
Housing Division
SUMMARY OF HOUSING TRUST FUND GUIDELINES
Citywide Housing Trust
Fund
Low-Moderate Income Housing
Asset Trust Fund HOME
Housing Trust Fund
CDBG
Housing Trust Fund
TORCA
Housing Trust
Fund
Redevelopment
Replacement
Housing Trust
Fund
Taxable
Proceeds
(Loans)
Tax Exempt
Proceeds
(Grants)
Funding source In-lieu fees, development
agreements, commercial
linkage fees, proceeds from
sale of City-owned property
Proceeds from
the sale of
former RDA
housing assets
and 20% of the
loan
repayments
owed by the
former RDA to
the City
Redevelopment tax
exempt bond
proceeds
Federally-funded HOME Program Federally-funded CDBG
Program
TORCA
conversion tax,
proceeds from
repayment of
TORCA sharedappreciation loans
Voter Approved
Measure GSH and
City Council
matching funds
including 80% of
the loan
repayments owed
by the former RDA
to the City
Residual receipts loan payments
Eligible
Borrowers
Nonprofits, limited partnership w/nonprofit general
partner
Nonprofits, for profits, and
limited partnerships with
nonprofit general partner
Nonprofits, for profits & limited
partnerships; may not be provided
to primarily religious organizations
Nonprofits and limited partnerships with nonprofit general partner Eligible Projects
Rental housing, 4 or more units, SRO housing, congregate housing. Acquisition and rehabilitation projects with at least 51% of the units occupied by tenants whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, except when waived by the City Manager unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law. New construction with exceptions.
If in-lieu fees, only new
construction and average 2
bedrooms
Mixed use if residential area equals
51% or more of space
New Construction allowed
only if with CHDO.
Rental subsidy
programs with City
Council approval
Eligible Uses Rental housing development: land lease/purchase, acquisition rehabilitation, new construction. Site acquisition & preparation, new construction & rehabilitation, carrying fees & charges, architecture, legal, organizational; relocation. Predevelopment loans, bridge loans. Working Capital for Citywide, CDBG, TORCA, Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset and Redevelopment Replacement. If using in-lieu fees, new construction only (average 2 bedrooms).
Ineligible Uses Preliminary feasibility studies, organizational operating expenses.
Housing acquisition and rehabilitation if using in-lieu fees.
Reserves, impact fees, operating
subsidies; land banking, temporary
shelters, project-based rental assistance, commercial properties New construction unless by
CHDO; rental assistance
payments
Loan Term Development loans and grants: 55 years, with automatic 25-year extension upon determination by City of full compliance with loan terms.
Interest Rate Freddie Mac Rate for 30-year loans; may be lower for tax credit projects, HUD 202/811, or when required to meet other lender/ subsidy layering guidelines Payments Loans may be deferred for up to 2 yrs.; 3 yrs. with City Manager waiver. Thereafter, payments to be made from residual receipts. Grant balance reduced by 1/80th each year.
Maximum
Loans
New construction*: 0 & 1 bedroom: $469,379; 2 or more bedroom: $493,679; Acquisition and Rehabilitation*: 0 & 1 bedroom: $584,486; 2 or more bedroom: $615,181; * figures updated for the FY2016-2017 period.
**HOME subsidy shall not exceed the maximum allowed by HUD under the HOME program (24 CFR 92.250), or that provided for under Section IV, Loan Terms, of these Guidelines, whichever is less.
***Individual Loans which exceed $25 million shall be presented as an Information Item to City Council before issuance of a commitment letter.
Affordability
Requirements
All assisted units must be
affordable to households
whose incomes do not
exceed 60% of median
income.
All assisted units shall be
affordable to households whose
incomes do not exceed 80% of
median income. New
construction units shall be
affordable to households whose
incomes do not exceed 80% of
median income.
For 4 or fewer HOME-assisted units,
household income cannot exceed
60% of median income (use High
HOME rents); for 5 or more HOMEassisted units, 20% of the HOME units, household must be at/below
50% of median income (use Low
HOME rents). (Refer to HOME
Final Rule, 24 CFR 92.252.)
For new construction, at least
20% of the units in the project
must be affordable to households
whose incomes do not exceed
80% of median income. Rents
for all assisted units should be
affordable to households whose
incomes do not exceed 80% of
median income.
All assisted units shall be affordable to
households whose incomes do not
exceed 80% of median income.
Rent restrictions Based on 30% of applicable income category, adjusted for unit size (i.e., # of bedrooms)
Maximum rents are determined by
HUD
Based on 30% of applicable income category, adjusted for unit size (i.e., # of bedrooms)
Prevailing wage
and Labor
requirements
City code provides that State prevailing wage requirements are applicable to rehabilitation projects over $15,000 and new construction projects over $25,000.
Davis-Bacon does not apply to these funds. Davis-Bacon is applicable for projects where 12 units or more are
assisted with HOME funds.
Davis-Bacon is applicable
for projects of 8 units or
more.
Davis-Bacon does not apply to these funds.
Local Preference Yes Yes, with 1st preference to
persons displaced by
redevelopment projects
Only if permitted by HUD Only if permitted by HUD Yes Yes Note: For complete details about the information contained on this summary sheet, please refer to the appropriate section of these Guidelines.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. TYPES OF LOANS AND GRANTS 2
III. LOAN TERMS 4
IV. APPLICATION SUBMITTAL AND REVIEW PROCEDURES 7
Application Submittal 7
Application Review 8
Competitive Selection Criteria 15
V. LOAN COMMITMENT AND CLOSING PROCEDURES 15
Loan Commitment 15
Loan Closing 16
VI. PROJECT MONITORING AND REPORTING 17
VII. FUNDING SOURCES 20
HOME Trust Fund 20
CDBG Housing Trust Fund 24
Citywide Housing Trust Fund 27
Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund 29
TORCA Housing Trust Fund 32
Redevelopment Replacement Housing Trust Fund 34
VIII. EXHIBITS 36
Exhibit A Definitions
Exhibit B HOME Program Subsidy Limits
Exhibit C Rental Housing Loan Application (with checklist) Exhibit D Green Affordable Housing Checklist
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 1
I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Santa Monica provide financial assistance to support the acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction of properties to preserve and increase affordable rental housing opportunities for lower income households through the following Programs:
HOME Housing Trust Fund (HHTF)
CDBG Housing Trust Fund (CDBGHTF)
Citywide Housing Trust Fund (CHTF)
Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund (LMIHATF) TORCA Housing Trust Fund (THTF)
Redevelopment Replacement Housing Trust Fund (RRHTF).
Under these Programs, the City provides deferred payment loans and/or grants to bridge the financial gap between available resources - including the borrower's/grantee’s equity and private financing - and the costs of developing affordable multi-family housing. The purpose of the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (“Guidelines”) is to provide an overview of the types and terms of loans which are available, application requirements, review procedures, selection criteria, loan commitment and closing procedures, and project monitoring and reporting requirements of these varied Programs within one comprehensive source of reference. Throughout this document, loans and grants may be referred to collectively as “loans” except when the terms are unique to a loan or to a grant.
These requirements are minimum requirements for participation in City Programs and are subject to change at any time. Meeting these requirements is not a guarantee of participation in any Program. The City reserves the right to require additional qualifications for individual projects. The City reserves the right to reject any and all applications and to accept applications which in its judgment best serve the interests of the City. On a case by case basis, City Council may also modify or waive provisions of these Guidelines.
These Programs are administered by the Housing Division of the City of Santa Monica (under the direct supervision of the Housing Manager, the direction of the Director of Housing and Economic Development, and the general supervision of the City Manager) on behalf of the City of Santa Monica.
These Guidelines should be interpreted in conjunction with Federal, State, and City statutes and regulations governing use of these funds; in the event of a conflict between these Guidelines and such statutes and regulations, the requirements of those statutes and regulations shall prevail.
Leveraging of City dollars (to the extent possible) with outside funding sources will continue to be a priority.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 2
II. TYPES OF LOANS AND GRANTS
Acquisition & Predevelopment Loans and Grants
Acquisition & Predevelopment loans may be made to private, nonprofit corporations with a proven capacity to develop, own, and operate housing, and that have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the IRS, and in limited circumstances described in the foregoing individual trust fund sections, to for-profit entities. Funds may be used for acquisition and pre-development expenses for projects for which there is site control and which have received a preliminary funding commitment from the City. Expenses shall be limited to services that cannot be obtained on a contingency basis and may include (but are not limited to) architectural and engineering fees, title reports, legal and organizational fees, mortgage application fees, environmental analysis, and permits and fees for public agencies. Predevelopment funds may also be used for purchase options or deposits for the purchase of buildings or land to be rehabilitated or developed with assistance from one or more of the Programs, or purchase options or deposits on properties that will not receive further subsidies under the Program, but that will be used for housing developments that meet the same requirements. Such funds may be provided as part of a predevelopment loan or through a separate contract with a nonprofit corporation as discussed below. Predevelopment loans may also be made to a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of acquiring real property for future affordable housing development, including but not limited to vacant property, and properties with existing residential or commercial improvements.
These predevelopment funds shall be disbursed to an eligible borrower at the time of the City's preliminary approval of a specific project. The amount of predevelopment funds disbursed to each project shall be included in the calculation of the maximum loan from a Program and shall be considered as part of the principal.
Development Loans and Grants
Program funds may be used for development loans for the following eligible purposes:
(1) The purchase of existing multifamily or other buildings for rent to low- and moderateincome households and for the development of congregate housing for rent to lowand moderate-income persons with special needs. Except for congregate housing, existing buildings shall consist of four or more units, unless the City Manager finds that a substantial public benefit will be provided by a project consisting of less than 4 units.
(2) The purchase or lease of land, buildings; or air rights for new construction or rehabilitation of housing that may utilize available State and Federal housing assistance programs such as the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program, tax-exempt bond financing, Section 811 Supportive Housing Program, and low-income housing tax credits.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 3
(3) The development of limited-equity housing cooperatives through either conversion or new construction.
(4) The provision of interim loan funds for any of the above purposes prior to the funding of a public or private loan. Eligible development costs for the above uses include but are not necessarily limited to:
(A) site acquisition and preparation;
(B) rehabilitation of dwelling units, common areas and related structures; (C) new construction;
(D) carrying charges and financing fees;
(E) architectural, legal, and organizational fees;
(F) temporary or permanent tenant relocation costs; and (G) a developer fee consistent with guidelines described in Section IV below. (5) Prepayment of certain financing fees, such as bond issuance fees as necessary to make favorable financing available.
Working Capital Loans and Grants
Up to five percent (5%) of the total funds available to Housing Development Corporations (HDCs) under the CDBG Housing Trust Fund, the TORCA Housing Trust Fund and the Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund may be available for Working Capital Loans. A Working Capital Loan may be made to an HDC under contract with the City of Santa Monica for the development and management of affordable housing. Loan funds shall be held in a separate, interest-bearing account by the HDC for use as “working capital” to fund early costs for securing site control and expenses related to feasibility studies prior to approval of a site-specific predevelopment loan or other loan from the City.
Loan funds may be used for reimbursable development expenses that have received prior written approval from the Housing Manager in connection with the acquisition, rehabilitation or construction of housing units that will meet the criteria of low- or moderate-income household benefit as established by the Guidelines. Eligible uses include but are not necessarily limited to:
(1) Site control costs through deposits to escrow for purchase of buildings or sites within the City of Santa Monica, or options to purchase property; (2) Non-refundable option payments, in order to assist the HDC to secure property in a competitive real estate market.
(3) Development expenses that cannot be funded on a contingency basis, including architectural and engineering fees, environmental studies, appraisals and inspection fees.
The total of such expenses shall not exceed $25,000 per project.
Upon receipt of an acquisition & predevelopment loan, or development loan for the project, the HDC shall promptly reimburse the Working Capital account for the amount advanced from the fund for such purpose. In the event that the HDC does not receive an acquisition & predevelopment loan or development loan for the project or is unable to complete the project, the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 4
City may forgive 90% of the total funds expended by the HDC upon repayment by the HDC of 10% of the amount of the expenditure.
No later than thirty calendar days after the termination date of the Working Capital Loan Agreement, the HDC shall provide a full accounting of the amount of funds available in the account, including all accrued interest, and a list of projects, if any, for which funds have been used and have not been repaid, along with a schedule of projected repayment dates. In the event the Working Capital Loan Agreement is not renewed, these funds shall be returned to the City.
III. LOAN TERMS
Term
Permanent loans that are not grants shall be due and payable in fifty-five (55) years subject to the terms of the applicable Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants. Such loans may be extended for up to twenty-five (25) additional years, provided that the Borrower is in compliance with the loan documents. Where necessary in order to meet the requirements for other project funding or enhance project feasibility, the Housing Manager may approve a shorter loan term.
However, in no case shall a Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenant remain in effect for fewer than 55 years.
Acquisition & Predevelopment Loans that are not grants shall be due and payable in twenty-four (24) months subject to the terms of the applicable Memorandum of Agreement or recorded Covenants. Such loans may be extended for up to eighteen (18) months with an additional twelve (12) month extension option. Where necessary in order to meet the requirements for other project funding or enhance project feasibility, the Director of Housing and Economic Development Department may approve a shorter loan term.
Purchase Option
At the end of the permanent loan term, the City will have the option to take title to the property in accordance with the terms of an option agreement.
Interest Rates for Loans
The interest rate shall be set at either:
(1) the rate established by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation for the average conventional commitment of a fixed rate, thirty-year (30) mortgage, and shall be compounded annually; or
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(2) when necessary to secure investor equity, interest rates of affordable housing projects that include tax credits or conventional lenders, at 3% simple interest; or (3) when the City loan is in a second position to a first trust deed capital advance/loan made under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202 or Section 811 Programs, the interest rate shall not exceed the highest permissible rate on the applicable HUD Section 202 or Section 811 Program mortgages, under authority of Chapter 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Subpart 885.410(g); or (4) when required in order to meet federal subsidy layering guidelines, at the Applicable Federal Rate (that rate established by the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to Section 1274(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code).
The City Manager may waive or reduce the interest rate as needed to ensure the feasibility of projects.
Loan Payments
Payments on permanent loans shall be made as follows:
(1) Payments of principal and interest may be deferred for up to two (2) years from the date of execution of the loan, and up to three (3) years from the date of execution of the loan with approval of the City Manager. After the expiration of the deferral period, payments of principal and interest shall be made annually to the City in an amount equal to 50% of project Residual Receipts, if any. However, this 50% of Residual Receipts may be split among all the public lenders (including the City) on a pro rata (of funding) basis. Payments shall be applied first to accrued interest, and then to principal. (2) The Borrower may elect to prepay the loan prior to the end of the term. However, the Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants shall remain in full force and effect for its term regardless of any prepayment.
(3) If the Borrower violates the terms of the Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants such that the City declares the loan in default, the entire amount of unpaid principal plus accrued interest at the rate established at the time of closing shall be due. (4) Unless paid in full earlier, the remaining principal balance of the loan and accrued interest shall be due and payable at the end of the term of the Promissory Note. Where necessary to meet requirements of third party investors and with approval of the City Manager, the City may allow the remaining principal and accrued but unpaid interest to be payable only to the extent that the fair market value of the Project exceeds the principal balance of the existing indebtedness secured by the property.
(5) For loans for projects not financed by federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, upon determination by the City that the borrower is in full compliance with the terms and conditions of the Regulatory Agreement, Deed of Trust, and Program Loan Agreement (collectively referred to as “Loan Documents”), the City shall extend the terms of the existing Regulatory Agreement, Deed of Trust, and Program Loan Agreement for a minimum period of twenty-five (25) years ("Extension Period"). If borrower fully Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 6
complies with all terms and conditions of the Loan Documents during the Extension Period, then any remaining principal and accrued but unpaid interest shall be forgiven at the end of the Extension Period.
Payments on acquisition & predevelopment loans shall be made as follows:
(1) Payments of principal and interest are deferred until maturity. Upon maturity, the City/Agency may extend the term for up to eighteen (18) months with an additional twelve (12) month extension option.
(2) The Borrower may elect to prepay the loan prior to the end of the term. However, the Memorandum of Agreement or recorded Covenants shall remain in full force and effect for its term regardless of any prepayment.
(3) If the Borrower violates the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement or recorded Covenants such that the City declares the loan in default, the entire amount of unpaid principal plus accrued interest at the rate established at the time of closing shall be due.
Grant Balance Reduction
(1) For grants for projects not financed by Low Income Housing Tax Credits, as long as Grantee is in full compliance with the Regulatory Agreement, the City shall reduce the amount of the balance of the grant by 1/80th of the total grant amount each year. If the Grantee is in full compliance with the Regulatory Agreement, the Conditional Grant Note, or the Conditional Grant Deed of Trust, at the end of the initial 55-year term, the Grantor shall accept a twenty-five (25) year extension of the term of the Regulatory Agreement, the Conditional Grant Note, and the Conditional Grant Deed of Trust. Thereafter, as long as the Grantee is in full compliance with the Regulatory Agreement, the Conditional Grant Note, and the Conditional Grant Deed of Trust, Grantor shall continue to reduce the remaining balance of the Grant by 1/80th of the Grant amount each year for an additional 25 years or until the balance of the Grant reaches zero.
Security
The loan shall be secured as follows:
(1) The loan shall be secured by a Deed of Trust and Promissory Note which may be subordinated to Deeds of Trust securing other Federal, State, City loans, or loans from conventional financing institutions used in conjunction with the Trust Fund loan on the same property. The City must approve all requests for subordination. (2) The loan shall be further secured by a Regulatory Agreement, Memorandum of Agreement, or recorded Covenants to assure that Program funds are used to provide long-term affordable rental housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income households. The Borrower and the City shall execute the Regulatory Agreement, Memorandum of Agreement, or recorded Covenants regulating project rents, tenant selection procedures, Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 7
use of project income, management and maintenance, transfer of property, and permitted forms of ownership and use. The Regulatory Agreement, Memorandum of Agreement, or recorded Covenants shall be recorded with the Deed of Trust.
Maximum loan and grant amounts
Except as restricted by State or Federal law, the maximum Trust Fund Loan/Grant per-unit shall not exceed the following:
Original Base Amount
Fiscal Year 2007-08*
Updated Amount
Fiscal Year 2017-18*
New
Construction
Acquisition &
Rehabilitation
New
Construction
Acquisition &
Rehabilitation
Zero and 1-Bedroom
Units $367, 000 $457,000 $492,848 $613,710
2 or more Bedroom
Units $386,000 $481,000 $518,363 $645,940
* Maximum loan/grant to be adjusted in July of each year utilizing the annual adjustment methodology for the City’s Affordable Housing Fee pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 9.56.070(b)
Actual loan/grant amounts will be based on the project’s need and the level of affordability that is provided. Program loan/grants in excess of maximum amounts above must be approved by the City Council. Projects in excess of fifty (50) units must be approved by City Council. Any pending loan in excess of $25 million must be presented to City Council as an Information Item.
IV. APPLICATION SUBMITTAL AND REVIEW PROCEDURES
Application Submittal
All applications for Program funds shall be submitted to the Housing Division and shall be reviewed and approved through an administrative review process as established in these Guidelines.
The Applicant shall complete and submit to the Housing Division the Application for Program Funds (see Exhibit C) and prepare all required attachments, including the management plan, tenant selection and marketing plan, relocation plan if necessary, signed purchase agreement and escrow instructions, preliminary title report, and limited partnership documents, if necessary, at least sixty Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 8
(60) days prior to the scheduled close of escrow. Applications may be submitted at any time during the program year and will be considered in the order submitted to the Housing Division.
Application Review
The Housing Division staff shall review the application to:
(1) determine that the minimum Program requirements are met; (2) ensure that the estimated development costs are reasonable and in conformance with the City’s underwriting guidelines and
(3) review the estimated mortgage amount and Borrower equity contribution in accordance with the City’s underwriting guidelines and the requirements of the proposed source of City funding.
Within seventy-five (75) days of the submission of the application, the Housing Division shall determine whether the proposal is approvable for commitment, with or without conditions. If the City determines, in its discretion, that the application is complete and meets all of the Program criteria, the City may issue a commitment letter. If the application has deficiencies, the City staff will identify the problem areas and notify the Applicant.
Staff shall review the design of the proposed project for appropriateness for the proposed target group, compatibility with surrounding uses, cost effectiveness of construction, and appropriateness of proposed materials for low maintenance and long term durability.
Design Review
Applicants proposing new construction or change of use of projects, including the moving of buildings onto vacant sites, will be responsible for notifying the neighbors of the proposed project plans for the site at the time the project is submitted to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) for approval. Applicants will invite neighbors to review the project design and comment on the plans at the ARB meeting. The Applicant will notify the neighbors at least seven (7) days prior to the ARB meeting at which the project is scheduled to be reviewed.
Determination of Reasonable Costs and Financial Feasibility Housing Division staff shall review the Applicant's estimates and projections of rents, expenses, reserves and development costs in accordance with the City’s underwriting guidelines. The Applicant shall provide background documentation on all costs as requested by the City. The City may adjust cost and expense amounts as appropriate to conform to current market and industry standards. The total amount of the Program loan and all private loans shall not exceed the total development costs approved by the City.
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The maximum allowable purchase price shall not exceed the appraised value as evidenced by an appraisal prepared by a California State Certified General Appraiser and approved by the Housing Division, which is dated not more than six (6) months prior to the date of the application. The appraisal may not determine property value based solely on sales of properties financed by public agencies.
The maximum affordable mortgage amount shall be calculated using the rent schedule proposed by the Applicant as approved by the City, the proposed interest rate and terms of the primary loan(s), and reasonable operating allowances and reserves including a reserve to amortize a mortgage as needed.
The requested City loan for a project shall not exceed the total amount of the gap between the maximum affordable mortgage amount available from non-City sources plus funds available from other sources of public subsidy, and the total development costs plus any on-going annuity necessary to maintain affordable rent levels as defined in the Program application. The maximum City loan shall not exceed the maximum per-unit limits described in these Guidelines.
All assisted units must maintain rents that do not exceed the Maximum Affordable Rent, as defined in these Guidelines, for the life of the loan in accordance with the terms of the loan or other recorded Covenants. Syndicated projects must be structured such that ownership can feasibly be acquired by the nonprofit General Partner at the end of the term of the limited partnership agreement, when appropriate. When determining the maximum City loan, Housing Division staff will scrutinize the rent schedule and annual cash flows in order to determine whether long-term affordability is maintained. In cases where a rent subsidy program is utilized and the mortgage is calculated on the basis of the subsidized rents, an "affordability reserve" may be required, where the amount of the reserve shall be sufficient to cover the difference between affordable rents and the subsidized rents.
Developer Fee
For new construction projects, the developer fee shall not exceed the following per unit amounts, based on the size of the project:
Original Base Amount
Fiscal Year 2007-08*
Updated Amount
Fiscal Year 2017-18*
For 1 – 20 units $16,240 $21,809
For 21 – 30 units $15,080 $19,042
For 31 – 50 units $13,920 $17,577
For 51 or more units Negotiated Negotiated
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For acquisition and rehabilitation projects of 7 units or less, the developer fee shall not exceed $12,868 (updated for FY 2017-2018; original base amount for FY2007-2008 was $10,900) per unit. For acquisition and rehabilitation projects of 8 or more units, the developer fee shall not exceed the greater of $55,000 per project or the sum of 5% of the depreciable acquisition basis and 15% of the rehabilitation basis. With the exception of those fees for acquisition and rehabilitation projects of 8 or more units, developer fees will be adjusted in July of each year utilizing the annual adjustment methodology for the City’s Affordable Housing Fee pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 9.56.070(b). At the discretion of the City Manager a higher fee may be allowed.
The development fee for new construction projects will be released in three stages: (1) one-third upon receipt of the necessary building permits, (2) one-third upon issuance of the certificate of occupancy, and (3) one-third upon the later of permanent loan closing or full lease-up of the project. For projects involving acquisition and rehabilitation, the development fee may be released in two stages: (1) twenty-five percent at the time of issuance of the building permit, and (2) 75% at the time of conversion of interim financing to permanent financing, or full lease-up of the project, whichever is later. Where the project does not utilize interim financing or involves acquisition only, the schedule for release of the developer fee will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Changes to the above schedules for the release of fees may be approved by the Housing Manager.
Developer Capacity
Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to successfully develop the proposed project. The City shall evaluate capacity on the basis of the Applicant’s track record in developing and managing affordable housing, or inclusion of development team members with a successful record in developing such housing. In addition, Applicants must demonstrate the financial and legal capacity to undertake the proposed project.
Clear Title
The Applicant shall have the responsibility to obtain clear title to the property. As soon as feasible, the Applicant will submit a preliminary title report for City review and written approval. Staff shall review the state of title, including the conditions, covenants, restrictions and legal description of the property and the rent control registration and removal permit issues. The Applicant shall correct the state of title and remove all exceptions to the title not consented to by the City before the City closes the loan.
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Senior Financing
The Applicant shall secure other resources such as equity from syndication proceeds, tax exempt financing, federal and state housing rental and development subsidies and available private financing to minimize the amount of the City loan. The Applicant will submit to the City for review the terms and conditions of all non-City financing as well as equity contributions. The Applicant must submit projected cash flows for the term of the loan, showing the maximum possible increases (i.e., worst case scenario) in debt service per year, the projected rent and expense increases, the means of making up any deficits, and projected payments of Residual Receipts. The City shall analyze the feasibility of the project to carry the loan, and if feasible will approve the terms of the non-City financing.
The City may, at its sole discretion, calculate the mortgage amount at the terms and rates of available financing programs other than that proposed by the Borrower, if alternative terms and rates are available that would reduce the amount of City subsidy required, and would otherwise conform to the City/Agency requirements.
Management and Affirmative Marketing Plan
Except in the case of projects funded under the federal Section 202 Supportive Housing Program and Section 811 Supportive Housing Program, the Applicant shall prepare a Project Management Plan for City review and approval. The Plan shall describe the Applicant's policies and procedures concerning:
(1) Affirmative marketing and tenant selection procedures including application procedures, prioritization of Santa Monica residents and workers (see Local Preference section below) where possible; waiting lists, and lease agreements; and marketing efforts and tenant selection procedures that will be used to attract eligible persons from all racial, ethnic and gender groups, as well as persons living with disabilities, in the housing market area to the available housing; the Plan should describe the protocols for keeping records of affirmative marketing activities and for keeping records of requests (from applicants and existing tenants) for accessible units;
(2) Procedures for determining tenant eligibility and certifying incomes; the Plan should demonstrate sufficient outreach to disability-related groups to ensure that accessible units are occupied to the extent possible by those households who need the accessibility features due to disability;
(3) Management/tenant relations and assistance to tenant organizations, including the training and use of tenants to perform maintenance and management functions as appropriate;
(4) Maintenance and repair services;
(5) On-site management facilities;
(6) Rent collection;
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(7) Records and reporting requirements;
(8) Personnel and staffing;
(9) Compliance with all tenant protection laws, including rent control law and Building and Health and Safety Codes;
(10) Fee schedule.
No person shall on the grounds of race, marital status, sex, color, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, AIDS, or sexual orientation be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with these funds.
Local Preference
Local preference for Santa Monica residents and workers in tenant selection has been established by the City as policy. Local preference shall be a requirement of the Citywide Housing Trust Fund, Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund the TORCA Trust Fund, and the Redevelopment Replacement Housing Trust Fund. Local preference shall be a requirement of the HOME and CDBG Trust Funds only if permitted by the federal government.
In evaluating a loan request, staff shall evaluate a loan applicant’s effectiveness in achieving the City’s local preference goals and give priority to those loan applicants who administer their wait lists using sorting protocols which result in outcomes where households who live or work in Santa Monica are beneficiaries of City-funding affordable housing.
Subject to applicable tenant income limits and any preferences required by the laws of the United States or the State of California (including but not limited to laws and regulations governing nondiscrimination and preferences in housing occupancy), the Borrower shall give preference in leasing units in the following order of priority.
(1) First priority shall be given to persons who have been permanently displaced or face permanent displacement from housing in Santa Monica as a result of any of the following:
(a) A redevelopment project undertaken pursuant to California’s Community Redevelopment Law (Health & Safety Code Sections 33000, et seq.) -- applicable only to projects funded by the Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund. (b) Ellis Act, owner-occupancy, or removal permit eviction; (c) Earthquake, fire, flood, or other natural disaster; (d) Cancellation of Section 8 contract by property owner; or (e) Governmental Action, such as Code enforcement.
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(2) Second priority shall be given to persons who are either:
(a) Residents of Santa Monica and/or
(b) Working in Santa Monica at least 36 hours per week for at least 6 months.
Regarding any “accessible units” that are required as part of a multifamily development, such accessible units should be first offered to existing occupants of the building (if applicable) who are not occupying an accessible unit and who have indicated a need for the features of an accessible unit. If no existing occupants of the building have indicated the need for the features of an accessible unit, or if the building is being leased for the initial occupancy, then such accessible units should first be offered to applicants who have indicated the need for the features of an accessible unit, inclusive of the preferences above. The application of preferences may not conflict with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 24 C.F.R. §100.202, and any other preemptive laws that may be enacted regarding fair housing for persons living with disabilities. “Accessible units” refers to those units which were originally approved by the City specifically as accessible units and which provide specific features to address the needs of persons living with mobility impairments or persons living with sensory impairments.
Environmental Review
Project sites must be free from adverse environmental impacts, e.g., noise, or the proposed project must successfully mitigate these impacts. The City shall assess the environmental effects of each activity proposed to be carried out with City funding in accordance with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as applicable. The Housing Division staff will commence the assessment as part of the initial review of the application. For projects subject to NEPA review, no loan funds (except for activities normally exempted from the environmental clearance requirements in 24 CFR Part
58.34) shall be released until the environmental review is completed, the notice of finding and environmental assessment results are published, and the 15 day public comment period expires.
Prevailing Wages
Any contract for construction (rehabilitation or new construction) of affordable housing with 12 or more units assisted with HOME funds, or 8 or more units if the project is assisted with CDBG funds, must contain a provision requiring that not less than the prevailing wages paid in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to the Davis-Bacon Act, will be paid to all laborers and mechanics employed in the development of the project. Contractors and subcontractors must comply with regulations issued under this Act and pertaining to labor standards and HUD Handbook 1344.1.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 14
For all funding programs, the following prevailing wage requirements apply. Pursuant to Chapter
7.28 of Article VII of the Santa Monica Municipal Code, any rehabilitation or new construction project receiving City financial assistance shall comply with State prevailing wage requirements if the following minimum thresholds are met:
(1) For a rehabilitation project over $15,000.
(2) For a new construction project over $25,000
"Minimum total construction contract" shall not include expenses associated with site acquisition, architectural and other pre-construction development costs, financing charges, bonding and insurance requirements, and fees, permits or licenses required in connection with the project. The minimum thresholds stated above are adjusted each July 1st by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year. Current minimum thresholds and prevailing wage levels can be obtained from the Office of the City Engineer.
Relocation
The Applicant shall develop a plan for temporary relocation or permanent voluntary relocation, where necessary, for review by the City. The relocation plan shall be in accord with the City's Relocation and Tenant Assistance Plan, and the requirements of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, and the implementing regulations at 24 CFR Part 42, and the California Relocation Assistance Law, where applicable, copies of which may be obtained from the Housing Division. There shall be no permanent involuntary tenant displacement. In cases where tenants will be voluntarily displaced, the Applicant must submit a copy of a letter to each tenant which (1) details the tenant’s rights to relocation assistance, and (2) has been signed by the tenant indicating the tenant’s voluntary waiver of any relocation payments.
Contracting Requirements
All Applicants will be required to submit an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity plan indicating the methods that they will use to encourage the participation of certified Minority Business Enterprise/Women Owned Business Enterprise (MBE/WBEs) in their development project. City staff will review the plan and competitive bid and selection process to ensure that required procedures have been followed. City staff will also monitor construction to ensure that MBE/WBEs are participating in the project as indicated in the construction contract.
In accordance with the City's Women and Minority Business Enterprise Program approved by City Council on March 8, 1983, all Borrowers are required to consider the City's Women and Minority Business Enterprise Program Library of Directories and Minority and Women Vendors' listing the procurement of equipment, material, supplies and professional services.
All work shall be completed by State-licensed contractors which shall have Santa Monica business licenses. All contracts must comply with competitive bidding requirements. Contracts over Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 15
$10,000 must be in accordance with City's Women and Minority Business Enterprise Program.
All efforts shall be made by the private owner or the Borrower to provide equal opportunity for employment without discrimination as to race, marital status, sex, color, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, AIDS, or sexual orientation, in seeking contractors and subcontractors.
Competitive Selection Criteria
In selecting among competing project applications, unless otherwise determined for a particular project, priority shall be given to projects that:
(1) Significantly increase affordable housing opportunities for households who have difficulty finding housing including the homeless, large families, the disabled, seniors, and persons traditionally served by Single Room Occupancy housing. (2) Are cost effective or achieve the lowest possible subsidy per unit for City resources. (3) Benefit a high percentage of very low- and low-income households by ensuring deeper affordability.
(4) Are located in areas currently underserved by affordable housing developments. (5) Address an area of need identified in the Housing Element of the City of Santa Monica;
(6) Addresses a particular need identified in the Council-approved Housing Trust Funds Plan;
(7) Applicant’s past and projected effectiveness implementing the City-established local preferences (i.e., households which live or work in Santa Monica).
V. LOAN COMMITMENT AND CLOSING PROCEDURES
Loan Commitment
A commitment letter shall be prepared by the Housing Division, reviewed and approved by signature by the Manager of the Division and the Director of Housing and Economic Development, and signed by the City Manager. The letter shall state the maximum amount of Program funds reserved for the project and list all of the additional conditions, documents and steps that must be taken by the Borrower prior to loan closing. All loans which exceed the maximum loan and grant amounts in Section III shall require City Council approval. Notice of the issuance of the commitment shall be posted publicly, and a copy of such notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation, no later than 21 days after the commitment is issued.
Staff will prepare and make public a written statement explaining the reasons for approving or denying a loan request. The written statement should address the merits of the loan application evaluated under the criteria, including:
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 16
- Whether the loan request significantly increases affordable housing opportunities for households who have difficulty finding housing including the homeless, large families, the disabled, seniors, and persons traditionally served by Single-Room Occupancy housing; - Cost-effective or achieve the lowest possible subsidy per unit for City resources; - Benefit a high percentage of very low- and low-income households by ensuring deeper affordability;
- Located in areas currently underserved by affordable housing developments - Addresses an area of need identified in the Housing Element of the City of Santa Monica; - Addresses a particular need identified in the Council-approved Housing Trust Funds Plan; - Loan Applicant’s past and projected effectiveness implementing the City-established local preferences (i.e., households which live or work in Santa Monica).
The Borrower shall conduct a public meeting for the proposed project within 30 days of the delivery of the loan commitment letter. The Borrower must provide a written notice which provides the date, time and location of the public meeting to the Housing Division at least 15 days prior the public meeting date. The written notice shall be made public on the Housing Division’s website. In addition, staff will provide the written notice to the neighborhood association in which the proposed project is located and the notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation. This publication may be combined with the notice of issuance of the commitment.
Upon issuance of a commitment letter, the Housing Division shall prepare draft loan documents, including a draft Loan Agreement, Promissory Note, Deed of Trust (or other appropriate security as determined by the Housing Manager), and Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants, and submit them to the City Attorney’s office for review and approval as to form. The submission shall include copies of the preliminary title report, instructions to escrow concerning the items that may appear on the title upon closing, and may include the purchase agreement, long term lease agreement, or air-rights agreement, as applicable. Requirements for a Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants may be waived in the case of a project which is funded under the HUD Section 202 or Section 811 Program.
Loan Closing
Funds may be disbursed following execution of the loan documents by the Borrower and the City Manager, and compliance with all commitment conditions. Staff shall submit a request for release of funds required for loan closing to the Finance Director. The Finance Director may then authorize release of loan funds into an escrow account established for the loan closing with instructions for disbursement. The City will wire funds to escrow twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled close of escrow.
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VI. PROJECT MONITORING AND REPORTING
The Housing Division shall monitor the project during rehabilitation or construction as needed for compliance with any loan documents and applicable City, State and/or Federal regulations. The Housing Division shall request notification of the final inspection and final construction release from the primary lender, and shall review management practices and reporting procedures with the Borrower and project management agent at that time for full compliance with Program requirements. A copy of the Notice of Completion for the project shall be submitted to the Housing Division at the time the Notice is recorded.
Borrowers shall be required to certify annually that they have complied with affirmative marketing and tenant selection procedures, and shall submit an annual report to the Housing Division in the form specified by the Division. The Housing Division shall monitor compliance with any Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants, the loan documents, and applicable City, State and/or Federal regulations on an annual basis.
For projects funded under the federal Section 202 Supportive Housing Program and Section 811 Supportive Housing Program, during the term of the HUD Capital Advance documents, compliance with the HUD documents will constitute compliance with the provisions of these Guidelines.
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Borrower shall post notices stating that a housing project is subject to Fair Housing and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements of 24 CFR 92.350 and 351 at each project site. The name and telephone number of the Fair Housing Officer of the City of Santa Monica will be included on the notices.
Fair Housing complaints are referred to the City Attorney's office for investigation. If, after investigation, it is determined that discrimination in the rental or sale of housing has occurred, the City Attorney may attempt to mediate a settlement between the owner/seller and the complaining party. Mediation is usually successful. However, if it is not, the party with the complaint may proceed to file against the owner/seller. If a pattern of discrimination has occurred, the City may file suit for unfair business practices or other applicable violations.
Establishment and Use of Reserve Funds
Upon completion of project construction, the Borrower will be required to capitalize a Reserve Fund in an amount determined by the City and make annual contributions to the Fund. The Reserve Fund can be utilized for expenditures related to necessary structural and equipment replacements and improvements of a capital nature, and is not intended to be used for ordinary maintenance items. Any expenditure by the Borrower from the Reserve Fund in excess of $5,000 must be approved in advance by the City in writing. Expenditures of $1,000 to $5,000 must be Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 18
documented by paid invoices submitted to the City within 30 days of disbursement from the Reserve Fund.
Annual Reporting by the Housing Division
The City Manager shall prepare an initial proposed plan, called Housing Trust Funds Plan (“Plan”), for affordable housing development in the City for the remaining period covered by the current Housing Element (i.e., through 2021). The Plan shall be made available online and the Housing Division shall conduct a 45-day public comment period. A public meeting hosted by the Housing Commission shall be held by the Housing Division between the 30th and 45th day of the public comment period. Once the public comment period is completed, the Plan with any public comments shall be submitted to the Housing Commission for review and recommendation to the City Council for review and its approval. A Housing Trust Funds Plan shall be prepared and adopted for each Housing Element cycle.
Thereafter, on an annual basis, the Housing Division shall prepare a report to the Housing Commission for its review and recommendation for City Council approval. The annual report shall include details on the following items:
(1) The source and amounts of funding for each Housing Trust Fund received during the prior year;
(2) The amount and uses of funds, including the amount and source of funding commitments issued, from each Housing Trust Fund during the prior year; (3) The quantity and type of affordable housing made available for occupancy during the prior year;
(4) The quantity and type of housing which exceeded or fell below the annual production mandate of Proposition R during the prior year;
(5) Cumulative figures of source/amount of Housing Trust Funds, quantity/type of affordable housing made available, and exceeded/missed Proposition R requirement, covering the Housing Element period, as well as comparison with the Quantified Objectives set forth in the Housing Element; and
(6) A comparison of the actual cumulative affordable housing production covering the period of the adopted Housing Trust Funds Plan with the goals set forth in that plan.
Once approved by City Council, both reports shall be posted on the Housing Division’s website.
Public Information on the Housing Division’s Website
Within one week of becoming public, the following items shall be posted to the “Housing Trust Funds” location on the Housing Division’s website:
(1) the current Housing Trust Fund Guidelines;
(2) all documents generated and made public by the City Manager, the Housing Division, the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 19
Housing Commission, and the City Council pursuant to the affordable housing planning and reporting process;
(3) written explanation of the City’s decisions to approve or deny loan applications; (4) all loan commitment letters issued;
(5) all notices of the required public meeting following a loan commitment; and (6) all annual reports provided by the Housing Trust Fund recipients. Staff shall ensure that the annual reports posted publicly shall redact any confidential or personal information.
The City also shall provide—at the same location on its website—a mechanism whereby interested members of the public can sign-up to receive an automatic email with a link to the document every time a new document is posted to this section of the City’s website.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 20
VII. FUNDING SOURCES
HOME Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding for this Program is provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME Program (including program income and residual receipts), and therefore is subject to the federal rules and regulations found in 24 CFR Part 92, as amended from time to time.
Eligible Borrowers/Grantees
Eligible borrowers are non-profit Housing Development Corporations (HDCs) with proven capacity to develop, own and operate affordable housing, and which have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the IRS, and private owners of multi-family and SRO rental buildings with proven capacity to develop, own and operate affordable housing. Limited partnerships whose general partner is otherwise eligible are also eligible to borrow Program funds.
Eligible Projects
Projects eligible for HOME funding shall:
(1) be rental projects located in the City of Santa Monica; (2) contribute to the achievement of the City's fair housing goals; (3) involve 4 or more apartments or Single-Room-Occupancy (SRO) units which will be rented to eligible lower income households at rents that do not exceed rents as defined by 24 CFR 92.252, dated September 16, 1996, as amended from time to time. Projects serving persons with special needs, or where the City Manager finds that the project will provide a substantial public benefit, may have fewer than four apartment or SRO units. Transitional or permanent housing may be provided (but not temporary shelters). (4) have at least 20% of the HOME assisted units rented to very low income families (50% of median income) under the terms and conditions set forth in 24 CFR 92.252 (2)(b); (5) demonstrate financial feasibility -- including the ability to maintain rents for the subsidized units at affordable levels for the periods specified in 24 CFR 92.252; (6) be free of significant adverse environmental impacts, except those that can be mitigated through the project itself;
(7) minimize tenant displacement;
(8) comply with all local building and zoning codes and standards, including energy efficiency and water conservation standards, meet housing quality standards in Section 882.109 of Title 24. Newly constructed housing must meet the current edition Model Energy Code of the Council of American Building Officials; (9) make efficient use of public funds and avoid "layering" of subsidies beyond those necessary to achieve a financially feasible project;
(10) have at least 51% of the project space be residential, if in a mixed use project. (11) Acquisition or Acquisition and Rehabilitation projects shall have at least 51% of the units occupied by households with incomes that do not exceed 80% of median income, Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 21
adjusted for household size, at the time of acquisition (except as approved by the City Manager).
Eligible Uses and Activities
HOME funds may only be used to finance new construction or acquisition and/or rehabilitation of rental housing which is affordable to very low and low-income households as defined by 24 CFR
92.2. Fifteen percent (15%) of the annual HOME fund allocation shall be set aside for certified community housing development organizations (CHDO’s).
New construction costs eligible for HOME funding shall be as specified in 24 CFR Part 92, including:
1. site acquisition;
2. cost of demolishing existing structures only if construction is commenced within 12 months of demolition;
3. site preparation costs (grading, filling, etc.);
4. financing costs as described in 24 CFR 92.206;
5. architectural, engineering, and other related soft costs;
6. the cost of extending or upgrading utilities to the site to support the proposed project;
7. construction costs;
8. relocation costs; and,
9. affirmative marketing and audit costs related to HOME program requirements.
10. predevelopment loans up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition, predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis, and construction. Such loans may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager.
Rehabilitation costs eligible for HOME funding include:
1. project acquisition with or without rehabilitation;
2. costs of temporary or permanent relocation for existing tenants;
3. financing costs, as described in 24 CFR 92.206;
4. architectural, engineering, or other design costs;
5. utility upgrade or extension costs;
6. costs associated with demolition (where necessary) only if rehabilitation is commenced within 12 months of demolition;
7. construction costs;
8. project audit costs; and,
9. affirmative marketing costs.
Ineligible Uses and Activities
The following costs are not eligible for HOME funding:
1. project reserve accounts for replacement or operating reserves, and operating subsidies;
2. payment of impact fees;
3. land banking;
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 22
4. emergency repair or weatherization programs;
5. commercial properties;
6. temporary shelters; or
7. project-based rental assistance.
Affordability Requirements
A housing project qualifies as a HOME assisted affordable housing project if rents are limited as follows:
1. At least 20 % of the HOME assisted units are:
a) Occupied by very low-income families who pay toward rent not more than 30% of the family adjusted income, or
b) Occupied by very low-income families and bear rents not greater than 30% of the gross income of a family whose income equals 50% of the median income, as determined by HUD. In determining the maximum monthly rent, the landlord must subtract a monthly allowance for any utilities and services (excluding telephone) to be paid by the tenant.
2. All remaining HOME assisted units must bear rents not greater than the lesser of:
a) The fair market value for existing comparable units in the area as established by HUD, less the monthly allowance for utilities and services to be paid by the tenant; or b) A rent that does not exceed 30% of the adjusted income of a family whose income equals 65% of the median income for the area as determined by HUD. In determining the maximum monthly rent, the owner must subtract a monthly allowance for utilities and services to be paid by the tenant.
3. Is occupied only by households that qualify as lower income (80% of median income) families;
4. Will remain affordable, pursuant to deed restriction, covenants running with the land, or other mechanisms that ensure that the property will remain affordable without regard to the term of the mortgage or transfer of ownership for not less than 55 years.
Other Requirements
Minimum Loan: All HOME investments must total not less than $1,000 multiplied by the number of HOME assisted units in the project.
Maximum Loan: The maximum amount of subsidy per unit shall not exceed the maximum allowed by HUD under the HOME program (24 CFR 92.250), or that provided for under Section IV, Loan Terms, of these Guidelines, whichever is less. The City will avoid unnecessary layering of subsidies from different federal, state and local programs and seek to maximize the benefit to target households from the investment of HOME funds in a project. See Exhibits (in Section VIII of this report) for Home Program Subsidy Limits.
Property Standards: Housing that is assisted with HOME funds must meet, at a minimum, the housing quality standards of all local codes, rehabilitation standards and zoning codes. Newly constructed housing must meet the current edition of the Model Energy Code published by the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 23
Council of American Building Officials. Substantially rehabilitated housing must meet the costeffective energy conservation and effectiveness standards in 24 CFR 39.
Labor Standards/Construction Contracts: Any contract for construction (whether it is for rehabilitation or for new construction) of affordable housing with 12 or more units assisted with HOME funds must contain a provision requiring that not less than the prevailing wages paid in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to the Davis-Bacon Act, will be paid to all laborers and mechanics employed in the development of the project. Contractors and subcontractors must comply with regulations issued under this Act and pertaining to labor standards and HUD Handbook 1344.1. These provisions apply whether HOME funds are used for construction or non-construction costs.
Lead-based Paint: Housing assisted with HOME funds constitutes HUD-associated housing for the purpose of the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act and is therefore subject to 24 CFR Part 35. Unless otherwise provided, borrowers are responsible for testing and abatement.
Conflict of Interest: No person who is an employee, agent, consultant, officer, or elected official or appointed official of the City who exercises or has exercised any function or responsibility with respect to activities assisted with HOME funds or who is in a position to participate in a decision making process or gain inside information with regard to these activities, may obtain a financial interest or benefit from a HOME assisted activity, or have an interest in any contract, subcontract or agreement with respect thereto, or the proceeds thereunder, either for themselves or those with whom they have family or business ties, during their tenure or for one year thereafter.
Religious organizations: HOME funds may not be provided to primarily religious organizations, such as churches, for any activity including secular activities. In addition, HOME funds may not be used to rehabilitate or construct housing owned by primarily religious organizations or to assist primarily religious organizations in acquiring housing. However, HOME funds may be used by a secular entity to acquire housing from a primarily religious organization, and a primarily religious organization may transfer title to property to a wholly secular entity and the entity may participate in the HOME program in accordance with the requirements of this part. The entity may be an existing or newly established entity (which may be an entity established, but not controlled, by the religious organization). The completed housing project must be used exclusively by the owner entity for secular purposes, available to all persons regardless of religion. In particular, there must be no religious or membership criteria for tenants of the property.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 24
CDBG Housing Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding for this program is provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program (including program income and residual receipts), and therefore is subject to the federal rules and regulation found in 24 CFR Part 570, as amended from time to time.
Eligible Borrowers/Grantees
Eligible borrowers are community-based nonprofit housing development corporations (CBDO’s) duly organized or with capacity to promote and undertake community development activities on a not-for-profit basis, with proven capacity to develop, own and operate affordable housing, within a neighborhood identified in the Community Development plan. Such organizations are defined in CDBG regulations (24 CFR 570.204(a)(2)(c)(1)). Nonprofit Housing Development Corporations (HDC’s) and social service agencies with proven capacity to develop, own, and operate affordable housing, and limited partnerships whose general partner(s) is otherwise eligible under the above provisions are also eligible to borrow Program funds if the nonprofit partner is the managing general partner throughout the term of the loan and will receive at least 51% of the developer fee.
Nonprofit corporations must have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the Internal Revenue Service.
Eligible Projects
Eligible projects will: (1) have four or more apartment units, Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units, or fewer than four units in the case of congregate housing, mobile home units or where the City Manager finds that the project will provide a substantial public benefit; (2) if acquisition or rehabilitation, have at least 51% of the units occupied by low and moderate income tenants at the time of acquisition (except as approved by the City Manager); (3) if new construction, have 20% of the units occupied by low income tenants; (4) be free from significant adverse environmental impacts except those that can be mitigated; and, (5) avoid permanent involuntary tenant displacement to the greatest degree feasible in order to carry out the program. Transitional or permanent housing may be provided. Rents of assisted units shall be affordable to households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of the area median income.
Eligible Uses and Activities
Funds can be used to make loans to eligible borrowers to provide affordable housing, principally for low and moderate income households, including but not limited to:
(1) acquisition and/or rehabilitation of eligible rental properties; (2) new construction of rental or limited equity cooperative housing by a CBDO is eligible, provided the construction activity is carried out as part of a neighborhood revitalization, community economic development or energy conservation project; Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 25
(3) predevelopment loans up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition or construction.
Such loans may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager.
(4) acquisition of short-term occupancy rental housing.
Funds may also be used for related predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis.
Ineligible Uses and Activities
Funds may not be used for the following activities:
(1) the construction of new rental housing or for any program to subsidize or assist such housing except when carried out by a CBDO.
(2) to provide income payments for rent or utilities, except in emergency situations for a period not longer than three months.
(3) to assist rental housing properties if less than 51% of the units will be occupied by low and moderate income households. However, such housing may be assisted where (a) The assistance is for the purpose of reducing the development cost of new construction;
(b) The project is not designed for/occupied by elderly households; (c) At least 20% of the units will be occupied by low- and moderate-income households (households with incomes which do not exceed 80% of median income); and
(d) The proportion of the total cost of developing the project (to be borne by the CDBG funds) is less than or equal to the proportion of the units in the project which will be occupied by low to moderate income households.
Compliance with Federal and Local Regulations
All projects must comply with all applicable federal requirements contained in 24 CFR Part 570 Subpart K, including but not limited to standards of financial management, environmental review, labor and wage requirements, debarred contractors, lead-based paint and equal opportunity.
Borrowers should note:
Contract Requirements: All work shall be completed by licensed contractors. All contracts must comply with competitive bidding requirements.
Labor Standards: A property with eight or more residential units must comply with the Federal Labor Standards, including the Davis-Bacon Act requirements, as promulgated by HUD, and set forth in 24 CFR Part 570, Subpart K in the performance of the rehabilitation or construction work financed by the loan. Contracts over $10,000 must comply with Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action requirements of Section 3 of the Housing Urban Development Act of 1968 and be in accord with the City's Women and Minority Business Enterprise Program. All efforts shall be made to provide equal opportunity for employment without discrimination as to race, marital status, sex, Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 26
color, age, religion, national origin or ancestry, and to seek out qualified local tradespeople for contracting and subcontracting bids.
Lead Based Paint: All projects must comply with the federal Lead-Based Paint Hazard Abatement regulations contained in Subpart K, 24 CFR 570.
Accessibility: All projects must comply with the federal Section 504 Disabled Accessibility regulations contained in Sections 8.22 and 8.23 of Subpart C, 24 CFR Part 8.
Religious Organizations: All projects must be used exclusively for secular purposes, and must be available to all persons regardless of religion. The housing may not be used for worship or religious instruction.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 27
Citywide Housing Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding for this program is provided using revenues generated through (i) Development Agreements with for-profit development firms doing business in the City of Santa Monica, (ii) inlieu fees from the Affordable Housing Production Program established by Ordinance 1918, (iii) the Affordable Housing Commercial Linkage Fee Program, and (iv) proceeds from the sale of City-owned property.
Eligible Borrowers/Grantees
Eligible borrowers are nonprofit Housing Development Corporations (HDCs) with proven capacity to develop, own, and operate affordable housing and whose Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws irrevocably dedicate residential property owned by the corporation to the charitable purpose of providing affordable housing to low and moderate income households. Limited partnerships with such a nonprofit housing development corporation as the general partner are also eligible borrowers if the nonprofit partner is the managing general partner throughout the term of the loan and will receive at least 51% of the developer fee. Nonprofit corporations must have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the Internal Revenue Service.
Eligible Projects
Funds can be used to make deferred loans to eligible borrowers to provide affordable housing, for low- and very low-income households through acquisition and/or rehabilitation or new construction.
Eligible rehabilitation projects will:
(1) be in need of rehabilitation as defined herein;
(2) be located in the City of Santa Monica;
(3) be free from significant adverse environmental impacts except those that can be mitigated through rehabilitation; and
(4) avoid permanent involuntary tenant displacement to the greatest degree feasible in order to carry out the program.
Eligible projects which involve new construction or conversion of an existing non-residential use will conform to items (2), (3), and (4) above.
Eligible acquisition and rehabilitation projects shall have at least 51% of the units occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, adjusted for household size, at the time of acquisition (except as approved by the City Manager). Any units vacated subsequent to the acquisition date shall be affordable to households whose incomes do not exceed 60% of median income, and (except for households in occupancy at the time of acquisition) shall be occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 60% of median income.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 28
For new construction projects, any unit assisted under this program shall be affordable to and occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 60% of median income as adjusted for household size.
Eligible Uses and Activities
Funds can be used to make loans to eligible borrowers to provide affordable housing, for low- and very low-income households, including but not limited to the following:
(1) acquisition and rehabilitation of eligible rental properties; (2) acquisition and conversion of non-residential property to multifamily or Single-Room Occupancy rental housing units;
(3) new construction of rental housing units;
(4) acquisition and rehabilitation or construction of Single-Room Occupancy housing units; and
(5) predevelopment loans up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition, predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis, and construction. Such loans may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager.
Other Requirements
Funds derived from the Affordable Housing Production Program may only be used for (i) new construction expenses, or for (ii) acquisition expenses incurred in conjunction with new construction of projects. Units assisted with Affordable Housing Production Program funds shall be primarily units for families with an average of two bedrooms.
Religious Organizations
All projects must be used exclusively for secular purposes, and must be available to all persons regardless of religion. The housing may not be used for worship or religious instruction.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 29
Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding sources for this program are generated from proceeds from the sale of former Redevelopment Agency housing assets, residual receipts from former Redevelopment Agency assets (i.e., loans), as well as a portion of the loan repayments from the former Redevelopment Agency to the City. Sources are set aside for the purpose of increasing, improving and preserving the community’s supply of low and moderate income housing as stipulated by California Health and Safety Code Section 34176. (Further information on grant terms provided in Section III).
Eligible Borrowers/Grantees
Eligible borrowers are nonprofit Housing Development Corporations (HDC’s) duly organized to promote and undertake community development activities on a not-for-profit basis, or for-profit housing developers or development corporations, with proven capacities to develop, own, and operate affordable housing. Limited partnerships whose general partners are otherwise eligible under the above are also eligible to borrow Program funds.
Eligible Projects
All new construction projects shall be affordable to households whose income, as adjusted for household size, does not exceed 80% of median income.
Eligible acquisition and/or rehabilitation projects will:
(1) have four or more apartment or SRO units or be congregate housing or mobile home units, except where the City Manager finds that the project will provide a substantial public benefit;
(2) be in need of rehabilitation as defined herein;
(3) be located in the City of Santa Monica;
(4) be free from significant adverse environmental conditions except those that can be mitigated at a reasonable cost through rehabilitation; and (5) minimize tenant displacement.
Eligible Uses and Activities
Program funds can be used to make loans or grants to eligible borrowers who will provide affordable housing, principally for low- and moderate-income households. Eligible uses of deferred payment loan funds or grants include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) acquisition and/or rehabilitation of eligible properties for rental or transitional housing; (2) acquisition and conversion of non-residential property to multifamily or Single-Room Occupancy rental housing units;
(3) new construction of housing units for rental or transitional housing; (4) acquisition and rehabilitation of Single-Room Occupancy housing units; and Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 30
(5) predevelopment loans or grants up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition, predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis, and construction. Such loans or grants may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager.
Affordability Requirements
As required by State law, all projects shall be targeted to households earning 80% or less of the area median income, based on the State of California Housing and Community Development income and rent limits. State law also requires that at least thirty percent (30%) shall be expended for rental housing affordable to and occupied by “low-income” households does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the area median income and no more than twenty percent (20%) affordable to and occupied by households between 60% of the area median income and 80% of the area median income.
Units are considered affordable when the rent, less a deduction for a utility allowance, for a “very low-income” household does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of 50% of the area median income; for a “low-income” household does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of 60% of the area median income.
Very low-income households are households whose incomes do not exceed 50% of the area median. Low-income households are households whose income does not exceed 80% of the area median. The median income as referenced above is the Los Angeles County median income figure, adjusted for household size, as published by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) from time to time.
Project Monitoring
The City shall monitor annually any housing affordable to households of low- or moderate-income funded with these trust funds. The City will require owners or managers of the housing developments to submit an annual report to the City. The annual report will include information on rental rates, family income, and family size of occupants.
Security
The loan or grant shall be secured by a Deed of Trust and Promissory Note which may be subordinated to deeds of trust securing other Federal, State, or City loans, or loans from conventional financing institutions used in conjunction with the Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund Loan on the same property. The City must obtain written commitments to protect the City’s investment in the event of a default. The City must approve all requests for subordination.
The loan or grant shall be further secured by recorded Covenants and Restrictions, running with the land, to assure that Program funds are used to provide long-term affordable rental housing opportunities for low and moderate income households. The Borrower and the City shall execute Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 31
and record Covenants and Restrictions regulating project rents, tenant selection procedures, use of project income, management and maintenance, transfer of property, and permitted forms of ownership and use, including a prohibition on conversion of the project to condominium or stock cooperative ownership for the term of the recorded Covenants and Restrictions. The recorded Covenants and Restrictions shall provide for the longest feasible time. Notwithstanding the above, the Covenants and Restrictions would in no event, be shorter than any other term of a Regulatory Agreement or Covenant recorded concurrently with the City’s Covenants and Restrictions. The Covenants and Restrictions shall be recorded with the Deed of Trust.
In some circumstances, these Covenants and Restrictions may be subordinated by the City, pursuant to Section 33334.14 of California Health and Safety Code, to liens, encumbrances, or regulatory agreements of other federal or state agencies or lenders providing financing for the project, subject to assurances by senior lenders that the City’s lien rights will be protected.
Religious Organizations
All projects must be used exclusively for secular purposes, and must be available to all persons regardless of religion. The housing may not be used for worship or religious instruction.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 32
TORCA Housing Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding for this Program is provided using revenues generated pursuant to the Tenant Ownership Rights Charter Amendment, as amended by Proposition K (including the repayment of sharedappreciation loans made pursuant to this Program.
Eligible Borrowers*
Eligible borrowers are nonprofit Housing Development Corporations (HDCs) with proven capacity to develop, own, and operate affordable housing, and whose Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws irrevocably dedicate residential property owned by the corporation to the charitable purpose of providing affordable housing to low- and moderate-income households. Limited partnerships with such a nonprofit housing development corporation as the general partner are also eligible borrowers if the nonprofit partner is the managing general partner throughout the term of the loan and will receive at least 51% of the developer fee. Nonprofit corporations must have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the Internal Revenue Service.
Eligible Projects
Eligible projects include acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction of rental or ownership housing projects which:
(1) consist of mobile home unit(s), congregate housing, Single-Room Occupancy units, or have four or more apartments, except where the City Manager finds that the project will provide a substantial public benefit;
(2) are located in the City of Santa Monica;
(3) are free from significant adverse environmental impacts except those that can be mitigated through rehabilitation;
(4) avoid permanent involuntary tenant displacement to the greatest degree feasible in order to carry out the program and
(5) have at least 51% of the units occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, adjusted for household size, at time of acquisition (except as approved by the City Manager).
Projects which involve conversion of an existing nonresidential use to residential use are eligible.
Transitional or permanent housing may be provided. Projects which involve the conversion of mobile home units to limited equity housing cooperative ownership are also permitted.
Eligible Uses and Activities
Program funds can be used to make loans to eligible borrowers who will provide affordable housing, principally for low and moderate income households. Eligible uses of TORCA funds include, but are not limited to, the following:
*While the City may not act as a borrower itself, the City Charter provides that the City may also utilize TORCA funds for the development of housing projects which meet TORCA requirements.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 33
(1) acquisition and/or rehabilitation of eligible rental properties; (2) acquisition and conversion of nonresidential property to multifamily or Single Room Occupancy rental housing units;
(3) new construction of rental housing units;
(4) acquisition and rehabilitation of Single-Room Occupancy housing units; (5) predevelopment loans up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition, predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis, and construction. Such loans may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager; and (7) provide rental subsidies for temporary or permanent housing for low-income households.
Affordability Requirements
All units assisted under this program shall be affordable to households with incomes that do not exceed 80% of median income, and (except for households in occupancy at time of acquisition) shall be occupied by households with incomes that do not exceed 80% of median income.
Other Requirements
Labor Standards: State prevailing wage requirements apply to projects in which project costs exceed $25,000 for new construction or $15,000 for rehabilitation.
Religious Organizations
All projects must be used exclusively for secular purposes, and must be available to all persons regardless of religion. The housing may not be used for worship or religious instruction.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 34
Redevelopment Replacement Housing Trust Fund
Source of Funds
Funding for this program is provided using revenues generated through (i) the voter-approved Measure GSH tax revenues and (ii) any other funds dedicated by the City Council.
Eligible Borrowers/Grantees
Eligible borrowers are nonprofit Housing Development Corporations (HDCs) with proven capacity to develop, own, and operate affordable housing and whose Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws irrevocably dedicate residential property owned by the corporation to the charitable purpose of providing affordable housing to low- and moderate-income households. Limited partnerships with such a nonprofit housing development corporation as the general partner are also eligible borrowers if the nonprofit partner is the managing general partner throughout the term of the loan and will receive at least 51% of the developer fee. Nonprofit corporations must have a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the Internal Revenue Service.
Eligible Projects
Funds can be used to make deferred loans to eligible borrowers to provide affordable housing, for low- and very low-income households through acquisition and/or rehabilitation or new construction.
Eligible rehabilitation projects will:
(1) be in need of rehabilitation as defined herein;
(2) be located in the City of Santa Monica;
(3) be free from significant adverse environmental impacts except those that can be mitigated through rehabilitation; and
(4) avoid permanent involuntary tenant displacement to the greatest degree feasible in order to carry out the program.
Eligible projects which involve new construction or conversion of an existing non-residential use will conform to items (2), (3), and (4) above.
Eligible acquisition and rehabilitation projects shall have at least 51% of the units occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, adjusted for household size, at the time of acquisition (except as approved by the City Manager). Any units vacated subsequent to the acquisition date shall be affordable to households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, and (except for households in occupancy at the time of acquisition) shall be occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income.
Affordability Requirements
All assisted units shall be affordable to households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income, and (except for households in occupancy at the time of acquisition) shall be occupied by Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 35
households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income. The City may require the Borrower to pay to the City residual receipts resulting from rents associated with tenant(s) existing prior to the acquisition which exceed the rent limits pursuant to the Regulatory Agreement.
For new construction projects, any unit assisted under this program shall be affordable to and occupied by households whose incomes do not exceed 80% of median income as adjusted for household size.
All eligible projects assisted under this program will not be required to meet a minimum average number of bedrooms per unit requirement.
Eligible Uses and Activities
Funds can be used to make loans to eligible borrowers to provide affordable housing, for low- and very low-income households, including but not limited to the following:
(1) acquisition and rehabilitation of eligible rental properties; (2) acquisition and conversion of non-residential property to multifamily or Single-Room Occupancy rental housing units;
(3) new construction of rental housing units;
(4) acquisition and rehabilitation or construction of Single-Room Occupancy housing units;
(5) predevelopment loans up to a period of 24 months for site acquisition, predevelopment activities, including professional services which cannot be obtained on a contingency basis, and construction. Such loans may be extended for up to 18 months with an additional 12 month extension option at the discretion of the Housing Manager; and (6) Rental subsidy or other affordable housing programs with City Council approval.
Religious Organizations
All projects must be used exclusively for secular purposes, and must be available to all persons regardless of religion. The housing may not be used for worship or religious instruction.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines (July 2017) Page 36
VIII. EXHIBITS
Exhibit A Definitions
Exhibit B HOME Program Subsidy Limits
Exhibit C Rental Housing Loan Application (with check list and including Green Affordable Housing Checklist)
Exhibit D Green Affordable Housing Checklist
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines
EXHIBIT A
Definitions
Acquisition Basis: Owner’s basis for acquisition of the property as determined by Standard Accounting Procedures.
Capitalized Reserve Account: An account established with funds from capital funding sources available at the time of completion of development for the purpose of funding future project costs.
Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDO): A private nonprofit housing development corporation which meets a series of HUD qualifications prescribed in the HOME Regulations, including the requirement that it is duly organized to provide decent housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income persons; maintains at least one-third of its governing board’s membership for residents of low-income neighborhoods, other low-income residents, or elected representatives of low-income neighborhood organizations; and, provides a formal process for low-income program beneficiaries to advise the organization in its decisions regarding the design, siting, development, and management of affordable housing.
Community Based Development Organization (CBDO): A Housing Development Corporation which meets the requirements of CDBG regulations as defined in 24 CFR 570.204(a)(2)(c)(1), as amended from time to time.
Congregate Housing: A multi-family residential facility with shared kitchen facilities, deedrestricted or restricted by an agreement approved by the City for occupancy by low or moderate income households, designed for occupancy for periods of six months or longer, providing services which may include meals, housekeeping and personal care assistance as well as common areas for residents of the facility.
Depreciable Basis: Owner’s basis for depreciable costs of the project as determined by Standard Accounting Procedures, not including developer fees.
Fair Market Rents: Maximum rents as published by HUD for the Section 8 programs for the Los Angeles Area, adjusted for unit size.
Grant: Transfer of trust funds for purposes of financing the development of affordable housing, on the condition that grantee remains in full compliance with the Regulatory Agreement. Unlike a loan, the grant only becomes due and payable in the event that grantee is in default of the Regulatory Agreement.
HED: Housing and Economic Development Department, City of Santa Monica. This Department will administer the Program for the City under the direction of the City Manager/Executive Director.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines
Nonprofit Housing Development Corporation (HDC): A private, nonprofit corporation with proven capacity to develop, own and operate housing, and which has a valid 501(c)(3) or (4) designation from the IRS.
Limited Equity Cooperative: A form of ownership whereby the residents form a cooperative corporation which owns and manages the property, and where the return on residents' original equity is limited to no more than 10%, as defined in the California Health and Safety Code, Section 33007.5.
Loan: Advance of trust funds for purposes of developing affordable housing with promise to repay.
Qualified Developer: A non-profit corporation with proven capacity to develop, own and operate housing which has a 501(C) (3) or (4) designation from the I.R.S.
Low and Moderate Income Households:
For Home Trust Fund, CDBG Housing Trust Fund and TORCA Housing Trust Fund: Households with incomes that do not exceed 80% of Los Angeles County median income, adjusted for household size, as published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from time to time.
For Citywide Housing Trust Fund: Households with incomes that do not exceed 60% of the Los Angeles County median income, adjusted for household size, as published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from time to time are considered low income. Within this group of households, those with incomes that do not exceed 50% of the median are considered very low income.
For Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund: Households with incomes that do not exceed 120% of the Los Angeles County median income, adjusted for household size, as published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from time to time.
Maximum Affordable Rent: A rent which does not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the maximum income level of the income group being served (see "Low and Moderate Income Households"), adjusted for unit size and utility costs.
For Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Trust Fund: the Maximum Affordable Rent for households with incomes that do not exceed 120% of median income for Los Angeles County shall be 30% of 110% of such median income.
Maximum Allowable Rent: The legal rent for the unit under Santa Monica Rent Control Charter Amendment, with allowable adjustments by the Rent Control Board for annual expense increases or for capital improvements.
Housing Trust Fund Guidelines
New Construction: The construction of new housing including, but not limited to assembly of factory-built modular housing, or conventional on-site construction.
Operating Reserve Account: An account established for the purpose of funding a deficit in the project’s operation.
Rehabilitation: Correction of local code violations and removal of health and safety hazards; upgrading of housing units to decent, safe and sanitary conditions to comply with the Housing Quality Standards promulgated by HUD and with local standards; repair or replacement of major building systems or components in danger of failure; and alterations, additions and improvements to expand the number of affordable units, or needed to improve the basic livability, energy efficiency, accessibility for the disabled, or security of the property, and to reduce overcrowding.
Rehabilitation Basis: Owner’s basis for rehabilitation costs incurred for the property, as determined by Standard Accounting Procedures, not including developer fees.
Replacement Reserve Account: An account established for the purpose of funding major repairs or replacement of capital components of a building which reach the end of their economic life and require replacement.
Residual Receipts: The gross receipts from the property, less actual costs of operation, administration, maintenance, taxes, insurance, utilities, management, approved replacement and operating reserves, payments of principal and interest on loans senior to the City loan, and required debt service coverage. The amount of Residual Receipts shall be calculated based on the actual income and expenses set forth in the Annual Operating Budget required under the Regulatory Agreement or recorded Covenants, as approved by the City.
Single Room Occupancy Housing: Multifamily residential buildings containing housing units with a minimum floor area of one hundred fifty square feet and a maximum floor area of three hundred seventy-five square feet which may have kitchen and/or bathroom facilities, and where each housing unit is restricted to occupancy by no more than two persons and is offered on a monthly rental basis or longer.
Transitional Housing: A type of supportive housing used to facilitate the movement of homeless individuals and families to permanent housing. Typically, transitional housing is housing in which homeless people live for up to 24 months and receive supportive services that enable them to live more independently. The supportive services may be provided by the organization managing the housing or coordinated by them and provided by other public or private social service agencies.
EXHIBIT B
HOME PROGRAM SUBSIDY LIMITS
UNIT SIZE SUBSIDY LIMIT
0 Bedroom $141,088
One Bedroom $161,738
Two Bedroom $196,672
Three Bedroom $254,431
Four Bedroom or larger $279,285
Limits are for 2017
EXHIBIT C
Housing Trust Fund Loan Application
(includes Checklist)
City of Santa Monica
Housing and Economic Development Department
Housing Division
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 1
Santa Monica Housing Division
Rental Housing Loan Application
Loan Request: $ _____________________ Term (in years): ___________ Purpose of Loan (Circle one):
Acquisition & Rehabilitation New Construction Rehabilitation Proposed City Funding Source (Circle one):
Predevelopment Construction Permanent Interim/Bridge
Applicant
Name of Organization ________________________________________________________ Street Address ________________________________________________________________ City, State & Zip Code ________________________________________________________ Contact/Title _________________________________________________________________ Phone/Fax ___________________________________________________________________ Legal Status of Applicant (Circle one): nonprofit corporation for-profit corporation general partnership limited partnership individual joint venture other Names and Addresses of Principals (if firm, not individual) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ City of Santa Monica
Housing and Economic Development Department
Housing Division
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 2
Santa Monica Housing Division
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 3
Santa Monica Housing Division
Proposed Project
Name of Project ________________________________________________________________ Street Address __________________________________________________________________ City, State & Zip Code __________________________________________________________ Total Number of Units ___________________________________________________________ Description of Proposed Project
Please provide a brief description of the proposed physical project, including proposed (or current if an existing property) resident income levels, number and size of units, special amenities, on-site services, etc.
Description should be at least several paragraphs in length.
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 4
Santa Monica Housing Division
(Please circle the appropriate categories)
Building Type
Row Detached Semi-Detached Walk-up Elevator Mixed-Use
Foundation Type
Full Basement Partial Basement Crawl Space Slab/Grade
Parking Type
Subterranean Semi-Subterranean Tuck-under On-Grade
Existing Proposed
Stories:
Units:
Buildings:
Parking Spaces:
Gross Building Sq/Footage
(excluding parking):
Parking Square Footage:
Residential Area:
Commercial Area:
Year Built: __________
Units Demolished: __________
Amenities
Pool Laundry Other: __________________________
Type of Social Services, if any __________________________________________________ Accessory Buildings(i.e. Rec Halls, Garage or Shed Structures, etc.):
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 5
Santa Monica Housing Division
Unit Mix Existing Proposed Sq/Ft
Rents
Existing Proposed
studio
one bedroom
two bedrooms
three bedrooms
four bedrooms
Total
Site information
Lot Size: Sq. Ft.
Lot Dimensions: X Ft.
Zoning:
Variances/conditional use permits/
other planning approvals required?
Is the project located in the Coastal Zone?
Equipment and Services to be included in Rent
Ranges (gas/electric) Refrigerator (gas/elec) Air Conditioner Kitchen Exhaust Fan Dishwasher Garbage Disposal
Laundry Facility Drapes Carpet
Gas Heat Hot Water
Water Electricity Other:
Do you have a Rent Control Removal Permit? Yes No
If yes, please provide the permit number and date of issue ___________________________ F:\F:\Housing\Loans\Trust Fund Guidelines\HTF Guidelines - current - adopted 07.2017\Housing Trust Fund Guidelines - revised per Council action on 7-25-17 corrected 12.05.2018.docx
Rental Housing Loan Application Page 6
Santa Monica Housing Division
Financing
Will this project seek to utilize low income housing tax credits? Yes No If yes, estimated federal credits ___________ 9% ____________ 4% ____________ estimated State credits ___________
Will the project seek to utilize tax exempt financing? Yes No If yes, proposed issuer and form of credit enhancement ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Development Team
Name Contact/Title Phone/Facsimile Address
Developer
Architect
Consultant
Attorney
General Contractor
Construction Manager
Relocation Consultant
Other
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 7
Santa Monica Housing Division
Certification Statement
Please provide the following information. Leave no blanks. If not applicable, type N/A. (Please attach additional sheets, if necessary).
1. Applicant's Name:
2. List any additional names or aliases, exercise of power of attorney and/or fiduciary trust capacities that you are currently using or have used in the past. If any, please explain.
3. List all partnerships, corporations, joint ventures, and/or limited partnership entities, (including applicant, if applicable), which you are currently or have been associated with, and designate whether you are/were a principal and list your title and responsibilities, the purpose of the organization and its current status. 3a. Have any of the entities listed above been either suspended, revoked, lapsed and/or terminated for any reason? If so, please explain. 3b. Has the applicant or its partners or principals filed for bankruptcy? If so, please state the case number and whether the case was dismissed, discharged or is current. 3c. Has the applicant or its partners or principals defaulted on a financial obligation? If so, please explain.
3d. Is there, or has there ever been, a settlement and/or judgement filed or a case pending against the applicant or its partners or principals? If so, please explain. 3e. Has a lien ever been filed against real property owned by the applicant or its partners or principals listed above as a result of a judgment, etc.? If so, please explain.
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 8
Santa Monica Housing Division
4. Has the applicant or its partners or principals ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor other than minor traffic violations and/or placed on probation, fined or given a suspended sentence in court? If so, please explain.
5. Has the applicant or its partners or principals ever been cited and/or convicted of a misdemeanor, including but not limited to a conviction under local health, fire, environmental and/or building and safety laws, relating to the ownership and/or management of real property? If so, please explain.
6. Does the applicant have any employees or relatives who have close associations with current or former employees of the Santa Monica City Council, City Manager’s Office, or the Housing and Economic Development Department? If so, please explain.
7. Are any current or former employees of the Santa Monica Housing Division currently employed by the applicant? Any relatives of any Housing Division employees? If so, please state the individual=s name and dates of employment.
8. Are there any Housing Division current or former employees that have a financial interest in this project? If so, state name, dates of employment and interest.
9. List all residential income properties which are owned by the applicant or its partners or in which principals have a vested interest.
10. Does the applicant or its partners or principals have any income and/or real property taxes or assessments that are past due? If so, please explain.
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Rental Housing Loan Application Page 9
Santa Monica Housing Division
PRIVACY NOTIFICATION. The information requested above is to be used by the Santa Monica Housing Division to assess the applicants creditworthiness. Information provided that is contained in public records cannot be withheld from disclosure under the California Public Records Act, Government Code, Sections 6250 and 6254. All other information may be required to be disclosed outside the agency by state and/or federal law.
Furnishing all information requested on this form is mandatory. Failure to provide such information may result in disqualification or a withdrawal of Housing Division’s commitment.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES. Any person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made, either directly or indirectly, any false statement in writing, with the intent that it shall be relied upon, for the purpose of procuring the loan secured by real property shall be guilty of a criminal offense, punishable by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (California Penal code sections 532(a) and 532)).
CONTINUING OBLIGATION. I understand that I have a continuing obligation to provide the Housing Division with current and accurate information. Applicant must provide to Housing Division all requested information with an Applicant’s Certification Statement for any individual or entity that Housing Division in its sole discretion believes is necessary to evaluate the application (reasonably related to the applicant).
I, the undersigned, certify that the information provided to the City of Santa Monica, Housing Division, is true and correct as of the date set forth opposite my signature on this application package and acknowledge that any false or misleading statements of the information contained may result in civil liability and liability for monetary damages to the lender, its agents, successors, and assigns, insurers and any other person who may suffer any loss due to reliance upon any false or misleading statements which I have made on this Certification Statement.
_____________________________ ____________________________________________ Date Applicant’s Name
____________________________________________
Certified By (Print Name)
____________________________________________
Signature
____________________________________________
Title
____________________________________________
Federal Tax ID#
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Rental Housing Loan Application - Special Supplement Page 1 Santa Monica Housing Division
Special Supplement for Environmental Review
In addition to the following information, please attach 1 copy each of application exhibits (1c) Construction and Design Description and (1e) current photos of site, and Assessor Parcel Map(s) with parcels indicated. These materials will be forwarded separately to the parties responsible for environmental review.
Applicant: ____________________________________________________________________ Project Address: ______________________________________________________________ Site information
Assessor’s Parcel #(s):
Lot Size: Sq. Ft.
Lot Dimensions: X Ft.
Zoning:
Uses on adjacent sites:
Variances/conditional use permits/
other planning approvals required?
Is the project located in the Coastal Zone?
Present Property Use:
Prior Property Use:
Number of: Existing Proposed
Stories:
Units:
Buildings:
Parking Spaces:
Gross Building Square Footage
(excluding parking):
Parking Square Footage:
Year Built:
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Rental Housing Loan Application - Special Supplement Page 2 Santa Monica Housing Division
Units Demolished:
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Rental Housing Loan Application - Special Supplement Page 3 Santa Monica Housing Division
Special Supplement for Environmental Review
Part II. Questions
1. Please describe adjacent uses and neighborhood characteristics.
2. Is the property designated or determined eligible for historic register designation at the local, state or national level? Has it been determined ineligible?
3. Please identify the source of information used to determine the exact or approximate year of building construction.
4. Will financing for this project include the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit?
5. Provide the name and address of any person who has commented or may wish to comment on this project.
6. Provide the names and telephone numbers of the project applicant, project monitor, and project architect and/or contractor.
7. Please provide a copy of a building permit for each building, if applicable.
8. Are there any other environmental studies available for the site (i.e.
Archaeological, Hazardous Materials, Phase I or II)?
F:\F:\Housing\Loans\Trust Fund Guidelines\HTF Guidelines - current - adopted 07.2017\Housing Trust Fund Guidelines - revised per Council action on 7-25-17 corrected 12.05.2018.docx Rental Housing Loan Application Attachment A Santa Monica Housing Division Page 1 Attachment A Tenant ProfilePlease list characteristics of resident households and identify where each household falls on the income spectrum.
Unit Number Name of Tenant # of persons in household actual income, if known Income* Low Moderate Above Moderate F:\F:\Housing\Loans\Trust Fund Guidelines\HTF Guidelines - current - adopted 07.2017\Housing Trust Fund Guidelines - revised per Council action on 7-25-17 corrected 12.05.2018.docx Rental Housing Loan Application Attachment A Santa Monica Housing Division Page 2 Unit Number Name of Tenant # of persons in household actual income, if known Income* Low Moderate Above Moderate Totals
Percent of Units Low Income ____________________ Percent of Units Moderate Income ________________ Percent of Units Above Moderate Income __________ *See attached chart for maximum income by household size for each income category.
Checklist
Rental Housing Loan Application
Santa Monica Housing Division
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Rental Housing Loan Application Checklist
S t M i H i Di i i
_______ # Application
_______ # Attachment A - Tenant Profile
_______ # Special Supplement for Environmental Review
_______ # Site and Project Information
Survey of site, if available
Legal Description of the Property
Construction and Design Description
For Acquisition or Rehabilitation Projects - Property Inspection Report and/or Detailed Work Write-Up on a unit by unit basis
Schematic designs, if available
Current Photos of Site
Evidence of Site Control
Preliminary Title Report
Appraisal, if available
Current Rent Roll for existing tenants of acquisition and rehabilitation projects, and estoppel certificates when available
Verification of Zoning, if available
Phase I Environmental Report and any other Environmental Reports (e.g. lead and asbestos assessments)
Termite Report
Construction Cost Estimate
Proposed Project Timetable
Checklist
Rental Housing Loan Application
Santa Monica Housing Division
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Rental Housing Loan Application Checklist
S t M i H i Di i i
Analysis of replacement reserve requirements, showing remaining economic life and projected replacement cost for building systems
Checklist, cont.
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Rental Housing Loan Application Checklist
S t M i H i Di i i
# Financial Feasibility Project development and operating pro formas in format shown. A diskette with these forms prepared using Excel software is available from the City for your use. Notes and assumptions explaining the basis of all projected costs development and operating costs must be provided. Required exhibits include:
_____ Project Summary
_____ Exhibit 1, Development Costs
_____ Exhibit 2, Rent Schedule
_____ Exhibit 3, Operating Expenses
_____ Exhibit 4, 30 Year Cash Flow Analysis
_____ Exhibit 5, Financing
_____ Exhibit 6, Tax Credit Analysis (where applicable) _____ Exhibit 7, Bond Fees Worksheet (where applicable) _____ Exhibit 8, Sources and Uses Through Construction (when available) # Organizational Documents
Project Team Resumes
Resumes of Principals of sponsor
For nonprofit developers,
List of Board of Directors and Organizational Chart
501(c)(3) exemption determination letter from the IRS
By-Laws, Articles of Incorporation, Partnership Agreements Current Financial Statements (Audited statements should be no more than 1 year old. Unaudited statements should be no more than 6 months old.) Ownership Plan, if applicant will not be owner.
Checklist, cont.
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Rental Housing Loan Application Checklist
S t M i H i Di i i
# Financing
Evidence of other Financing Approvals, Summary of Terms and Status, Contact Persons and phone numbers.
Ground Lease, if applicable
Loan Documents for Existing or Proposed Subordinate Financing, if available Tax credit reservation, if available
# Property Management
Resume of Firm
Management Plan, if available
# Tenant Information
Tenant Profile, existing if available and proposed, showing number of persons in each household and income level.
Relocation Plan, if applicable
# Tax Credit Projects Only
Evidence of Tax Credit Allocation, if available
Commitment of Tax Credit Investor, if available
Partnership Agreement, if available
EXHIBIT D
Green Affordable Housing Checklist
6 GREEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHECKLIST
Purpose and Use of the Green Affordable Housing ChecklistThe City of Santa Monica Housing Division strongly encourages the use of environmentally sensitive ("green") building materials and systems in affordable housing developments. This checklist is intended to encourage developers to consider green building methods and practices in the earliest stages of project planning. On the checklist are a number of recommended green practices, including practices related to energy efficiency; landscaping; framing and carpentry; indoor air quality; and other building systems and materials. Keeping in mind the intended scope of each project, budgetary constraints, availability of materials, and other factors, our goal is that as many of these practices as possible be incorporated into each project. It should be noted that many green building systems and materials are evolving and becoming increasingly available. Therefore, this checklist is a living document, to be updated as technology and construction practices change.
CostsSome of these practices involve no additional costs. Others may involve marginally or significantly higher initial costs. Please do not dismiss some items just because they may cost more, as the City may be willing to fund the increased cost in the interest of promoting a healthy environment.
Contractor Bid Packages If you do not have, or cannot obtain, current costs for certain items on the checklist, please include these as alternatives as part of the contractor bid package in order to determine the cost.Completing the ChecklistPlease complete this checklist to show which green building practices will be included in the project. If you do not intend to include certain practices, or if the practice is not applicable to the project, please provide an explanation on the checklist. Also, please indicate which items will be included as alternatives in the contractor bid package. To facilitate completion of the checklist, the City’s Project Analyst is available to assist you.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
7 Energy Efficiency
Energy
Efficient
Lighting
SM GBD&CG-ES2
Energy efficient exterior lighting, such as high-pressure sodium. Should be appropriately sized for the location. Interior fluorescent bulbs and (where practical and appropriate) fixtures produce light quantity and quality that is comparable to incandescents, while expending less energy.
Energy efficient lighting reduces energy consumption and lowers utility bills. One compact florescent bulb will pay itself back over ten times over the course of its life through reduced energy use.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Resource Efficient Appliances SM GBD&CG-WS1 Refrigerators, water heaters, stoves, dishwashers, and washing machines that are designed to use less energy and water. Most efficient appliances qualify for Energy Star designation.
Appliances, particularly refrigerators and water heaters, are some of the major sources of residential energy use. Reducing energy and water use lowers utility bills while benefiting the environment.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
8 Combined Hydronic Heating
SM GBD&CG-HS8
This system uses hot water from the water heater for space heating. Applicable for new construction and major rehab only.
Using the water heater for two purposes uses energy more efficiently.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
Landscaping
Low-Water Landscape Designs SM GBD&CG-LA3 See Zoning Ordinance Section 9.04.010.04.110 Water Conservation Landscaping Low-water landscape designs, such as xeriscape, reduce water use by emphasizing native and/or drought tolerant plants, elimination of turf areas, and minimizing maintenance.
Low-water designs reduce water and maintenance bills and impacts on local water supply infrastructure.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
9 Water-Efficient Irrigation
SM GBD&CG-LAb
Water efficient systems, such as drip irrigation, place the correct amount of water directly at the base of each plant thus reducing water use and waste from overwatering.
Water efficient systems help plant growth and overall health by eliminating over watering or excessive drying. They also lower water bills and reduce impacts on water supply infrastructure.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
Engineered Lumber and Wood Alternatives
Oriented Strand Board (OSB) SM GBD&CG-MA3
OSB is an alternative to plywood for sheathing, flooring, and roofing.
Plywood requires the use of large-size, typically old growth trees. OSB is made from small pieces of wood, thus eliminating or reducing impacts to forests.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Wood I-Beam SM GBD&CG-MA3 Wood I-Beams are an alternative to 2x6s or 2x8s used for floor and roof joists.
Wood I-Beams are engineered to use less wood to perform the same function and are often straighter, thus minimizing wood waste.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
10 If not included, please describe why. Laminated Wood Fiber Products SM GBD&CG-MA3 Gluelam, parlam, microlam, etc. are alternatives to large dimension lumber for trusses, beams, and headers.
Laminate products provide the same strength while eliminating the need to use large-dimension lumber from old-growth sources.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Certified Wood SM GBD&CG-MA6 Certified wood is used like conventional lumber for framing, etc. Based on 2001 availability, may be appropriate for new construction and major rehab projects only.
Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council has been monitored from the forest to the local supplier to ensure that the wood is harvested, milled, and delivered under environmentally, and socially responsible conditions.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
11 Plastic Lumber
SM GBD&CG-Mab SM GBD&CG-LA7
Plastic lumber is made from recycled plastic products. It can be used as an alternative to wood in non-structural applications such as decking and fencing, depending on field conditions.
Plastic lumber is highly durable and is not susceptible to rot or termite damage. It is also an excellent use of recycled plastics.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Fiber-Cement Siding SM GBD&CG-Mab SM GBD&CG-MA4 Fiber cement siding can be used as an alternative to redwood or other types of siding.
Fiber cement siding is not susceptible to rot or termites and is fire resistant.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
12 Indoor Air QualityNo-VOC (volatile organic compound) Paint SM GBD&CG-MA7 No-VOC paint is used exactly like conventional paint. Current no-VOC paints are suitable for indoor use only, subject to ongoing maintenance viability.
No-VOC paint does not emit odors related to VOCs. Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products like paint, adhesives, cleaning supplies, etc. VOCs can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, loss of coordination, and potentially damage the liver and central nervous system. Outside, VOCs can bond with other pollutants and create ground-level ozone.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Carbon Monoxide Detector Carbon monoxide detectors monitor the level of this gas in individual dwelling units.
Carbon monoxide is a common indoor air pollutant created by the combustion of natural gas from stoves and heaters and is harmful to human health.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
13 Seal Exposed Particle Board
SM GBD&CG-MA7
Particleboard typically includes formaldehyde. Sealing with a flat, latex-based primer or other suitable material can prevent the off gassing of formaldehyde.
EPA ranks formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, skin rashes, headaches, nosebleeds, and nausea.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Formaldehyde-Free Cabinets and Counters SM GBD&CG-MA7 Particleboard or medium density fiberboard (MDF) in cabinets and counters can be substituted with formaldehydefree MDF alternatives or products such as strawboard and wheatboard made from agricultural waste.
Cabinets and counters are typically made of particleboard that uses formaldehyde as the binding agent. Minimizing or eliminating formaldehyde-based materials has a positive impact on indoor air quality.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Building Materials City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
14 Ceramic Tile
SM GBD&CG-MA4
Ceramic tile can be used in kitchen and bathroom and counter tops. May be applicable to new construction and major rehab only.
Ceramic tile is long lasting and does not off gas.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why. Linoleum Flooring SM GBD&CG-MA4 Linoleum flooring is made of natural, renewable substances such as amber, chalk, cork, and jute. It can be used as an alternative to sheet vinyl, vinyl composite tiles, or carpet.
Most flooring products such as sheet vinyl and carpet off gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are made from nonrenewable petroleum-based products. In contrast, linoleum minimizes off gassing and is made from renewable substances.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
15 Recycled Content Insulation
SM GBD&CG-MAb
Both fiberglass and blown cellulose insulation have recycled content. Fiberglass products are used identically to standard products. Blown cellulose (made of recycled newsprint) requires a special installer.
Recycled-content products support Statewide solid waste diversion goals. Cellulose insulation provides a tighter enclosure than fiberglass.
If included, please describe how the item will be used in the project. If not included, please describe why.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
16 Green Affordable Housing Bid Checklist
This checklist is to be completed upon conclusion of the bidding process. This information will be used to determine how any remaining project contingencies will be allocated. Please list below those items that were identified in the Green Affordable Housing Checklist for inclusion in the bid package along with the bid price and the price for the comparable conventional item.
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Bid Checklist -
Green Item Bid Cost Standard Item Bid Cost
City of Santa Monica Housing Division
- Green Affordable Housing Checklist -
Item and Santa Monica Green Building Design and Construction Guideline (SMGBD&CG) reference Description Benefit Included in Project
Yes No Not Sure--Will
Include in Bid Package to Determine Cost
N/A
17 May 2019 Page 1 of 19
CITY OF SANTA MONICA PREVAILING WAGE REQUIREMENTS
WHAT IS PREVAILING WAGE?
All workers employed on public works projects must be paid the prevailing wage determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), according to the type of work and location of the project.
California's prevailing wage laws ensure that the ability to get a public works contract is not based on paying lower wage rates than a competitor. All bidders are required to use the same wage rates when bidding on a public works project. Contractors/Consultants must comply with the prevailing wage requirements. A project must meet prevailing wage requirements when it is twenty‐five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more when the project is for NEW construction work, or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or more when the project is for alteration, demolition, repair, or maintenance work.
WHAT MUST CONTACTORS/CONSULTANTS/VENDORS DO TO FOLLOW THE LAW?
Contractors/Consultants and subcontractors/subconsultants which bid on and are awarded City of Santa Monica prevailing wage project must comply with four general labor compliance obligations:
1. Register as a Public Works Contractor with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DIR)
2. Pay Prevailing Pages
3. Comply with Apprenticeship Standards
4. Mail Hard Copies of Certified Payroll Records and ancillary documents to the City of Santa Monica OR submit electronic payrolls via LCP Tracker© or equivalent certified payroll software, as approved by the City and upload payrolls electronically to DIR on a Weekly Basis
CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION
To submit a bid or work on a Prevailing Wage project, contractors and subcontractors are required to register with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement even if you don’t have a contractor license. Registration cost is $400 and covers fiscal year July 1st through June 30th. Failure to register will result in a $2,000 penalty if the unregistered contractor:
Bid on a public works project on or after March 1, 2015 Was awarded a public works contract on or after April 1, 2015 or Intentionally allowed registration to lapse while biding or working on a public works project Contractors must meet the following requirements to register:
Have workers compensation coverage for any employees and only use subcontractors who are registered public works contractors.
Have a Contractors State License Board license if applicable to trade. Have no delinquent unpaid wage or penalty assessments owed to any employee or enforcement agency.
Not be under federal or state debarment.
Not be in prior violation of this registration requirement once it became effective. However, for the first violation in a 12‐month period, a contractor may still qualify for registration by paying an additional penalty.
May 2019 Page 2 of 19
PAY PREVAILING WAGES
California law requires that not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages be paid to all workers employed on a public works project. The prevailing wage rate is issued by the Office of Policy, Research and Legislation twice a year, February 22nd and August 22nd. In determining what wage determination for the life of the project, the contractor shall refer to the advertised bid date the Awarding Body published the first “Notice Inviting Bids” or RFP Advertise Date which resulted in a contract being awarded. If the City did not advertise the public works project for bid, other benchmark events, including the first written memorialization of the agreement concerning public works elements of the project or contract governing the award of public funds will be utilized instead. Current and Superseded prevailing wage determinations can be found at the following website: http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/PWD Contractors/Consultants must have required labor posters posted on the job site (or break area), where signs are made clearly available for employees to review. Drivers performing both on‐site and off‐site hauling of materials either to or from a public works construction project must be paid the prevailing wage. Bona fide material suppliers are exempt from prevailing wage requirements.
Workers who are required to report to the contractor’s office, yard, or other designated areas at the beginning and/or end of their shift shall be paid at the worker’s prevailing wage rate of pay for any travel time to and from the job site. This drive time shall be included when calculating any overtime due to the worker.
Workers hauling and delivering ready‐mixed concrete for a public works contract shall be paid the current prevailing wage rate from the time they set out from the batch plant until they return to the batch plant. (California Labor Code § 1720.9)
Fringe Benefits (Health & Welfare, Pension, & Vacation) must either be paid to the worker, or to the appropriate third‐party trust fund as part of a non‐union employee’s hourly wage rate. A completed Fringe Benefit Statement must be provided for each contractor/consultant & subcontractor/subconsultant employed on the project.
Pay the corresponding “training” rate that appears on the Director’s Wage Determination for each craft or trade to the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) or an approved DAS program. Prime Contractors/Consultants are responsible for the proper insurance and compliance of ALL subcontractors, owner operators, vendors and suppliers who provide personnel to work at the job site.
Representatives from the City of Santa Monica will monitor the job site and perform on‐site interviews with employees performing labor at any time during construction except during rest periods or meal breaks
May 2019 Page 3 of 19
APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS
Apprentices are required on Public Works projects greater than $30,000 for any “apprenticeable craft”.
This is required under State Labor Code, California Labor Code §§ 1777.5.
Contractor’s/Consultant’s Responsibilities:
Submit contract award information for each apprenticeable craft required on the project using the DAS 140 form prior to performing work. If you are approved to train apprentices, you must send the contract award information to your apprenticeship committee. All apprentices working on City projects must be registered in either a State and/or Federally Approved Apprenticeship Program. See: https://www.dir.ca.gov/das/publicworks.html If your company is not approved to train apprentices, you must send the DAS 140 to all of the applicable apprenticeship committees whose geographical area (County) of operation incudes the area of the public works projects. DAS approved Apprenticeship programs can be found by using the search engine on the DAS website. Those programs that are the result of that search may or may not be in the County in which the job is located but they have been approved by the DAS to receive the DAS140. In some cases, a program will have statewide approval or approval of a certain number of counties i.e. 12 Southern California Counties and DAS approval is based on County not a City. Contractors/consultants who employ journeyman or apprentices in any “apprenticeable craft” must contribute to the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) the amount reflected as the hourly “training” rate that appears on the Director’s wage determination, for each hour worked. A contractor is also entitled to take credit for such contributions made to a DAS approved apprenticeship program that can supply apprentices to the site of the public work. The training contribution is a distinct obligation of the contractor under the Labor Code and cannot be satisfied by paying the required hourly contribution directly to the employee.
Contact the applicable apprenticeship committee to request apprentices for each apprenticeable craft or trade on your project using the DAS 142 form. The form must be submitted at least three business days before the apprentice is to report to the jobsite and it must be sent to the apprenticeship committees providing training in the applicable craft or trade whose geographical area of operation includes the site of the public work. If the apprenticeship committee does not dispatch apprentices, the contractor must request apprentice dispatch from another committee in the geographical area of the site of the public work and must request dispatch from each committee either consecutively or simultaneously until the contractor has requested dispatches from each such committee in the geographical area. (www.dir.ca.gov/das/publicworks.html) Employ apprentices in the correct ratio to journeyman of no less than one hour of apprentices work for every five hours of labor performed by a journeyman. If the contractor agrees to be bound by the standards of an apprenticeship program, the ratio may be no higher than the ratio stipulated by the apprenticeship program. (California Labor Code §§ 1777.5 (d) and (g)) Provide worker’s compensation benefits to apprentices. Proof of registration from California’s State Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) for each apprentice must be maintained.
May 2019 Page 4 of 19
APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS (CONTINUED)
In the event Contractors/Consultants or Subcontractor/Subconsultant fails to comply with the obligation to hire apprentices or employ apprentices in the correct ratio, the City of Santa Monica will prepare an Apprenticeship complaint that will be filed with the DIR. The City will apply a withhold that is to be applied until the DIR’s ruling is received.
CERTIFIED PAYROLL REQUIREMENTS
Certified Payroll Records shall be submitted electronically through the DIR’s Online Certified Payroll System AND mail original HARD copies of the A‐1‐131 form or provide a form that includes ALL required information from the A‐1‐131 form weekly to: Gafcon, Inc, Attn: Lizette Rodriguez, 660 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1790 Los Angeles, CA 90017 OR Contractor may submit electronic payrolls (as approved by the City). Contractor payroll records are subject to review by the City of Santa Monica as outlined in California Labor Code §§ 1776 and 1812.
Public Works Small Project Exemption is for contractors who work exclusively on small projects and are not required to be registered as public works contractors or file electronic certified payroll reports through the DIR’s online system. However, prevailing wages must still be paid on projects and contractors are still required to MAIL original HARD copies of the payroll weekly to Gafcon. Small project exemption is based on the contract amount of the entire project, not a contractor’s subcontracted amount of the project. Small project exemption applies for all public works projects that do not exceed:
$25,000 for new construction, alteration, installation, demolition or repair $15,000 for maintenance
Payrolls shall be due weekly from the Prime Contractor/Consultants and ALL subcontractors/subconsultants, owner‐operators, vendors and suppliers who provide personnel to work at the job site.
The payroll must be completed in its entirety, including the employee’s home address and social security number. Incomplete payrolls will not be accepted, and a progress payment withheld will be applied until acceptable payrolls are submitted.
Statement of Non‐Performance is submitted in lieu of a certified payroll any/all weeks a contractor remains on the job but no work is performed, including on‐call/as‐needed contracts – see example Attachment 4.
A Statement of Compliance must be completed and signed with each certified payroll record. Authorized Signatory is to be completed and signed by an Owner, Officer or other person(s) with authority under penalty of perjury to so affirm, that the records for certified payroll are originals which truly depict fully and correctly the craft of type of work performed, hours and days worked and the amounts disbursed by way of check
Fringe Benefit Statement for each trade utilized on the project must be updated prior to completing the first payroll by each contractor/consultant and each time fringe benefit rates change. “OTHER” deductions, if any, including deductions for 401K, must be fully explained in writing and an authorization for the deductions must be signed by the employee and submitted with the first payroll on which the deduction is shown.
Daily Reports are to be submitted for all days worked on site. The reports should contain names of employees, total hours worked and description of work performed on that given day. Employee Itemized Check Stubs will be requested at random but no more than one employee per each month worked if no issues are discovered.
May 2019 Page 5 of 19
CERTIFIED PAYROLL REQUIREMENTS (CONTINUED)
The City conducts on‐going audits of certified payrolls and ancillary documents by requesting payroll records and ancillary documents during the course of the project. If these documents are not submitted to the City with the requested time frames, a withhold will be applied to your contract. The City will email a monthly request for information via a “Issues List” (Attachment 1) to Prime Contractor/Consultants. The Prime Consultant has 10 days to submit requested information. Owner/operators, sole proprietors, or business owners, must also submit certified payroll reports. If your firm will use LCP Tracker© or equivalent certified payroll software (as approved by the City) a CD of the entire payrolls must be submitted to the City upon project completion. Password and Login to LCP Tracker© or equivalent certified payroll software (as approved by the City) must be provided to the City’s Prevailing Wage Consultant.
REQUIRED PRE‐CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE
The City of Santa Monica requires a mandatory pre‐construction conference with the Prime AND Sub‐ Contractors (Prime Consultants/Subconsultants) prior to the job start. This meeting can be conducted telephonically or in person. At this meeting the City’s Labor Compliance consultant will discuss federal and/or state labor law requirements applicable to the contract and will provide a packet of information containing templates for contractors use. The Prime Contractor/Consultant will be required to sign the Check List of Labor Law Requirements at the end of the conference, acknowledging that the City has provided the contractor with information regarding each federal and state requirement per Attachment 2.
SANCTIONS
The City may withhold funds on progress payments due to the Prime for the failure to submit required reports and/or documents by the Prime or ANY of the subs on the job. The City’s Withhold Policy is Attachment 3.
Contractors/Consultants violating the prevailing wage requirements are subject to a penalty of up to $200 per day for each worker paid less than the prevailing wage rate, in addition to having to restore the differences in wages paid. (California Labor Code § 1775) Contractors/Consultants are also subject to a penalty of an additional $25 per day for each worker paid less than the prevailing wage rate for overtime work ‐‐ over 8 hours per day or more than 40 hours per week. (California Labor Code § 1813)
In the event of an underpayment of wages, the Contractor/Consultant has 60 days to restitute those wages to the worker(s). If the Contractor/Consultant fails to pay the restitution within 60 days, liquidated damages in an amount equal to the unpaid wages will be assessed. Liquidated damages will be due the worker. (California Labor Code § 1742.1) Failure to utilize apprentices as specified, or to provide proof that apprentices were requested and denied, may subject the contractor to a penalty of up to $100 for each calendar day that the contractor worked on the project. A contractor/consultant that commits a second or subsequent violation within a three‐year period may be subject to a penalty of up to $300 for each calendar day that the contractor/consultant worked on the project. (California Labor Code §1777.7) Failure to submit Certified Payroll Records within requested time receipt of a written request will be subject to a penalty of $100 per calendar day per employee until strict compliance is effectuated. (California Labor Code §§ 1776 and 1777.1).
May 2019 Page 6 of 19
PREVAILING WAGE JOB ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM
A Prevailing Wage Job Notice and Acknowledgment Form (Exhibit 5) must be submitted with each bid/proposal for work with the City of Santa Monica. The Prime and all subcontractors/consultants who will work on the job are required to submit the form. If any adjustments are made to the project including, but not limited to, the addition, substitution, or removal of Subcontractor(s) the City requires the submission of an updated Prevailing Wage Job Notice and Acknowledgement Form. Addition of any New Subcontractor(s) will be subject to approval by the City’s Labor Compliance Consultant. New subcontractors/subconsultants cannot come onto City jobs unless a Prevailing Wage Job Notice and Acknowledgment Form has been submitted and approved. Forthe addition, substitution, orremoval of any Subcontractor(s),the City may require a written request by the Prime Contractor, which will be subject to written approval by the Project Manager.
PREVAILING WAGE RESOURCES
Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE)‐ Laws and Regulations https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlseLaws.html
Certified Payroll Reporting
https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public‐Works/Certified‐Payroll‐Reporting.html Contractor Registration
https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public‐Works/PublicWorksSB854FAQ.html DIR Contact Information
https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public‐Works/ContactUs.htm
Division of Apprenticeship Standards ‐ Public Works Information https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksForms.htm
State of California, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Public Works Manual http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/PWManualCombined.pdf
Prevailing Wage Determinations
https://www.dir.ca.gov/OPRL/DPreWageDetermination.htm
CITY OF SANTA MONICA PREVAILING WAGE STAFF
For questions on Prevailing Wage in the City of Santa Monica, please contact Lizette Rodriguez at (310) 458‐ 8721, ext. 2341, lizette.rodriguez @smgov.net.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1: Issues List
Attachment 2: Check List of Labor Law Requirements
Attachment 3: City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy‐ Construction Contracts Attachment 4: City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy‐ Professional Services Attachment 5: Statement of Non‐Performance
Attachment 6: City of Santa Monica Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment Form May 2019 Page 7 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 1
Issues List
May 2019 Page 8 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 2
CHECKLIST OF LABOR LAW REQUIREMENTS
Appendix A
City of Santa Monica (Enter Department Name)
(Project Name)
Project# (Enter Number)
The federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract are composed of, but not limited to, the following:
1. Payment of Prevailing Wage Rates
The award of a public works contract requires that all workers employed on the project be paid not less than the specified general prevailing wage rates by the contractor and its subcontractors pursuant to Labor Code section 1770 et seq.
The contractor is responsible for obtaining and complying with all applicable general prevailing wage rates for trades workers and any rate changes, which may occur during the term of the contract.
Prevailing wage rates and rate changes are to be posted at the job site for workers to view.
2. Apprentices
It is the duty of the contractor and subcontractors to employ registered apprentices on public works projects pursuant to Labor Code section 1777.5.
3. Penalties
Penalties, including forfeitures and debarment, shall be imposed for contractor/subcontractor failure to pay prevailing wages, failure to maintain and submit accurate certified payroll records upon request, failure to employ apprentices, and for failure to pay employees for all hours worked at the correct prevailing wage rate, in accordance with Labor Code sections 1775, 1776, 1777.7, and 1813.
4. Certified Payroll Records
Pursuant to Labor Code section 1776, contractors and subcontractors are required to keep accurate payroll records which reflect the name, address, social security number, and work classification of each employee; the straight time and overtime hours worked each day and each week; the fringe benefits; and the actual per diem wages paid to each journeyperson, apprentice, worker, or other employee hired in connection with a public works
Employee payroll records shall be certified and shall be made available for inspection at all reasonable hours at the principal office of the contractor/subcontractor, or shall be furnished to any employee, or to his or her authorized representative on request.
Contractors and subcontractors shall maintain their certified payrolls on a weekly basis and shall submit said payrolls weekly to the LCO. In the event that there has been no work performed during a given week, the certified payroll record shall be annotated “No Work” for that week. All non‐redacted certified payrolls should be sent to:
Gafcon, Labor Compliance (City of Santa Monica)
660 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1790
Los Angeles, CA 90017
May 2019 Page 9 of 19
5. Nondiscrimination in Employment
Prohibitions against employment discrimination are contained in Labor Code sections 1735 and 1777.6; the Government Code; the Public Contracts Code; and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.
6. Kickback Prohibited
Pursuant to Labor Code section 1778, contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from accepting, taking wages illegally, or extracting “kickback” from employee wages.
7. Acceptance of Fees Prohibited
Contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from exacting any type of fee for registering individuals for public work (Labor Code section 1779); or for filling work orders on public works contracts (Labor Code section 1780).
8. Listing of Subcontractors
Contractors are required to list all subcontractors hired to perform work on a public works project when that work is equivalent to more than one‐half of one percent of the total effort (Public Contract Code section 4104.).
9. Proper Licensing
Contractors and subcontractors are required to be properly licensed. Penalties will be imposed for employing workers while unlicensed (Labor Code section 1021 and Business and Professions Code section 7000, et seq. under California Contractors License Law).
10. Unfair Competition Prohibited
Contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from engaging in unfair competition (Business and Professions Code sections 17200‐17208).
11. Workers’ Compensation Insurance
All contractors and subcontractors are required to be insured against liability for workers’ compensation, or to undertake self‐insurance in accordance with the provisions of Labor Code sections 3700 and 1861.
12. OSHA
Contractors and subcontractors are required to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health laws and regulations applicable to the particular public works project.
13. Prohibition against hiring undocumented workers
Federal law prohibits contractors and subcontractors from hiring undocumented workers and requires all contractors and subcontractors to secure proof of eligibility/citizenship from all workers.
14. Itemized wage statements
Contractors and subcontractors are required to provide itemized wage statements to employees pursuant to Labor Code section 226.
The undersigned contractor hereby acknowledges that the City has provided the contractor with information regarding each item listed above. In accordance with federal and state laws, and with City’s policy and contract documents, the undersigned contractor herein certifies that it will comply with the May 2019 Page 10 of 19
foregoing labor law requirements; and fully understands that failure to comply with these requirements will subject it to the penalties cited herein.
For the Contractor: For the City of Santa Monica:
_______________________________________ _______________________________________ Signature Date Signature Date _______________________________________
Title
_______________________________________
Organization
_______________________________________
Project
_______________________________________
E‐Mail
May 2019 Page 11 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 3
City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy Construction Contracts (Page 1 of 2)
May 2019 Page 12 of 19
City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy Construction Contracts (Page 2 of 2)
May 2019 Page 13 of 19
May 2019 Page 14 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 4
City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy Professional Services /Construction Management Agreements (Consultants)(Page 1 of 2)
May 2019 Page 15 of 19
Attachment 4
City of Santa Monica’s Labor Compliance Withhold Policy Professional Services /Construction Management Agreements (Consultants) (Page 2 of 2)
May 2019 Page 16 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 5
Statement of Non‐Performance
STATEMENT OF NON‐PERFORMANCE
I do herby certify that no persons employed with the above‐mention contractor/subcontractor worked on the project:
Contract of subcontract number__________ during the payroll period commencing on the ________ day of ______________ and ending on the ___________ day of ________________.
I , _________________________, the undersigned, am the___________________________ (Name – print) (Position in business)
with the authority to act for and on the behalf of _________________________, certify under (Name of Contractor/Business)
penalty of perjury that the records of copies thereof submitted and consisting of Non‐ Performance Payroll, 1 Page are the originals or true, full and correct copies of the originals (Description, Number of Pages)
which depict the payroll record(s) of the actual disbursements by way of cash, check or whatever form to the individual named.
Date: ________________________ Signature: _____________________________________ May 2019 Page 17 of 19
Prevailing Wage‐ Attachment 6
Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment Form
First Page for Prime Contractors/Consultants/Vendors
Second page for Subcontractors/Subconsultants
May 2019 Page 18 of 19
City of Santa Monica
Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment Form
Prime Contractor/ Consultant/ Vendor
A Prevailing Wage Job Notice and Acknowledgment Form must be submitted with each bid/proposal for work with the City of Santa Monica. The Prime and all subcontractors/consultants who will work on the job are required to submit the form. Prime Contractors/Consultants must list all subs they intend to use for the Project (Attach additional sheet for each subcontractor).
The City will assist your firm in determining the most relevant classification given the information provided to the City’s Prevailing Wage Consultant, but it is the sole responsibility of the Prime Contractor/Vendor to ensure that they are utilizing the correct classifications at all times on the project. At bid submittal, contractors must complete the Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment form, with classifications they anticipate will be working on the job. Should additional classifications be needed and/or utilized not indicated on the form, prior to the new classification working onsite contractor must submit revised Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment form with updated classifications. Please indicate all classifications your company plan to use:
By signing below the contractor attests that he/she has read and understands this document, that he/she is aware of the public work and prevailing wage requirements as set forth in the California Labor Code Sections 1720 et seq.; that he/she is an owner, officer, or other duly authorized representative of the firm; that he/she and each of his/her subcontractors is registered with the California DIR; and that he/she is aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the Labor Code which require every employer to be insured against liability for workers’ compensation or to undertake self‐insurance in accordance with the provisions of that code, and will comply with such provisions before commencing the performance of the work of this contract. Corrections or alterations to this form may trigger the escalation/de‐escalation clause of your bid documents.
Company Name: ___________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________ Email Address: __________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________ Contractor State License Board Number (CSLB):___________ PWC Registration Number: _______________ Name of Apprenticeship Program affiliated with (if any): _____________________ Contractor/Consultant Representative Signature: ______________________________________Date: _______________ Print Name and Title: __________________________________________________________________ Project Name:
SP Number or Bid No:
# Craft Group Number/Trade Classification Determination Number
Issue
Date
Number of Staff Apprenticeable?
Y/N
For City of Santa Monica Internal Use Only Approved By:_______________________________ Date:____________ May 2019 Page 19 of 19
City of Santa Monica
Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment Form
Sub‐Contractor/ Sub‐Consultant/ Vendor
A Prevailing Wage Job Notice and Acknowledgment Form must be submitted with each bid/proposal for work with the City of Santa Monica. The Prime and all subcontractors/consultants who will work on the job are required to submit the form. Prime Contractors/Consultants must list all subs they intend to use for the Project (Attach additional sheet for each subcontractor).
The City will assist your firm in determining the most relevant classification given the information provided to the City’s Prevailing Wage Consultant, but it is the sole responsibility of the Prime Contractor/Vendor to ensure that they are utilizing the correct classifications at all times on the project. At bid submittal, contractors must complete the Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment form, with classifications they anticipate will be working on the job. Should additional classifications be needed and/or utilized not indicated on the form, prior to the new classification working onsite contractor must submit revised Prevailing Wage Job Acknowledgment form with updated classifications. Please indicate all classifications your company plan to use:
By signing below the contractor attests that he/she has read and understands this document, that he/she is aware of the public work and prevailing wage requirements as set forth in the California Labor Code Sections 1720 et seq.; that he/she is an owner, officer, or other duly authorized representative of the firm; that he/she and each of his/her subcontractors is registered with the California DIR; and that he/she is aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the Labor Code which require every employer to be insured against liability for workers’ compensation or to undertake self‐insurance in accordance with the provisions of that code, and will comply with such provisions before commencing the performance of the work of this contract. Corrections or alterations to this form may trigger the escalation/de‐escalation clause of your bid documents.
Company Name: ___________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________ Email Address: __________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________ Contractor State License Board Number (CSLB):___________ PWC Registration Number: _______________ Name of Apprenticeship Program affiliated with (if any): _____________________ Contractor/Consultant Representative Signature: ______________________________________Date: _______________ Print Name and Title: ________________________________________________________________ Project Name:
SP Number or Bid No:
Name of Prime Contrctors/Consultant Working For:
# Craft Group Number/Trade Classification Determination Number
Issue
Date
Number
of Staff
Apprenticeable?
Y/N
For City of Santa Monica Internal Use Only Approved By:_______________________________ Date:____________
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Planning and Community Development Department
ADOPTED JULY 2017
Maintaining character and vitality at the
historic crossroads of community,
culture and commerce.
THE
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Dear Friends,
After an extensive community
engagement process, we are excited
to present the Downtown Community
Plan! Based upon direction from the
City Council, Planning Commission
and listening to the many perspectives
and voices that have an interest in
Downtown Santa Monica, this adopted
Plan includes:
• A predictable process to encourage housing, both marketrate and significantly more affordable housing • New protections for historic resources and incentives for their adaptive reuse
• Eliminated parking minimums making it easier for local businesses to thrive
• A rigorous process for projects on three Established Large Sites allowing no more than 130’
As planners, it is our job to be a filter for the many voices that have shaped this Plan and it is our responsibility to balance these interest and provide our best recommendation. Six years ago, we set out with a goal for the Plan to bring the community together around a shared set of expectations. We asked and you answered loudly that:
• You love Downtown – locals visit Downtown with great
frequency and prefer social activities
• We need more public space – creation and enhancement of public space is the top priority
• We must maintain our sense of history – historic preservation is important
• Let’s keep it local – a preference for small-scale and local businesses
• It should be easy to get around – people mostly get around by walking, bike, or car and there should be convenient and reliable transportation choices
• There are many ideas about height – support for the general strategy of protecting the historic core and establishing density near the Expo station but divergent ideas about exceeding 84 feet
We would like to thank the thousands of community partners and residents that have given their time to attend workshops and discussions, join walking tours, take a questionnaire, and send us written comments.
Your dedication has undoubtedly resulted in a better Plan.
Sincerely,
David Martin
Director of Planning and Community Development
ii CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
P L A N N I N G & CO M M U N I T Y
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
David Martin, Director
Salvador Valles, Assistant Director
Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director (2014)
CITY COUNCIL
Ted Winterer, Mayor
Gleam Davis, Mayor Pro Tempore
Sue Himmelrich
Robert Holbrook (2014)
Kevin McKeown
Pam O’Connor
Terry O’Day
Tony Vasquez
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN TEAM
Jing Yeo, AICP, City Planning Manager
Francie Stefan, Mobility Manager
Peter D. James, Principal Planner - Technical Director
Travis Page, Senior Planner - Project Manager
Cary Fukui, Assistant Planner
Elizabeth Bar-El, AICP, Senior Planner
Cat Callaghan, Strategic Planning Intern
Kyle Ferstead, Staff Assistant III
Michelle Glickert, Principal Transportation Planner (2017) Linda Huynh, Associate Planner
Tony Kim, Principal Planner
Rachel Kwok, Environmental Planner
Sarah Lejuene, Principal Planner (2015)
Steve Mizokami, Senior Planner
Shira Moch, Strategic Planning Intern
Stephanie Reich, Design and Historic Preservation Planner Beth Rolandson, AICP, Principal Transportation Planner
Ariel Socarras, Associate Planner
Roxanne Tanemori, AICP, Principal Planner
CONSULTANT TEAM
Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
RCLCo
Fehr & Peers
Nelson\Nygaard
HR&A
Strategic Economics
AMEC
KPFF Engineering
Dudek
Architectural Resources Group
Historic Resources Geroup
CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
Rick Cole, City Manager
Elaine M. Polachek, Assistant City Manager
Rod Gould, City Manager (2015)
Debbie Lee, Chief Communications Officer
Constance Farrell, Public Information Officer
PLANNING COMMISSION
Amy Anderson, Chair
Nina Fresco, Vice Chair
Mario Fonda-Bonardi
Jennifer Kennedy
Leslie Lambert
Richard McKinnon
Gerda Newbold (2016)
Jason Parry
Jim Ries (2015)
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Big Blue Bus
Ed King, Director
Tim McCormick, Transit Planning Administrator
City Attorney Office
Joe Lawrence, Interim City Attorney
Marsha Moutrie, City Attorney (2016)
Susan Cola, Deputy City Attorney
Heidi von Tongeln, Deputy City Attorney
Community and Cultural Services
Karen Ginsberg, Director
Shannon Daut, Cultural Affairs Manager
Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager (2016)
Finance
Gigi Decavalles, Director
David Carr, Assistant City Treasurer
Fire Department
Bill Walker, Chief
Information Services Department
Joseph Cevetello, Chief Information Officer
Jory Wolf, Chief Information Officer (2016)
Gary Carter, Community Broadband Manager
Kenneth Bales, Assistant Community Broadband Analyst
Housing & Economic Development
Andy Agle, Director
Jason Harris, Economic Development Manager
Jennifer Taylor, Economic Development Administrator
Office of Sustainability & the Environment
Shannon Parry, Sustainability Administrator
Garrett Wong, Senior Sustainability Analyst
Police Department
Jacqueline Seabrooks, Chief
Clinton Muir, Lieutenant
Public Works
Susan Cline, Director
Dean Kubani, Assistant Director
Martin Pastucha, Director (2016)
Gil Barboa, WAter Resource Manager
Rick Valte, P.E., City Engineer
Greg DeVinck, P.E., Principal Civil Engineer
Tom Watson, Water Resources Protection Programs Coordinator Rent Control
Tracy Condon, Rent Control Administrator
CIT Y DEPARTMENT TEAM
These City departments are gratefully acknowledged for their contribution and efforts in developing the Downtown Community Plan Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
Kathleen Rawson, CEO
Steven Welliver, Deputy CEO
Mackenzie Carter, Director of Marketing and Communications Collette Hanna, Community Outreach Manager
Kevin Herrera, Sr. Marketing and Communications Manager DTSM, Inc. Board of Directors
Bruria Finkel - Vice Chair
Joshua Gilman - Zone 1
Patricia Hoffman - Vice Chair
Noreen Husain - Zone L
Julia Ladd - Zone 2
Juan Matute - City Appointee
Alan Mont - At Large
Elaine Polachek - City Appointee
Rob Rader - Secretary / Treasurer
Scott Schonfeld - Zone 3
Barry Snell - Vice Chair - City Appointee
Barbara Tenzer - Chair - At Large
Johannes Van Tilburg - City Appointee
iv CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Architectural Review Board
Maegan Pearson, Chair
Margaret Griffin
Craig Hamilton
Barbara Kaplan
Therese Kelly
Joshua Rosen
Patrick Tighe
Arts Commission
Michael Robert Myers, Chair
Corin Kahn, Vice Chair
Michael Baroff
Phil Brock
Carl Cheng (2016)
Frederick Keith Fiddmont (2016)
Roger Genser
Ed Horowitz
Linda Jassim
Iao Katagiri
Michael James Masucci
George Minardos
Anne Troutman (2016)
Laurie Yehia
Commission on the Status of Women
Sylvia Ghazarian, Chair
Nicole Phillis, Vice-Chair
Joni Byun
Madeleine Brand
Melissa Goodman
Gauri-Brienda Ramnath
Elena Christopoulos
Nancy Pierandozzi
Diane Miller
Disabilities Commission
Nanci Linke-Ellis (Chair)
Marielle Kriesel
Mariana Bidart
Thomas John Hill
Marti McCarty
Neil McClean
Audrey Parker
Glenda Berg
June Hagen
Kathryn Kosmeya-Dodge
Christy Hobart
Christofer Arroyo (2016)
Housing Commission
Michael Soloff, Chair
Richard Hilton, Vice-Chair
Loren Henry Bloch
Rene Jean Buchanan
Sue Keintz
Anjuli Rachel Kronheim Katz
Joanne Levit
Landmarks Commission
Laura Elizabeth O’Neill, Chair
Dolores Sloan, Chair Pro Tempore
Margaret Bach
John Charles Berley
Richard Brand
Amy Green
Ruth Shari
Recreation and Parks Commission
John Cyrus Smith, Chair
Lori Brown, Vice-Chair
Deborah Cohen
Albin Gieliecz
Maryanne LaGuardia
Kurt Schwengel
Alan Toy
Social Services Commission
Shawn Landres, Chair
Anthony Perez, Vice-Chair
Elaine Barringer
Tania Bradkin (2017)
Nancy Coleman
Anne Dobson (2017)
Jacqueline Kalish (2016)
Bill Parent
Anita Prentice
Winnie Wechsler
Senior Commission
Paula Fern, Chair
Barbara Browning
Jennie Braun
Barry Engelman
Elliot Goldberg
Kathryn Kietzman
Willa Wells
Leigh Brumberg
Elizabeth Wilson
Nel Steele (2016)
CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
The City of Santa Monica would like to thank the members of the City Boards and Commission for their ongoing contribution and participation in workshops, meetings and the review of the Downtown Community Plan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
v
THE SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY
City staff is grateful for the participation, advice and wisdom of many members of the Santa Monica community, with particular thanks to those working or living in the Plan area, who generously shared their perspectives on the area’s future in person, online and at many community events over the years.
Participation and assistance from a wide range of organizations, including::
Christian Towers Senior Residences
Climate Action Santa Monica
Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA)
Downtown Study Group
Friends of Sunset Park
North of Montana Association
Ocean Park Association
Pico Neighborhood Association
Residocracy
Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
Santa Monica Conservancy
Santa Monica Democratic Club
Santa Monica Forward
Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City
Santa Monica Mid-City Neighbors
Santa Monica Next
Santa Monica Northeast Neighbors
Santa Monica Spoke
Santa Monica Travel and Tourism
Silvercrest Senior Citizen Residences
St. Monica Catholic Community
UNITE HERE! Local 11
Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont)
Community Advisory Group on the Downtown Community Plan Iao Katagiri
Kathleen Rawson, DTSM, Inc.
Elizabeth Vandenburgh, Wilmont
Richard McKinnon, Planning Commission
Mario Fonda-Bonardi, Planning Commission
Elena Christopoulos, DNA
Mike Salazar, OPA
Natalya Zernitskaya
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
VI CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2D PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
2D.1 Downtown’s Public Realm Network 79
2D.1A Publicly Accessible Spaces 80
2D.1B New Public Spaces 81
2D.1C Public Spaces Amenities and Activities 85
2D.1D Operations, Maintenance and Management 87
2D.2 The Pedestrian Realm 88
2D.2A Improving the Sidewalk Experience 89
2D.2B Sidewalk Design and Function 90
2D.2C Paseos and Parklets 92
2D.2D Signature Sidewalks 94
Goals, Policies and Actions 102
2E SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
2E.1 A Supportive Infrastructure Network 107
2E.1A Water Supply and Conservation 108
2E.1B Water Distribution 109
2E.1C Stormwater Management 110
2E.1D Wastewater and Sewer 112
2E.1E Electricity 113
2E.1F Wired and Wireless Broadband 113
2E.1G Resource, Recovery and Recycling 115
Goals, Policies and Actions 116
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 A Vision for the Future 1
1.2 Santa Monica’s Downtown Community Plan 3
1.3 Historic Planning Context 5
1.4 The Focused Strategy 7
1.5 What Will Change in 20 Years? 10
1.6 Public Outreach Process............................................................... 12
1.7 Downtown’s Standards and Guidelines 16
2A DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A.1 Downtown Land Use Districts 19
Lincoln Transition 20
Neighborhood Village 21
Transit Adjacent 21
Bayside Conservation 22
Wilshire Transition 24
Ocean Transition 24
2A.2 Gateway Master Plan 25
2A.3 Community Benefits 26
2A.4 Entitlement and Tier System....................................................... 28 Goals and Policies 31
2B COMMUNIT Y, CULTURE, PR OSPERIT Y
2B.1 An Inclusive Community 37
2B.2 A Residential Neighborhood 38
2B.3 A Diverse and Sustainable Economy 43
2B.4 A Culture of Creativity 48
Goals, Policies and Actions 54
2C HISTORIC PRESERVATION
2C.1 Downtown’s History and Resources 61
2C.2 Coastal Resort Beginnings 62
2C.3 A Balanced Strategy for Urban Design 67
2C.4 Tools for Preservation 68
Goals, Policies and Actions 73
>> TABLE OF CONTENTS >>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
VII
3 ACCESS AND MOBILITY
3.1 Introduction 123
3.2 Existing Conditions 125
3.3 The Way Forward 137
3.3A Community Values 138
3.3B Prioritize Pedestrians 139
3.3C Increasing Reliability 140
3.3D Carrying Capacity 144
3.3E Transportation Diversity 146
3.3F Innovation 148
3.3G Complete Streets 151
3.3H Parking Management 152
Goals, Policies and Actions 155
4 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS & REGULATIONS
9.10.010 Purpose 173
9.10.020 Types of Regulations 176
9.10.030 Applicability and Relationship to Municipal Code 176
9.10.040 Land Use Regulations........................................................ 177
9.10.050 Application Thresholds........................................................177
9.10.060 Development Standards......................................................178
9.10.070 Project Requirements..........................................................196
9.10.080 Established Large Sites Overlay...........................................196
9.10.100 Gateway Master Plan Interim Standards.............................197
9.10.110 Modifications to Standards.................................................197
9.10.120 General Regulations............................................................197
9.10.130 Downtown Community Plan Definition of General Terms..198 5 DESIGN GUIDELINES
5.1 Buildings Guidelines 201
5.2 Public Space Guidelines 208
5.3 Public Space Types 213
5.4 Open Space Amenities 222
5.5 Open Space Furnishings 229
6 IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
6.1 A Phased Implementation Program 235
Table 6.1 DCP Actions 246
APPENDIX
Build-Out Analysis 280
TABLE OF CONTENTS
viii CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
The Downtown Community Plan is organized
for readability and visual access to the key
concepts that make up the Plan. Chapters
2A-E are concerned with the Plan’s core
components, while later chapters (Chapters
3-6) focus on mobility, development standards,
design guidelines, community benefits and
implementation.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduces the vision for Downtown Santa
Monica, and provides some background for the
development of the principles that guide the
Plan’s goals and policies. This chapter is useful to
the reader who wishes to understand the larger
planning context and anticipated outcomes
over the 20 year time horizon of the Downtown
Community Plan.
Chapter 2A: Downtown Districts
This chapter introduces the Downtown’s six land
use districts and provides information on the
community’s priorities for benefits. The process
and structure of the DCP entitlement system is
also described.
Chapter 2B: Community, Culture, Prosperity
Describes the Plan’s overarching commitment to
developing a long-term, sustainable community
in the Downtown. Provides detail on strategies
for improving housing choices, and maintaining
and enhancing Downtown’s existing diversity
of businesses and economic health into the
future. This substantive chapter also outlines
the importance of building upon the existing
public art and event program to nurture cultural
activities, including an anchor museum, live
music and performances, theater and cinema
and other creative enterprises.
Chapter 2C: Historic Preservation
History plays a central role in Downtown’s
character. This chapter underlines the importance
of Downtown’s historic resources, and describes
the protections that are provided in the DCP to
retain important or character-defining buildings,
as well as incentives that make adaptive reuse an
attractive option to redevelopment.
Chapter 2D: Pathways and Public Spaces
Sidewalks form the framework for pedestrian
movement through the City, often to public places
for gathering, recreation or entertainment. This
chapter strengthens the relationship between
sidewalks and public spaces with guidance for
design, orientation, and access. Importantly, this
chapter outlines strategies for increasing public
space offerings Downtown.
Chapter 2E: Supportive Infrastructure
This chapter examines the condition of existing
utilities in the Downtown and provides strategies
for implementing improvements necessary for
realizing the Plan’s vision and supporting the
projected increase in residents.
Chapter 3: Access and Mobility
People get to - and move throughout - the
Downtown in many different ways. This chapter
looks at Downtown circulation as a network of
interconnected parts and defines a coordinated
set of actions for creating a walkable and transitoriented neighborhood that connects to regional circulation networks, optimizes access to light
rail, addresses vehicle congestion, and supports
bicycling and walking as well as diverse first and
last-mile connections.
Chapter 4: Standards and Regulations
For property owners and designers, this Chapter
defines the standards regulating site changes
for new and renovated buildings. Standards and
requirements outline allowable density, building
height, open space and sidewalk widths.
Chapter 5: Design Guidelines
Instructive design guidelines provide a framework
for high-quality urban design, including building
design and public open space.
Chapter 6: Implementation Actions
Outlines the funding and financing options
for implementing the Downtown Community
Plan, and provides a comprehensive phasing
recommendation for the combined actions. This
chapter also describes the development cap and
a monitoring program that will allow the City
and community to evaluate the impact of Plan
policies.
Appendix
Staff has included the build-out analysis
developed for the Environmental Impact Report
as the appendix to provide the reader with an
understanding of what is likely to change over
the next 20 years.
HOW TO USE THIS PLAN
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
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THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
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APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 2B
COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
18 CITY OF SANTA MONICA DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 2A
DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 2D
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 2C
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
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THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 2E
SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2B: Community,
Culture, Prosperity
Chapter 2D: Pathways
and Public Spaces
Chapter 2A: Downtown Districts Chapter 2C: Historic Preservation Chapter 2E: Supportive Infrastructure
DRAFT DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 113
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APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 3
ACCESS AND MOBILITY
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9 >> IMPLEMENTATION >>
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 6
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 4
STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 5
DESIGN GUIDELINES
Chapter 3: Access and Mobility
Chapter 5: Design Guidelines
Chapter 4: Standards and Regulations
Chapter 7: Implementation Actions
HOW TO USE THIS PLAN
x CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN HOW TO USE THE PLAN
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THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN
2 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
MAINTAINING CHARACTER AND VITALITY AT THE
HISTORIC CROSSROADS OF COMMUNITY,
CULTURE AND COMMERCE.
1 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
spotlight sANtA MoNicA
ow will Downtown look in
the future? Who will call
it home? Can it work for
everyone? These questions
have been hotly debated for several
years within the community and
answers are beginning to crystallize
with the upcoming release of the
final version of the Downtown
Community Plan (DCP). The DCP
will provide a blueprint for how
the health and vitality of our
Downtown. Without a long-range
comprehensive plan, the area
would continue to be governed by
antiquated standards that were
put in place over 30 years ago,
so it’s no wonder that thousands
of community members have
participated in writing the next
chapter for the communal “living
room” of our city.
updated development controls that
will preserve Downtown’s historic
character and coastal atmosphere.
Thousands of Santa Monicans have
weighed in and have passionately
advocated for a collective vision of
Downtown that is inclusive, resilient,
sustainable and uniquely Santa
Monican. Over the last six years,
what you’ve said has been gathered
and documented in diverse forums
H
Photos courtesy of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM)
JAN-FEB 2017
and entertainment. The Downtown scene has
something for everyone. Youth fill the clubs,
theaters and unique local restaurants, while Baby
Boomers enjoy their active retirement and savor
outdoor life in Downtown’s cafes, parks, public
plazas and farmers markets. Generations come
together at the outdoor ice rink in the winter –
a cherished tradition that brings out longtime
residents and eager newcomers. New Downtown
museums that have opened as a result of the
policies in the 2017 Downtown Community Plan.
Downtown remains a “hometown Downtown,”
the center of active community life with a rich
range of civic, educational, spiritual and artistic
activities to squeeze into a visit to Downtown
Santa Monica.
Downtown is an even more successful
economic engine for the community. Coworking spaces have transformed the face of business and when and how people
work. The five-day week has morphed
into a flexible confluence of emerging
entrepreneurs and established companies
coexisting in a symbiotic relationship that
caters to both flourishing local interchange
and Santa Monica’s global connections. Talent
is drawn like a magnet to Downtown, ensuring
opportunities for every young person coming
out of our world-class schools and Santa Monica
College – and new educational institutions
drawn to Santa Monica’s reputation a place to
“Learn + Thrive.”
Downtown also continues to be a place where
visitors from all over the world come to enjoy
the natural beauty and the “sustainability first”
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Walking through the streets of Downtown in 20
years, the legacy of effective community planning
is all around you. The overall scale has changed
little, although some striking new architectural
landmarks compliment the well-preserved historic
fabric of Santa Monica’s civic heart. The vitality
of the Downtown core now extends well beyond
the Third Street Promenade and Ocean Avenue.
You have a sense of arrival when you see vibrant
activity on Lincoln Boulevard spurred on by
new housing apartment projects and witness
scores of pedestrians strolling down the
widened sidewalks on Wilshire Boulevard. If
you are coming from another part of Santa
Monica, you have a myriad of choices of
how to get there. Walking, biking, transit
and driverless cars all offer pleasant and
convenient options for getting around.
The Expo Station, now the iconic Downtown
access point, is a hub of pedestrian activity.
People throng the Esplanade, guided by
colorful signage on their way to the Santa
Monica Pier, Downtown destinations and the
seamlessly connected Civic Center and nearby
neighborhoods. Everyone loves the energy on
Downtown’s sidewalks, alleys and public spaces,
but there are also quiet green respites (that
complement urban life).
Santa Monica Place, the Third Street Promenade
and the surrounding Downtown core continue
to be well-maintained, clean and safe, with new
public artwork and a host of venues for cultural
2 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
lifestyle of a unique coastal community. Search
“sustainable tourism” on your smart device
and Santa Monica tops the list as a place where
you can stay car-free, enjoy gorgeous beaches
and patronize green businesses. The search
turns up articles in numerous news and travel
publications highlighting the achievements of
a zero-waste community. They also show the
beautiful architecture of Downtown’s buildings
as well as their energy efficiency, on-site power
generation and cutting-edge water conservation
feature.
With all this vibrant activity, it is remarkable
that Downtown accommodates more people
– residents, employees, and visitors – but
with fewer automobiles as a typical day back
in 2017. Because of policies and incentives
included in the Downtown Community Plan, the
Downtown residential population has grown,
yet many residents use their cars infrequently.
Some live car-free, taking advantage of carshare
opportunities that provide them with wheels
when they need them. Residents who don’t
own a car appreciate that they can reduce their
rent by not paying for parking they don’t need.
For some, this makes the difference, along with
other transportation savings, in affording to rent
an apartment in Downtown Santa Monica. And
while it is still difficult for a moderate income
family to buy a home on the Westside, citizen
activists take pride in the fact that Santa Monica
has consistently pursued creative tools to make
life affordable for people of all economic stations
to take part in the rich and culturally-diverse
Downtown community.
Downtown Santa Monica is the heart of the City, and a shared space where residents, employees and visitors mingle among bustling streets, active public spaces and unique destinations catering to all walks of life. 3 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
is bounded by the Wilshire Boulevard corridor
along its northern edge, Lincoln Boulevard along
its eastern edge, the I-10 Freeway to the south,
and Ocean Avenue and Palisades Park to the
west. The designated Downtown boundaries
established by the Land Use and Circulation
Elements (LUCE) and reinforced by the DCP
encompass Santa Monica’s urban core, and are
significantly larger than the area considered by
previous General Plans and Zoning Ordinances.
The DCP also evaluates the edges of the planning
area to consider boundaries and appropriate
ways to transition to the lower-intensity
residential areas.
Illustration 1.1 Downtown Community Plan Area Boundaries Lincoln Blvd
Ocean Ave
4th Street
6th Street
Colorado Esplanade
Santa Monica Blvd
Broadway
Arizona Ave
Wilshire Blvd
Big Blue Bus Yards
Bay Cities
Main Library
Boys & Girls Club
Whole Foods
Clock Tower
Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica Place
Georgian Hotel
100 Wilshire
Expo Line Station
CVS
I-10 Freeway
SANTA MONICA’S DOWNTOWN
COMMUNITY PLAN
Santa Monica’s Downtown serves as the
community’s shared living room. As the heart of
the local community, Downtown is visited more
than once per week by the majority of Santa
Monicans. The quality and charm of its buildings,
public spaces and streets make it a destination
not only for locals and Angelenos who seek a
vibrant, exciting and urban-scale ambiance, but
also for world travelers who come here to enjoy
easy access to beaches, hotel accommodations,
culture, shopping and the larger region. The
careful stewardship by city leaders of Downtown’s
economic engine has proven successful, and
Santa Monica’s Downtown has weathered
economic difficulty well. This resilience is due
to thoughtful urban planning, management and
preservation of the district’s eclectic but urbane
charm and walkability.
Plan Boundaries and Setting
Downtown Santa Monica is one of Los Angeles
county’s most recognizable city centers. Framed
by the Santa Monica Bay and mountains, the
Downtown is located centrally at the western
edge of the city, providing convenient retail,
entertainment and employee destination for all
of the city’s neighborhoods. The Downtown area
4 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Purpose
A planning legacy stretching back half a century
has facilitated the success of Santa Monica’s
Downtown, and has provided the context for the
Downtown Community Plan (DCP) to address
the challenges of modern day. The Downtown
Community Plan (DCP) builds on the strengths
of previous planning efforts that have given
shape to this important community center, in
which generations of activists, planners, and city
leaders have worked collaboratively to incentivize
housing, revitalize the Third Street Promenade,
preserve historic assets, stimulate art and cultural
activities, and address the need for sustainability
to guide future decisions. The DCP expands on
the expectations of adopted documents, like
the 1996 Bayside District Specific Plan, which
expressed clear goals to generate pedestrian
1. MAINTAIN THE “OUR TOWN” CHARACTER
OF DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA
Preserve Downtown Santa Monica’s charm and
character by requiring new development to
contribute high standards of architecture, urban
design and landscaping.
2. CREATE A NEW MODEL OF MOBILITY
Provide mobility enhancements that address
all forms of circulation while prioritizing the
pedestrian and maintaining vehicle traffic flow
for the benefit of cars and buses destined for
Downtown.
3. PROMOTE NEW HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES
Prioritize the production of new housing
units for a diverse range of income levels, and
encourage infill development that efficiently
utilizes Downtown’s limited land resources.
4. FOCUS PUBLIC/PRIVATE INVESTMENTS
TO SERVE RESIDENTS, VISITORS AND
EMPLOYEES
Focus public and private enhancements to
bring a higher level of services and community
amenities to support Downtown and its
growing community.
5. HONOR DOWNTOWN’S HISTORY
THROUGH PRESERVATION AND CONTEXT
SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN
Require an urban form and building character
that is consistent with the existing Downtown
fabric, preserving historic resources and
allowing for improved architectural design and
building diversity in new buildings.
6. CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC VITALITY
Maintain and enhance the cultural and
economic diversity that allows for the
continuing success of the Downtown.
PRINCIPLES GUIDING THIS PLAN
A series of six guiding principles, born from the comments and ideas of the community, shape the vision for the continued evolution of our City’s Downtown “living room.” These over-arching principles are implemented through goals, policies and actions that form the bedrock of the Downtown Specific Plan. activity, add new housing projects and maintain
the area’s character while allowing for its
continued evolution. The DCP provides specific
results-oriented actions to make Downtown
more vibrant and accessible to a larger section
of residents and visitors, and it promotes
urban sustainability by accommodating future
residential and employee populations within a
pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented district.
5 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
HISTORIC PLANNING CONTEXT
The 1957 General Plan
In 1957, the Council adopted new General
Plan Land Use and Circulation Elements that
envisioned a highly urbanized future anticipating
the arrival of the I-10 freeway. It focused on
development in the coastal area including
Downtown, particularly Ocean Avenue, together
with Ocean Park redevelopment. The 1957
Plan also envisioned higher, denser buildings
— goals typical of this period, characterized
by a nationwide optimism about going beyond
previous boundaries and limitations. Although
it took a decade, the vision began to come to
fruition in the 1970s on the northwestern edge of
Downtown with the construction of some of the
city’s tallest buildings, some nearly as large at 300
feet high. However, while new office buildings
brought more jobs and people to Downtown,
their construction coincided with an era of
environmental awareness. The preservation
movement began to grow, galvanized by a Council
decision to demolish the Santa Monica Pier.
In 1976, a Landmarks Ordinance was adopted
by a Council that pledged to save and restore
the Pier. By the early 1980s, the community’s
concerns about changes in Ocean Park spurred
a change in policy. The Council put the brakes
on the 1957 vision, and in 1982, the Planning
Department was directed to prepare new Land
Use and Circulation Elements with a different
way forward, culminating in adoption of the
1984 Land Use and Circulation Elements.
The 1984 General Plan and the 1996 Bayside
District Specific Plan
In 1984 the City shifted to a new model that
embraced the state-of-the-art techniques and
approaches of its time to address a sense of
growing urgency in regard to the city’s growth
and development. The 1984 General Plan
recommended increased commercial office,
retail and waterfront development in and
near Downtown, and made key urban design
recommendations that were further evaluated
in the 1996 Bayside District Specific Plan (BDSP).
The BDSP and Alternative Roadway Circulation
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) re-envisioned
Downtown’s streets as a pedestrian and transitfriendly environment. The BDSP’s economic goal was to spread the activity to 2nd and 4th Streets
through urban design that promoted walkability.
Subsequent Zoning Code amendments provided
floor area ratio (FAR) incentives for residential
uses to encourage housing development for a
mixed-use Downtown. As a result, the number
of Downtown residential units doubled over the
next 15 years to approximately 2,800 units.
Downtown has been in a constant state of evolution for the past 150 years. Above, Third Street looking south towards the Clock Tower Building in the late 1940s. Today, this area hosts the Third Street Promenade. 6 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
The 2010 General Plan
The 2010 LUCE set forth goals and policies for
an expanded Downtown and called for the DCP
to propose strategies to create the conditions
for a sustainable urban environment. This
vision included expanding cultural arts offerings
and adding both intimate and larger open
spaces to a growing residential community. It
addressed traffic, congestion and pedestrian
safety by upgrading streetscapes, optimizing
the circulation network and integrating the
Exposition Light Rail into the physical and social
fabric of the community in order meet the needs
of all people navigating Downtown. Priority
was given to public improvements that would
enhance the pedestrian experience and for
standards and programs to foster trip reduction
goals by encouraging transit, walking and biking.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
measures are central features of the LUCE.
Key signs that the LUCE vision is already coming
to fruition include the construction of the Expo
Line Terminus station at 4th Street and Colorado
Avenue and the completion of the Colorado
Esplanade. The revitalization of Santa Monica
Place, the construction of new up-to-date
cinemas, the completion of city Parking Structure
#6, the enormous success of the Downtown Bike
Center, and the recent launch of the Breeze bike
share system are just a few examples of the city’s
commitment to upholding the LUCE goals.
I ♥ Downtown Because....During outreach in 2016, this public information campaign asked residents to describe why they were so passionate about what happens Downtown.
7 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
THE FOCUSED STRATEGY
Since declaring its commitment to sustainability
through the adoption of the 1994 Sustainable City
Program, Santa Monica’s policy decisions have
been based on the essential goal of sustainability.
The DCP’s central objective is to realize this
goal within the context of the Downtown and
all that it has to offer to existing and future
generations. Six core strategies derived from the
Plan’s principles form the framework from which
goals, polices and — most importantly — future
actions are generated to usher Downtown into
its next era.
Nurturing a Complete Community
Planning policy contained within the Plan
recognizes the need for Downtown to be home
to a long-term community. Through the lens of
the Well-being Index, this plan joins together
the interconnected spheres of residential and
work life, and provides complementary actions
to expand cultural offerings. In the future, new
places, events and activities, and publicly or
privately-sponsored programs, will help round
out the daily routine and set the stage for
Downtown to continue to develop as the city’s
most exciting neighborhood.
Housing, as a primary component of mixed-use
development, is strongly incentivized in order
to promote quality living options for people of
diverse backgrounds. With the chance to live
car-free, or car-lite, in an urban setting with
clean air and access to clean beaches, living and
Two weekly farmers markets draw scores of local residents, restaurateurs, and curious onlookers who come in search of some of the nation’s finest produce. Open air activities at the Third Street Promenade and other locations make Downtown an ideal place to spend an afternoon.
8 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
working Downtown may be a logical choice for
many, including families with children. It could
mean the opportunity to walk or bike to local
recreational and cultural activities to use transit
to access the region to patronize local businesses
or to become involved in a new neighborhood
association that stewards change.
Creating a Variety of Places
Downtown’s transition into a high quality urban
neighborhood is addressed through careful landuse planning and the creation of six distinct landuse districts. These districts nurture a variety of experiences, places and buildings and are
supported by specific standards and land-use
regulations. The vision for each sub-area builds
on its existing character and geographic location.
Preserving Character and History
The careful integration of the new with the best
of the old is a significant aspect of sustainability.
The DCP aims to carefully maintain and nurture
Downtown’s character and sense of the past
through enhanced historic preservation
incentives and protective measures that include
new demolition review procedures, adaptive
reuse and context sensitive infill, as well as the
creation of a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay
District in the historic heart of Downtown.
Whether one comes Downtown to eat, shop or gather with friends, Downtown is always an active and engaging location in the heart of Santa Monica.
9 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Ensuring High Quality Development and
Community Benefits
The City expects new development to build
sustainably and contribute to the improvement
of Downtown through the provision of new public
spaces, cultural experiences and destinations,
circulation improvements and affordable
housing. The DCP supports the evolution of
memorable streets and public spaces, framed by
elegant, human-scaled buildings. Standards that
are context specific to the Downtown’s unique
conditions and setting are included in Chapter 4.
Making Streets and Public Spaces Great
Drawing on the successful models of the Third
Street Promenade, Palisades Park and the
Colorado Esplanade, the DCP identifies new
streetscape and infrastructure projects and a
solid strategy for increasing the amount of active
– and public – open space within Downtown.
A New Model for Mobility
The DCP builds on the bike and pedestrian
improvements identified by the City’s Action
Plan for Downtown locations and encourages
everyone to access Downtown by alternate
transportation. The emphasis is on moving
people in every mode, with the goal of getting
everyone safely and comfortably to their
destinations.
DEF NI NI G FEATURES OF HISTORIC CORE
ST RUCTURE OF MER I T DE SIGNAT ION
EX PLORE S TR ENGTHENING THE FOR HISTORIC RESOURCES
RELIEF FROM DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
CONSERVE CONTEXTUAL DES GI N
REDUCE HEIGHT TO PROTECT SCALE
IDENTIFY RESOURCES BEFORE PROJECTS BEGIN
INCREASE LIFESPAN OF DEMOLITION PERMITS
REQUIRE CEQA FINDINGS FOR HRI MODIFICATIONS
NE
GI HBORH
O
OD CO
NSERVATION
OVERLAY DIST
RICT
CEQA PROTECTION OF
HRI BUILDINGS
LANDMARKS ORDINANCE
STRENGTHEN THE
ADAPTIVE REUSE
INCENTIVIZE
SPECIAL STA
NDARDS FOR
THE
BAYSIDE CONSERVAT OI N
DISTRICT
ASSESS HISTORIC VALUE
IN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
HOW DO WE
PROTECT OUR
DOWNTOWN?
PRESERVING OUR CHARACTER-DEFINING RESOURCES
The DCP strongly encourages the preservation and adaptive reuse of many older, character-defining buildings Downtown. To accomplish this, the Plan establishes a unique framework of incentives and protections that will conserve historic resources for many years to come. 10 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
WHAT WILL CHANGE IN 20 YEARS?
The vision presented at the beginning of this
Introduction describes the future Downtown
environment that this plan strives to create.
But what are the incremental changes that the
community should expect to see on the ground
over the next 20 years?
The answer to this question may seem surprising:
Less than 20% of Downtown’s property area
will likely see change. This conclusion is based
on extensive analysis of Downtown’s largely
built-out condition, which was conducted for
the DCP EIR. Each new project will be guided
and reviewed so that it complies with the intent
and requirements of the DCP. Significantly, this
relatively small number of major projects will be
required to provide community benefits and a
mix of residential and commercial uses, including
affordable housing and new cultural and public
open space amenities. New projects will be
required to contribute funding for parks and
transportation improvements. They also must be
designed for large and small open spaces, better
connectivity and safety and other features that
benefit the community.
Major projects will be accompanied by many
small-scale upgrades that property owners will
initiate in response to demand for new uses
and a pedestrian-oriented environment. These
Existing Downtown Santa Monica’s built form, which is largely characterized by a three-four story building scale punctuated by a variety of tall structures, including designated historic Landmarks.
Likely to change: Small, unassuming one-story buildings. Likely to change: Surface parking lots, which detract from the pedestrian experience.
11 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Projected built form in the year 2030, which shows a largely recognizable Downtown with the exception of several new buildings that have replaced mostly one- and two-story buildings, or surface parking lots.
Likely to change: Limited-serving retail on the boulevards that have low improvement to land value.
Likely to change: Older commercial buildings at the end of their economic life cycle.
projects, over a twenty-year period, will be within
the context and character of Downtown, with
special consideration for protecting properties
on which a significant historic resource exists.
Privately-initiated development projects will be
supplemented by a host of public works and
infrastructure projects, with city implementation
guided by the DCP’s requirements and priorities
as well as by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action
Plans. These projects will include street and
sidewalk improvements and traffic light
adjustments that promote safety for pedestrians
and cyclists and accommodate transit movement,
while assisting drivers to navigate more efficiently
in and out of Downtown. Funding allocations
based on this Plan’s call for supporting cultural
arts and entertainment initiatives, together with
developer contributions, will seed the envisioned
more vibrant cultural environment in Downtown.
Importantly, in twenty years, the Downtown
residential neighborhood will grow, fostered
through DCP land-use and design requirements,
as well as guidelines and incentives for new
housing projects. The Downtown lifestyle will
attract a diverse population of all ages, as a
trend toward preferences for urban living picks
up in the coming century. The presence of more
residents is anticipated to attract a full spectrum
of local-serving amenities, similar to those found
in other city neighborhoods.
12 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
THE PUBLIC OUTREACH PROCESS
Downtown’s future has inspired community
dialogue since the formation of the LUCE that
began in 2005. From that point onward, public
engagement has been key to informing the
Downtown Community Plan process, and has
served as a reminder of the passion that Santa
Monicans feel for the city’s common gathering
space.
Debate over the future character and
composition of Downtown has been spirited.
It has shaped the vision of this Plan through
numerous community workshops, stakeholder
interviews, focus groups, meetings with the
business community, design charrettes, online
surveys as well as public hearings with many
Boards and Commissions and the City Council.
Five Years in the Making
The community, the Planning Commission,
the City Council and professional staff have
contributed to an active discussion of the
Downtown Specific Plan since early 2012. Since
that time, public outreach has included a wide
range of events and public input opportunities
that have provided valuable input to this Plan.
Favorite locations Downtown. Nearly 1200 people provided information on where they like to eat, relax, play, and people watch.
The authenticity of Downtown as a local retail area is what makes it attractive to many. Smaller shops and storefronts are preferred over large retailers or big box.
Map 4: Favorite Downtown Locations:
Eat/Drink
Map 5: Favorite Downtown Locations: Relax
In 2016, staff led a major effort to reinvigorate
the conversation on Downtown, and deployed
an unprecedented outreach effort that involved
many different formats including online
participation, social media and in-person
workshop events.
What We Learned
• We ♥ Downtown! Downtown Santa Monica
is clearly a favored part of the city for
residents, employees and visitor alike. Recent
outreach and online surveys revealed that
locals visit Downtown with great frequency
and participate in a variety of activities that
are highly social, such as shopping, dining,
entertainment, coastal viewing and people
watching.
• Let’s Keep It Local. One of Downtown’s
inherent tensions is the degree to which it
caters to the diverse needs of residents, visitors
and employees. Because Downtown is now an
established residential neighborhood as well
as a local and regional entertainment center
and an international tourist destination, the
challenge ahead is to ensure that it remains
a place that works for everyone. We learned
that both locals and visitors alike prefer
smaller scale land uses that serve daily needs.
Visitors want to go where the locals go. This
preference is also colored by a desire to see
more independent business operators and to
foster local entrepreneurialism.
13 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
NURTURING A COMPLETE AND LONG-TERM COMMUNITY DOWNTOWN
Downtown is now a bustling mixed-use neighborhood that supports a permanent residential population in addition to thousands of local Santa Monicans, employees and visitors. Strong housing incentives seek to increase the number of residents Downtown, and supports their well-being DOWNTOWN’S WELLBEING through a comprehensive planning approach that integrates public space, mobility, historic preservation and arts and culture.
DOWNTOWN’S WELLBEING
Street and public spaces will be
enlivened with new activities.
A new model for mobility will provide
more choices for moving around.
New public spaces and places will
emerge from in-fill opportunities.
Powerful incentives for building
preservation will retain historic fabric.
14 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
• Maintain Our Sense of History. Historic
preservation is important to Santa Monicans.
Popular walking areas, such as the Third
Street Promenade and neighboring 2nd and
4th Streets largely retain a number of older,
character-defining buildings, which will be
preserved through the Plan’s adaptive reuse
incentives and conservation measures.
• We Need More Public Spaces. Because
Downtown was largely developed as a
commercial district it contains very few
dedicated public spaces where groups can
congregate. We heard that enhancement or
creation of public space is the number one
priority for Downtown’s evolution. Smaller
scale public spaces, such as pocket parks,
courtyards and plazas generated more interest
than larger open spaces such as a central
park or recreation fields. Additionally, you
want to improve the quality of Downtown’s
streetscapes, emphasizing their role as public
spaces and the opportunity they provide to
make walking more comfortable, safe and
enjoyable through wider sidewalks, improved
street lighting, a larger more verdant urban
forest and street furnishings.
Civic Center, East Wing
1855 Main Street, Santa Monica
Wednesday, December 5th 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Please join the City of Santa Monica for a
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
to explore ways to make Downtown Santa
Monica a better place for you and
your family.
MANY WAYS TO WEIGH-IN!
• Topical workshops on mobility, placemaking,
historic preservation, and development
• Study sessions at the Planning Commission and
City Council to gain insight and direction on the
Plan’s core concepts
• Meetings with Landmarks, ARB, Disabilities
Commission, Housing Commission, Social
Services Commission, Recreation and Parks
Commission, Commission on the Status of
Women, Arts Commission, Senior Commission,
Coastal Commission, and the Pier Board
• Over 50 presentations to neighborhood groups,
local advocacy groups, employees, non-profits,
service organizations, and property owners
• Walking Tours of the Downtown in coordination
with the Santa Monica Conservancy
• “Community Conversations” focus groups to
address the challenging issues
• Online questionnaires and surveys
• Online and social media outreach, logging over
5 million impressions
AN UNPRECEDENTED OUTREACH EXPERIENCE
The five year process of making the Downtown Community Plan required many different methods of communicating with the community and gathering input to form the proposals for mobility, historic preservation, development, public space, and arts and culture.
Join us for a conversation
about what brings places to life!
Featuring urbanist & public space designer
John Bela, Gehl Architects
Thursday • June 9th • 7 – 9pm
Civic Center Civic Center • East Wing Room
1855 Main Street, Santa Monica
I DOWNTOWN BECAUSE...
15 1 >> INTRODUCTION
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
New public spaces emerged as the #1 priority for
Downtown. The Plan addresses this through development
requirements for new projects.
Walking is the way most people get around Downtown.
Pedestrian improvements are planned for many
intersections and thoroughfares.
Building height continues to be a subject of great debate within the community, and a challenging issue for new
development.
Historic Preservation rose to the top of the discussion when contemplating the scale and character of Downtown.
• There Are a lot of Ideas About Height. Overall,
the broad community is generally supportive
of the building height strategy represented
in the DCP to limit height in the historic core
anchored by the Third Street Promenade,
and to establish higher densities near the
transit station. However, the community
demonstrated a wide range of opinions on
the subject of whether to continue the 84-
foot height limit of the last 30 years. Many
support increased heights in return for more
public open space, while others seek generally
lower heights than 84 feet.
• Walking Is How We Get Around. The top
three ways people arrive Downtown is on
foot, on a bike or in a car. However, once in
Downtown, over 70% get around by walking.
Pedestrian counts collected in 2013 and 2015
confirm that walking is trending upwards.
Downtown and on many streets there are
more people on foot than there are people in
vehicles. To this end, you prioritized improved
pedestrian crossings and sidewalks above
many other infrastructure projects, and
identified key pedestrian thoroughfares for
streetscape enhancements, such as Wilshire,
Lincoln and Santa Monica Boulevards, as well
as 4th Street.
16 1 >> INTRODUCTION
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
DOWNTOWN’S STANDARDS
AND GUIDELINES
Chapters 4 and 5 contain “standards” and
“guidelines” that respond to the DCP’s vision
and principles, and that will direct future
development and infrastructure within
the Downtown Plan area. Standards are
requirements that must be followed by project
applicants, unless an exception to a standard is
otherwise noted. Standards are typically written
with “shall” statements. Some standards include
numeric requirements (such as floor area ratio
and height) that cannot be exceeded.
Guidelines are the City’s expectations for how
site, building and infrastructure design and
improvements should be designed. Projects
should demonstrate how they address each
guideline. However, there is flexibility in how
projects meet guidelines depending on projectspecific design and location. These guidelines are typically written with “should” statements.
In some instances, guidelines support or
recommend an activity, but would allow
alternatives. These guidelines are written with
“may” statements.
Authority
This Community Plan is adopted under the
authority of the City’s Charter, which establishes
Specific Plans as a tool to regulate land use and
development.
The Downtown Community Plan represents
the implementation of the General Plan’s goals
and policies for Downtown Santa Monica. The
Downtown Community Plan establishes the
area’s regulations and standards and shall guide
all land use and development and circulationrelated decision-making processes for the area.
The Community Plan does not replace or
augment building safety codes or other nonplanning related codes. All applications for new construction, substantial modifications
to existing buildings and changes in land use
shall be reviewed for conformance with this
Community Plan and other City code provisions.
The Local Coastal Program (LCP)
The State Coastal Act defines Coastal Zone
areas all along California’s coastline and grants
authority to the California Coastal Commission
(CCC) to issue coastal development permits
(CDPs) for projects in those zones. The purpose
is to protect natural resources and views and
ensure coastal access and visitor services.
The CCC transfers review authority to local
jurisdictions through certification of a Local
Coastal Program. The City of Santa Monica
currently has partial certification, received
in 1992, and is in the process of updating and
preparing a complete LCP to allow local issuance
of CDPs.
In Downtown, the Coastal Zone includes the
area between Ocean Avenue and the 4th St.
right-of-way (inclusive) from the north to south
district borders. Policies are included herein
for consistency with the State Coastal Act and
future LCP.
The protections for Downtown in this Plan will continue to make it a vibrant and dynamic destination.
DRAFT DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 17
FEBRUARY 2014
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 2A
DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
18 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
INSIDE THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS CHAPTER
DOWNTOWN’S NEW LAND-USE
DISTRICTS
This chapter describes the land-use
districts established by the Downtown
Community Plan. In addition to defining
the location and setting for each land
use district, this chapter also outlines the
desired character and uses to provide a
basis for the regulations and development
standards included in Chapter 4 as well as
the design guidelines that are included in
Chapter 5. The six land-use districts are
the following:
• Lincoln Transition
• Neighborhood Village
• Transit Adjacent
• Bayside Conservation
• Wilshire Transition
• Ocean Transition
THE GATEWAY MASTER PLAN
Santa Monica’s City Council identified
the area adjacent to the I-10 freeway as
possessing special conditions that require
additional analysis and planning to help
resolve critical circulation and access
issues. Serious consideration will be
given to capping over some or all of the
I-10 Freeway to better link the Downtown
with the Civic Center and Main Street. This
section discusses an upcoming effort, the
Gateway Master Plan, which will be led by
a public process to identify critical access
improvements and exploration of various
funding models for implementation, which
may include participation by properties
within the Gateway Master Plan area.
INTRODUCTION TO THE DCP’S
ENTITLEMENT, COMMUNITY
BENEFITS AND FEE PROGRAMS
This chapter also includes a discussion
of the process thresholds for various
development types as well as the required
community benefits and fees. Housing,
particularly Affordable Housing, is strongly
desired Downtown, and therefore
encouraged through standards, such a
0.5 floor area ratio increase, and process
incentives. Private property owners and/
or developers should read this section
before commencement of design, to better
understand what permit type to apply
for, and what the City might require from
projects to meet the community’s longterm expectations. Community benefit formulas for Tier 2 and non-negotiated
Tier 3 housing projects are included in
Chapter 4, Standards and Regulations.
PRINCIPLES GUIDING THIS
CHAPTER
MAINTAIN THE “OUR TOWN”
CHARACTER OF DOWNTOWN
SANTA MONICA
Preserve and enhance Downtown
Santa Monica’s charm and character
by requiring new development
to contribute high standards of
architecture, urban design and
landscaping.
FOCUS PUBLIC REALM
INVESTMENTS TO SERVE
RESIDENTS, VISITORS AND
EMPLOYEES
Focus on enhancements to the
public realm that bring a higher
level of amenities to the Downtown
community, and utilize key investment
sites identified in the LUCE to provide
district-wide enhancements to
circulation, open space and affordable
housing.
Goals, policies and actions designed
to acheive the Plan principles stated
above can be reviewed at the end of
this chapter.
19 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Illustration 2A.1 Downtown Community Plan Land Use Districts 2A.1 DOWNTOWN LAND-USE
DISTRICTS
The community’s expectation for the Downtown
area to expand as an energetic, equitable and
sustainable urban neighborhood is addressed
through physical land-use planning integrated
with circulation policies, and a well-rounded
emphasis on community services and amenities.
Many of the policies and actions throughout this
document aspire to nurture neighborhood and
economic prosperity, and are reinforced through
the standards and guidelines included in Chapter
4: Standards and Regulations, such as scale,
height and design.
The Downtown area is made up of different
character areas varying in overall density, landuse mix, height, massing and the permeability of the buildings along the street. The walk down
Santa Monica Boulevard or Arizona Avenue from
Ocean to Lincoln reveals clearly legible ‘layers’
with distinct character. This variety is reflected
in the Plan’s standards and guidelines. At the
same time, the DCP expands the boundaries of
areas of the Downtown that are not covered in
the Bayside District Plan (1996) while combining
the careful concepts of that plan with LUCE
strategies.
Reflecting these existing conditions as well as
the new Expo Line transit station, the Downtown
Community Plan establishes six land-use
Districts: Lincoln Transition, Neighborhood
Village, Transit Adjacent, Bayside Conservation,
Wilshire Transition and Ocean Transition. For
Lincoln Transition (LT)
Neighborhood Village (NV)
Bayside Conservation (BC) Wilshire Transition (WT)
Transit Adjacent (TA)
Ocean Transition (OT)
KEY
Gateway Master
Plan Area
Established Large Site Overlay
20 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Location and Setting
Lincoln Boulevard is a major artery that moves
large amounts of traffic along the eastern
edge of the District. In its current form, the
street consists mostly of a mix of auto-oriented
uses – gas stations, fast food and stand-alone
restaurants and durable goods providers – with
some medium-size office developments. The
2010 LUCE designated this area as a Mixed-Use
Boulevard and provided standards that allow this
part of the Downtown to transition to become a
Downtown gateway while respecting the lowerscale residential neighborhood to the east.
Recently completed and current applications
illustrate the demand for neighborhood
restaurants and outdoor dining serving the area.
Defining Character and Uses
As this former state highway continues to
evolve as the eastern gateway to the Downtown
District, the pedestrian realm and open-space
standards presented in Chapter 2D: Pathways
and Public Spaces, will guide new investment
making Lincoln Boulevard a more walkable
street while still performing as a major vehicular
and transit connector. The DCP continues to
encourage the creation of multi-family housing
to increase the vibrancy of the boulevard, create
foot traffic for local shops and services and allow
convenient access to transit. To that end, a
height and floor area ratio incentive is provided
the most part these Districts follow north-south
streets. The standards and regulations found in
Chapter 4 ensure appropriate variations in landuse mix as well as in the scale and density of new buildings to ensure transitions to protect
adjacent residential districts.
The following describes the location and setting
of each of the six Districts, and provides a general
description of types and character of uses to
be permitted in each. Development standards
describing height, floor area ratio and other
requirements can be found in Chapter 4
2A.1.A LINCOLN TRANSITION (LT)
Illustration 2A.2 LINCOLN TRANSITION
for housing projects to promote new residential
uses in this district. Ground floor uses for this
area should activate the street and serve the
local community with a mixture of cafes, smaller
restaurants, grocery stores and convenient shops
and services. Office and other uses that are not
intended for walk-up services should include
pedestrian-oriented design and animate the
street. Additional pedestrian amenities such
as street trees and landscaping will enliven the
character and provide physical buffers between
pedestrians on the sidewalk and cars in the street.
On Lincoln Boulevard’s eastern edge, where it
abuts the mid-city neighborhood, height and
density standards guide a sensitive transition in
building form so as not to overshadow adjacent
one-, two- and three-story residential uses.
Lincoln Boulevard is within walking distance of
the Expo station and the Bayside Conservation
district, but it has the perception of much
greater distance due to the harshness of
the auto-oriented development and heavy
traffic along the corridor. Creating a human
scale environment along the boulevard, and
encouraging pedestrian-oriented east/west
connections will support access to the light rail
as well as the peripheral parking strategy that
locates sites for significant new public parking
along the Downtown peripheries (see Chapter 3:
Access and Mobility).
21 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
2A.1.C TRANSIT ADJACENT (TA)
Location and Setting
The Transit Adjacent district roughly covers the
area within a two-and-a-half-block radius from
the Light Rail Station at the intersection of 4th
Street and Colorado Avenue. The approximate
boundaries of this district are the I-10 freeway
on the southern edge (including all freeway
adjacent properties west of 7th Court), 7th
Court to the east, Santa Monica Boulevard to the
north and the eastern part of 4th Street (where
it intersects with the Bayside Conservation
District) and Santa Monica Place to the west.
This area abuts a number of different character
areas of Downtown, ranging from the Bayside
Conservation district, through transitional mixeduse areas, to the primarily residential sections on 2A.1.B NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGE (NV)
Location and Setting
This district extends from 7th Court to 4th Court
and from the south side of Wilshire Boulevard
to Broadway between 7th Court and 6th Street,
then to Santa Monica Boulevard from 6th
Street to 4th Court. This area consists mostly of
older residential, small floor plate office, retail,
religious, and restaurant uses, as well as civic
and neighborhood serving uses such as the Main
Library and the YMCA.
Defining Character and Uses
In addition to the existing mix of housing and
commercial uses, more opportunities for local
serving pedestrian uses are desired to activate
the streets. Ground-floor residential uses are
desired for mid-block projects, and all new uses
should be incorporated in a way that respects
existing residential uses.
There are a number of surface parking lots
and underutilized parcels in this area that
could accommodate mixed-use residential and
smaller office uses. Smaller floor plate office,
with lower rents in this area could be optimal
for start-up office users, creative businesses or
non-profits. A few larger sites in this area, such
as the Whole Foods site at 5th and Wilshire,
should be considered as locations for providing
shared parking that could service the northern
end of the district. A portion of the city-owned
site on Arizona Avenue between 4th and 5th
Streets will be located in this district. It could
introduce significant landscaped public open
space, cultural uses, affordable housing, public
parking and a new hub in this area of Downtown.
Multi-modal access to the district is critical as it
is located further from the freeway and Lincoln
Boulevard entrances.
Illustration 2A.3 Neighborhood Village Illustration 2A.4 Transit Adjacent 22 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
the eastern edge of Downtown. It encompasses
the Big Blue Bus yards and freeway-adjacent
sites, including the Light Rail terminus station, all
of which will be planned in greater detail through
the Gateway Master Plan process. The Gateway
Master Plan is discussed later in this chapter.
Defining Character and Uses
To minimize new automobile trips, this area
utilizes a land-use strategy that supports increased
activity in close proximity to transit. This area
includes large properties adjacent to the freeway
and the light rail station that can accommodate
a broad mix of uses and services such as local
and regional serving retail, multi-family housing,
Class-A office, creative employment, hospitality
uses and community gathering spaces. Two
new hotels that have just opened at the corner
of Colorado Ave. and 5th Street bring new
visitors to the area with convenient access to
the Expo Light Rail. The Colorado Esplanade is
a key factor in accommodating the anticipated
increase of pedestrians as they become transit
patrons entering and exiting the station. The
DCP standards encourage a mix of convenient
goods and services in proximity to the station
so that local residents and visitors may shop on
their walk to and from the station. The standards
also anticipate additional employment sites near
transit so employees may commute to and from
work via light rail. In recent years, Downtown
has seen the loss of some office space due to
demolition and replacement for residential
and hotel uses, while demand for new jobs is
increasing. The Transit Adjacent district presents
the opportunity to meet some of the demand
near light rail so that new office uses will have
fewer vehicle trips than in the past. The Transit
Adjacent district also allows for larger sites that
can accommodate additional new shared parking
opportunities, especially for properties south of
Colorado with immediate access to the freeway.
The Esplanade, completed in 2016, realigns
2nd and Main Streets allowing a seamless
transition. It completes 2nd Street as a north/
south route and improves direct local access
between Downtown and the Civic Center. In the
future, the DCP circulation strategy calls for offramp improvements and the Olympic Crossover freeway bridge. This would allow vehicle traffic
to exit the freeway and proceed directly to
Main Street and/or Ocean Avenue via the newly
completed Olympic Drive extension, bypassing
the station area. This will relieve pressure on
the intersections at 4th and Colorado and 5th
and Colorado, and allow it to shift character
to accommodate additional pedestrians and
Downtown-destined vehicles. These strategies,
including the potential for capping the I-10
Freeway will be explored in the Gateway Master
Plan process.
2A.1.D BAYSIDE CONSERVATION (BCD)
Illustration 2A.5 Bayside Conservation
Rendering of the light rail station at 4th and Colorado.
Location and Setting
This district extends from 4th Court to the west
side of 2nd Street and the south side of Wilshire
Boulevard to the east side of Broadway. The
Bayside Conservation district is considered
the pedestrian and economic heart of the City.
Anchored by the Third Street Promenade, it
is a vibrant urban atmosphere supported by
a broad mix of building types, office space,
entertainment, retail, restaurants, cafes, salons
and exercise studios. The DCP supports the
23 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
continued expansion of the central retail district
by increasing the energy and pedestrian traffic
on streets around the Promenade. The Bayside
Conservation district has eleven City Landmarks
and several identified as potentially eligible for
designation. The district is well served by the
largest concentration of public parking in the city
with municipal parking structures #1-#10 located
on 2nd and 4th Streets. Fourth Street is currently
Downtown’s transit priority street, and is also a
main vehicle access route to the I-10 Freeway.
Even so, this area hosts a high concentration of
pedestrians who outnumber vehicles at some
intersections during peak hours. 2nd Street also
has a mixture of small floor plate and office
space interspersed with small retail including
restaurants, cafes, yoga studios and a newly
renovated art-house theater. Housing multiple
public parking structures, including the recently
reconstructed and expanded Structure #6, and
active ground floor uses, this street is busy with
pedestrian and vehicle movement. It also serves
as a key transition from Downtown to the Beach
and Palisades Park. With the completion of the
Esplanade this street has become an even more
critical north/south route for many vehicles,
bicycles and pedestrians as it provides direct
local access to the Civic Center and the freeway
via the Olympic Drive extension.
The Promenade
The iconic Promenade is one of the most successful
urban environments in Southern California. It
is a central three block-long pedestrian open
space located in the Bayside Conservation district
between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway. With
active storefronts, restaurants, services and regular
street entertainment, the Promenade is a walk
street whose vitality radiates outward to the rest
of the district with active storefronts, restaurants,
services and regular street entertainment.
The southern end of the Promenade connects
seamlessly to Santa Monica Place, the City’s urban
mall, which re-opened as an open-air shopping
center in August 2010. The Promenade resulted
from the closure of a vehicular street that was
converted to a pedestrian walk street in 1965.
The authentic urban retail, dining and cinema
experience has proven to be extremely successful
and is enjoyed year-round due to Santa Monica’s
generally mild weather conditions. The success
of the Promenade also relies on the human-scale
environment created by the buildings, representing
the traditional height and scale of the early 20th
century. Some of these buildings retain their
historic façades at ground level or on upper floors.
Newer building forms are set back at upper floors
to maintain the Promenade’s historic scale. It is
generally considered that the Promenade’s success
is also based on the city’s parking strategy, which 50
years ago produced the multiple parking structures
adjacent to the Promenade. These provide an
easily accessible “park once” opportunity that
allows visitors to leave their car in one place and
enjoy multiple activities.
Defining Character and Uses
This area should continue as a lively mix of
pedestrian-oriented uses with dynamic activity
day and night and promote a 17 hour/7 day
active district. The 4th/5th and Arizona site will
be a catalyst development anchoring the northcentral part of the district, creating a new local destination. Development on this site should
serve the local community through the provision
of new job opportunities, shopping and dining
options, and social experiences including ample
programmable public open space and cultural
uses. The land use regulations for this District
support a diversity of entertainment and
cultural options, in particular the addition of
cultural amenities such as museums, theaters
and cinemas. The development standards limit
height and FAR to preserve the ambiance of this
well-loved, human-scaled environment that is
integral to Santa Monica’s identity and image.
Specific preservation goals for this area focus
on retention and rehabilitation of the remaining
buildings listed on the Historic Resources
Inventory and restoration of existing façades
which may be hidden or obscured.
Taking into account changes in retailing, the
Promenade should continue to encourage a mix
of dining, retail and entertainment uses with
an emphasis on promoting new restaurants
and cafés. The circulation vision proposes
contemporary updates to wayfinding programs,
strategic public realm improvements and other
infrastructure upgrades that will build on the
street’s success and support the integration of
24 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
of small neighborhood serving retail and dining.
This transition area is located on the northern
most edge of the DCP boundary adjacent to
the Wilmont neighborhood. The new standards
reduce the height and density from the adjacent
Downtown core, recognizing this as a unique and
important transition area that functions both as
a local neighborhood area for convenience goods
and dining and a critical northern anchor for the
Downtown business and commercial center.
Defining Character and Uses
This district should continue to support the
smaller local serving uses that provide easily
accessible goods and services to the surrounding
neighborhood. The proposed urban scale is
designed to be complementary to the area and
steps down to the adjacent residential uses.
There is an opportunity to invigorate the area
with a program to allow the vacant courtyard
space at 401 Wilshire Boulevard to be enlivened
with convenient goods and activities (see Chapter
2D: Open Space, Illustration 4D.5) through the
privately-owned public spaces revitalization
program (“POPS”), which allows for the addition
of pedestrian-oriented uses at the ground floor
along existing urban plazas. Location and Setting
This district consists of properties on the north
side of Wilshire Boulevard between the east
side of 2nd Street and west side of 7th Street.
This area currently hosts a multitude of different
building types and heights with both large
Class-A office developments and smaller twoand three-story structures that house a mixture 2A.1.F OCEAN TRANSITION (OT)
Illustration 2A.7 Ocean Transition
Illustration 2A.6 Wilshire Transition
Location and Setting
This district essentially captures all parcels
located on Ocean Avenue between California
Avenue to the north and Colorado Avenue to
the south. This district includes a number of
buildings that have been designated as City
Landmarks or identified as potentially eligible.
Ocean Avenue includes an eclectic mix of dense
housing developments, hotels, restaurants and
small retail. It enjoys an unparalleled natural
setting with expansive views of the beach, the
Pier and Palisades Park. While the pedestrian
experience should be on a par with the world’s
great beach cities, it is marred on the east side
due to multiple curb cuts, valet operations and
inconsistent frontages and inactive plazas.
visitors arriving by light rail. The DCP supports
activities that enrich the Promenade, including
street performances and events that enliven the
street and provide memorable experiences for
visitors, while also seeking to expand cultural
opportunities including live music venues and
upgraded state-of-the-art cinemas.
2A.1.E WILSHIRE TRANSITION (WT)
25 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
2A.2 GATEWAY MASTER PLAN
(GMP) PROJECTS
The Gateway Master Plan will address the
comprehensive planning for the area adjacent
to the I-10 Freeway that links Downtown to the
Civic Center. There is a unique opportunity for
a full or partial capping of the airspace over the
freeway right of way. This would provide multiple
benefits, including:
• Mitigate noise and pollution from throughtraffic
• Seamlessly link the historic Downtown and
historic Civic Center, removing a visual and
physical divide
• Allow for better freeway entry and exit,
relieving the often congested traffic
bottlenecks
• Provide peripheral parking opportunities
that could reduce vehicular impacts on the
Downtown core
• Create beautiful new park and park life
through new public open spaces
• Provide a framework for orderly development
of currently vacant or underutilized areas
Development of the Gateway Master Plan will
be an open process facilitated by staff, and
include participation from the community,
land owners, and decision-makers as priorities
for the area are refined. Entering the city from
this key location should become an experience
that reflects the city’s values of community,
Defining Character and Uses
Public and private enhancements are encouraged
in this district to make the Ocean Transition
area a more consistently enjoyable walking
experience. Underutilized plazas and frontages
should be permitted to have limited additional
retail square footage to encourage walking and
to enliven inactive spaces as outlined in Chapter
2D: Pathways and Public Spaces. Chapter 3:
Access and Mobility, calls for the exploration of
improvements to the Ocean Avenue streetscape
and limited sidewalk widening at the southern
end to accommodate pedestrians transitioning
to the Pier and Esplanade. For the two large
sites under consideration along Ocean Avenue
it will be important to contribute to the overall
improvement of the pedestrian experience
and integrate Ocean Avenue into the larger
Downtown multi-modal circulation network.
With the arrival of the light rail, additional
pedestrians seek access to Ocean Avenue, the
Pier and the beach. Improvements should
capitalize on the increased pedestrian traffic
throughout the Downtown, and promote a
comfortable connection northward along Ocean
Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard and east toward
the Promenade, further activating and enlivening
the northern edge of the Downtown.
MAIN STREET
4TH STREET
2ND STREET
5TH STREET
6TH STREET
OCEAN AVE
PIER
OLYMPIC DRIVE
KEY
New Street
Existing Street
Diagram showing opportunity to coordinate development
of Gateway Master Plan area to achieve significant
Roadway capacity circulation improvements.
Table 2A.1 Gateway Master Plan Sites
GATEWAY SITES
120 Colorado Avenue (Wyndham)
302 Colorado Avenue (Sears)
402 Colorado Avenue/1640 5th Street (Downtown
Station Site)
1334 5th Street (Big Blue Bus Site)
26 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Pending completion of the Gateway Master plan,
interim development standards for properties
within the GMP boundaries can be found in
Chapter 4.
2A.3
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
AND NEGOTIATED
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
Project requirements for development
projects reflect the priorities of a community.
These requirements can have many forms,
but typically support programs, services and
physical improvements that achieve public
objectives under city policy. Recognizing that
all development, rather than just negotiated
development improvements, should be tasked
with improving the community, the Land Use
and Circulation Element identified public open
space, trip reduction, and affordable housing,
to be instrumental to Santa Monica’s long-term
success and viability. The LUCE sets development
baselines that align with lower intensity
development, and allows for increase in height
and density congruent with the area context, in
accordance with a tiering system.
In addition, the City of Santa Monica has
historically negotiated with landowners and
developers to provide community facilities
and services through the state approved
development agreement process. Some of
the most visible benefits derived from these
agreements have been public spaces, including
the Santa Monica Swim Center, public art,
affordable housing, community meeting spaces
and child-care facilities. Less visible, but also
important, are contributions for numerous
community-oriented endeavors such as local
hiring programs, living wages afforded to
workers, funding for the city’s public arts program
and critical public infrastructure improvements.
Negotiated community benefits can fund or
provide a number of different improvements,
ranging from affordable and middle-income
housing to targeted streetscape enhancements.
Negotiated benefits may be used in conjunction
with other funding and financing mechanisms
where appropriate. However, negotiations for
community benefits have a downside as well.
Lack of certainty and clarity on what is expected
from new development can create lengthy and
contentious disagreements about the nature
and value of specific community benefits. To the
maximum extent possible, therefore, the DCP
seeks to establish a policy-based approach to
setting transparent and consistent expectations
for negotiated community benefits. Each
development would be expected to have
supplemental economic analyses that provide a
general sense of the scale of community benefits
that could be negotiated beyond those required
by local and state law.
sustainability and pride of place. The Gateway
Master Plan would provide a roadmap for a
phased, comprehensive evolution of circulation
improvements and provide decision-makers with
a clear path for maintaining a balance between
protection, conservation, and growth. It allows
for opportunities to aggregate community
benefits for the benefit of the City as a whole.
It also provides a key opportunity to tie into the
regional circulation systems of the 1-10 freeway,
the Big Blue Bus and the Expo Light Rail terminus
site.
The GMP will provide an opportunity to
determine how properties within the Plan
area can participate in implementation of the
necessary access and circulation improvements.
Community discussion has shown a desire for
extra planning efforts to ensure properties
within the GMP area work together efficiently
and effectively to improve circulation, reallocate density where necessary and provide amenities such as open space, shared parking
and preservation of historic structures. Besides
designing circulation improvements and
exploring the feasibility of freeway capping
alternatives, the Gateway Master Plan will
coordinate with the DCP for regulation of land
use and zoning. Existing technical and feasibility
analyses from the City-owned Expo terminus
site (4CO) will be used as the basis for working
with Caltrans and addressing freeway bridging,
capping and off-ramp relocation. The 4CO work
will underlie the urban design, land use and
policy process of the GMP.
27 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
The DCP prioritizes project requirements and
negotiated community benefits that reflect
the multi-year community outreach process.
Provision of community benefits is just one
of many funding tools available to the city to
achieve the enhancements outlined in this Plan,
but it is important because it links development
with civic improvements to fulfill the expectation
that all new development will provide clear
and substantial benefits to the community.
Any project negotiated through a development
agreement would be reviewed against the Plan
carefully to ensure that it advances the goals and
vision of the DCP. Project negotiations should
focus on the improvements identified in the
project area and provide them in a manner that
enhances the district as a whole.
The system of project requirements and
negotiated community benefits laid out in this
chapter creates the opportunity to meet the
public objectives for an equitable and beneficial
environment in keeping with the long-standing
community traditions of creating complete
neighborhoods, circulation improvements,
affordable housing and other programs that
support a Santa Monica that is enjoyed by people
of all economic strata.
2.3A NEGOTIATED COMMUNITY BENEFIT
PRIORITIES FOR DOWNTOWN
As part of the Downtown Community Plan
outreach process, the City and Planning
Commission hosted many community workshops
and public hearings in addition to focus groups
and one-on-one meetings and online surveys.
Community members voiced their top priorities
for improvements to be provided in the
Downtown area at these workshops in addition
to providing written comments. While the
community outreach process elicited a broad
and varying range of desired enhancements for
Downtown, the most significant items that were
discussed as priorities were:
1. Publicly Accessible Open Space. Add outdoor
open space where local residents can gather
and enjoy a “back yard“ type of space within
a very short walk from where they live and
pedestrians can enjoy amenities that add
greenery, art and public gathering places.
2. Affordable Housing. Provide a range of
housing options at varying affordability levels
to accommodate the city’s diverse residents
and workforce.
3. Mobility and Circulation. Improve and
diversify circulation through incentive
programs and facilities for active
transportation, circulation network upgrades
(wayfinding and ramps), and provision of
a Downtown circulator that allows easier
access to and throughout Downtown.
4. Cultural Institutions. Develop a museum,
performance space and a few signature
art pieces of the level of the public art in
Millennium Park in Chicago.
5. Historic Preservation. Allow for the
preservation and adaptive reuse of
landmarked and/or character-defining
structures identified on the Historic Resource
Inventory (HRI).
28 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
“Base” Projects
Typically, developments that conform to Tier
1 standards are referred to as “base” projects.
Base projects must meet minimum project
requirements for setbacks, design and open
space, and pay adopted fees for items such
as affordable housing, trip reduction, cultural
arts and child-care fees. Projects that provide
the required percentage of Affordable Housing
Production Program (AHPP) on-site are allowed
an additional floor of housing for a maximum of
three stories and 39 feet.
1. Housing Projects
Any project up to 75,000 sq. ft. may be
processed through an Administrative
Approval.
2. Commercial Projects
Smaller commercial projects that conform to
Tier 1 standards may be processed through
an Administrative Approval.
2A.4 DCP ENTITLEMENT AND
TIER SYSTEM
The LUCE addresses the Downtown area from
a broad policy perspective, outlining goals and
objectives, but defers the specific land-use
standards to the Downtown Community Plan.
The DCP implements a modified version of the
LUCE Tiering system, which provides distinct
entitlement processes for projects of certain
sizes and/or land uses.
The DCP entitlement system differentiates
between housing projects and commercial
projects, and relies upon process thresholds
to create distinct entitlement pathways for
each project type, which are summarized in
Chapter 4, 9.10.050, Application Thresholds
Table. Downtown housing projects are strongly
encouraged to support a strong and economically
diverse residential neighborhood component
to Downtown vitality. These are consequently
provided more generous floor area thresholds
than their commercial counterpart. Housing
projects are defined in Chapter 4, Standards and
Regulations, 9.10.050.
Development Review Projects
Certain Tier 2 and certain Tier 3 housing projects
are permitted by Development Review Permit
(DRP), allowing typical mixed-use housing
projects to be approved through discretionary
review and a Planning Commission public hearing
that gives community members a venue to share
thoughts and input on proposed projects. By law,
Planning Commission decisions are appealable
to the City Council. The project requirements for
Tier 2 and non-negotiated Tier 3 housing projects
are unique to Downtown. This system of project
requirements is intended to incentivize and
place a priority on the development of housing
in Downtown, implement affordable housing
requirements that result in a greater number
and a more diverse unit mix, and ensure greater
discretionary review for commercial projects.
Two types of projects qualify for Development
Review Permits within the DCP.
29 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
1. Housing Projects
Tier 2. Tier 2 housing projects are considered
non-negotiated projects. These projects
are required to comply with affordable
housing requirements and affordability
mix as established in Chapter 4, Standards
and Regulations, 9.10.070 and must also
contribute augmented fees at Tier 2 levels.
Tier 3. In the Transit Adjacent Zone only,
larger housing projects that conform to
Tier 3 height standards are considered
non-negotiated discretionary projects.
These projects are required to comply
with affordable housing requirements and
affordability mix as established in Zoning
Ordinance Section 9.10.070 and must also
contribute augmented fees at Tier 3 levels.
2. Commercial Projects
Tier 2. Tier 2 non-residential projects between
10,000-30,000 square feet are considered
non-negotiated discretionary projects that
must contribute to the community benefits
program at Tier 2 levels.
Development Agreement Projects
Development Agreements are used to process
specific properties where special conditions of
size, shape, geography or existing or desired
development require particular attention and
additional analysis. This approach allows the city
to address the specific physical conditions and
challenges posed by these sites and negotiate
LARGE SITES PREFERRED ON-SITE COMMUNITY BENEFITS
LEED® Certification
Developer should design the Project so that, at a minimum, the Project should achieve LEED® “Platinum” certification under the LEED® Rating System
Affordable Housing Housing projects should provide substantially more affordable housing units than required for qualified Tier 3 projects by the DCP Middle-Income Housing No less than 10% of the units should be available for residents who make 130% - 180% of AMI, provided RHNA obligations have been met.
Local Hiring
Contractors should make a good faith effort to hire qualified individuals who are residents of the City of Santa Monica to comprise not less than 25% of each contractors’ total construction workforce Water Conservation
In addition to water neutrality requirements, developer should achieve a Water Conservation Requirement, defined as (i) fifty percent (50%) below the CALGreen (Title 24) baseline for exterior water use and landscaping, and (ii) thirty percent (30%) below the CALGreen (Title 24) baseline, for interior building water use
Energy Conservation
Developer should install photovoltaic panels on the roof deck of the Project sufficient to generate energy to power the Project’s common areas, excluding elevator shafts.
The Project should be designed to use and should achieve 15% less energy than required by the California Energy Code.
Transportation Demand
Management (TDM) Plan
For employees of the commercial tenants, Developer should achieve an average vehicle ridership (AVR) of 2.2 within two years of Certificate of Occupancy. The 2.2 AVR should continue to be achieved and maintained thereafter.
Developer should submit an annual monitoring report on the TDM Plan (“TDM Annual Status Report”) starting on the first anniversary of issuance of the project’s Certificate of Occupancy
Additional Fees
Transportation Management Organization contribution, Big Blue Bus contribution, Early Childhood Initiatives contribution, Historic Preservation contribution, Water Conservation program contribution Table 2A.3 Community Benefit and Fee Priorities for Development Agreements 30 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
LARGE SITES
PREFERRED
ONSITE
COMMUNITY
BENEFITS
4th Street & Arizona Avenue
Affordable Housing,
Public Open Space,
Cultural Institution
1133 Ocean Avenue
Affordable Housing,
Public Open
Space, Historic
Preservation
101 Santa Monica Boulevard
Affordable
Housing, Cultural
institution, Historic
Preservation
Table 2A.4 Preferred On-site Community
Benefits for Established Large Sites Overlay
for significant benefits from larger individual
development projects. In the Downtown district,
several project types will require a negotiated
development agreement, regardless of proposed
height and tier, with negotiated community
benefits approved by the City Council. Guidelines
for on-site benefits that are aligned with the
community benefit priorities for Downtown are
listed in Table 2A.4.
1. Housing Projects within Transit Adjacent
District.
Tier 3. Residential projects greater than
90,000 square feet that conform to Tier 3
height and FAR standards shall be required
to be processed through a development
agreement.
2. Commercial Projects.
All Tiers. Non-residential commercial
projects greater than 30,000 square feet of
floor area shall be required to be processed
through a development agreement.
Under no circumstances shall projects be
considered for increases beyond height or
FAR standards set forth in this Plan.
All development agreement projects are
expected to provide community benefits that
contribute to Downtown’s priorities and fees in
excess of Tier 3 fee requirements. Table 2A.3
provides guidelines to priority areas that should
guide development agreement negotiations.
These priority areas are a baseline for further
negotiation.
Established Large Site Overlay.
The DCP identifies three sites in the Downtown
that, given parcel size and development
standards, could potentially provide significant
community benefits for the circulation, open
space and cultural facilities that would otherwise
not be anticipated from smaller projects. These
significant enhancements are identified as part
of an overall strategy for potential economic and
functional improvements to address anticipated
future needs.
The maximum height for the Downtown is 84’.
The DCP establishes a rigorous public process
for projects on Established Large Sites to request
consideration up to an absolute height limit of
130 feet, subject to the following requirements:
1. Shall be processed through a development
agreement
2. Additional environmental review
3. Although not required per CEQA, shade and
Shadow analysis of the project’s impacts on
adjacent uses
4. Include in the application submittal
comprehensive responses to how the project
meets each of the priorities described in this
chapter.
Guidelines for significant on-site benefits that are
aligned with the community benefit priorities for
Downtown are listed in Table 2A.4. A significant
improvement, including but not limited to a
publicly accessible open space, a cultural facility
or a significant circulation element could also be
considered as a community benefit feature.
31 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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Goal LU1: The Downtown Community Plan
area is a high quality, mixed-use district
offering opportunities for housing for
people across the income spectrum, jobs,
arts and culture, local-serving retail and
community/visitor gathering places.
Policy LU1.1 Accommodate the development of
public, civic and private uses that contributes to
the quality of life and wellbeing of residents of all
ages and abilities and the sense of a “complete
neighborhood,” including such uses as arts and
cultural facilities, childcare facilities, parks, senior and youth facilities and meeting facilities, while
adhering to the desired scale and character of
development.
Policy LU1.2 Accommodate the development of
uses that support a 17 hours a day/7 days a week
environment that meets the needs of businesses
and residents; such uses include retail goods
and services, food stores, restaurants and
cafés, hotels, health clubs, entertainment and
comparable uses.
Policy LU1.3 Promote the development of uses
and facilities that enable and encourage mobility
by alternative modes to the automobile; these
include businesses for sale, service, rental and
sharing of bicycles, as well as rideshare, flex
vehicle leasing and rental services.
Policy LU1.4 Leverage the availability of citywide
and neighborhood-level data sources, including
but not limited to those available through the
Santa Monica Wellbeing Project, to advance
a diverse and thriving multigenerational
Downtown community.
Policy LU1.5 Promote the distribution of land
uses such that the most active ground floor
uses are provided in the historic core and areas
served by transit, while the least active ground
floor uses are provided in the transition areas
adjacent to residential neighborhoods.
Goal LU2: Downtown is a thriving
creative and cultural center with a unique
concentration of innovative businesses,
performance spaces, museums and
programmed events.
Policy LU2.1 Enhance creative and cultural uses,
including spaces for artists, performers, writers
and musicians, and consider development of a
prominent museum space.
Policy LU2.2 Promote the retention of existing
creative arts/entertainment uses, and provide
opportunities for the founding, nurture and
growth of these enterprises, including new
spaces in future development projects.
Goal LU3: Santa Monica’s Downtown
continues to be the economic center for the
City, providing a diverse and flexible mix of
uses that can meet future resident, business
and visitor demand.
Policy LU3.1 Encourage new office space to
serve the growth needs of existing and start-up
businesses, and provide jobs for Downtown’s
workforce, such as professionals and high-tech
workers who currently commute elsewhere.
Policy LU3.2 Provide increased cultural and
visitor-serving uses; encourage a range of
accommodation types and affordability levels
to provide overnight accommodations to the
broadest spectrum of visitors.
Policy LU3.3 For the portion of the Downtown
that is located in the Coastal Zone, strive to
achieve the goals of the State Coastal Act in
regard to low-cost visitor accommodations.
DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS - GOALS AND POLICIES
32 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Goal LU4: Downtown is an attractive
residential neighborhood with a range of
housing opportunities, that emphasizes on
affordable and family housing.
Policy LU4.1 Encourage the production of new
housing projects through standards and process
incentives.
Policy LU4.2 Expand Affordable and Middleincome Housing opportunities available for families, seniors and others in the Downtown
area.
Policy LU4.3 Accommodate a significant portion
of Santa Monica’s share of regional housing
growth as defined by Regional Housing Needs
Assessments (RHNA) within the Downtown
Community Plan Area, as compared with other
appropriate areas in the City.
Policy LU4.4 Work with the business community
to understand and incorporate the housing
needs of their employees and gain support for
marketing efforts toward Downtown employees.
Goal LU5: The Downtown Plan area
demonstrates the highest levels of
environmental, economic and social
sustainability through appropriate land use
and design.
Policy LU5.1 Leverage the economic,
environmental and social value of the Expo Line
terminus by providing additional mixed-use
development opportunities on nearby sites; also
provide affordable housing, local employment,
and robust community benefits emphasizing
a walkable district through design and the
application of extensive TDM measures.
Policy LU5.2 Promote visitor use of the Expo Line
as a convenient and safe way to visit the area.
Policy LU5.3 Set project standards requiring
designers and developers to consider and
integrate sustainable practices on site,
infrastructure and building design beginning
early in the design process, and throughout the
project’s life cycle.
Policy LU5.4 Explore options for the flexible,
adaptive reuse of buildings over the life of the
Plan.
Policy LU5.5 Incorporate Green Street features
into public right-of-way improvements.
Goal LU6: The scale and character of existing
adjacent residential neighborhoods are
respected through transitions in building
form and intensity of activity.
Policy LU6.1 Provide appropriate reductions in
building mass for properties that abut existing
residential districts.
Policy LU6.2 Encourage smaller floor plates and
neighborhood-serving ground floor uses near
existing residential uses to limit spillover of
incompatible, more intense activity.
33 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Goal LU7: New development, infrastructure
and land-use changes contribute to the
enhancement of the social, cultural, physical
and environmental quality of Downtown.
Policy LU7.1 Encourage developers to provide
uses and facilities that benefit the business
employees, residents, vitality and quality of the
Downtown Plan area.
Policy LU7.2 Require that community benefit
uses for which additional building height and
density are granted are aligned with available
citywide and neighborhood-level wellbeing data,
are consistent with the community’s priorities
and exceed those that are normally required
through the base standards of the Downtown
Community Plan.
Policy LU7.3 Address the community’s concern
about circulation and congestion management
Downtown by focusing the additional community
benefits required for “Infill Opportunities”
projects on improving the circulation network to
enhance Downtown connectivity, through such
things as the provision of new streets and or
pathways through the sites.
Policy LU7.4 When sites identified as key
opportunities for achieving a well-distributed
public space network are developed, prioritize
the provision of public space that functions like
a public park or plaza, and seek a sustainable
funding source for their ongoing maintenance
and operations.
Policy LU7.5 Encourage the restoration,
rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic
resources, both designated and those identified
on the Historic Resource Inventory, to ensure
that the physical fabric of Downtown integrates
and respects our historic assets as it continues
to evolve.
34 2A >> DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
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DRAFT DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 35
FEBRUARY 2014
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 2B
COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
36 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
PRINCIPLES GUIDING THIS
CHAPTER
PROMOTE NEW HOUSING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR DOWNTOWN
RESIDENTS
Prioritize the production of new
housing units for a diverse range of
income levels, and encourage infill
development that efficiently utilizes
Downtown’s limited land resources.
CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC
VITALITY
Maintain and enhance the cultural
and economic diversity that allows
for Downtown’s continuing success.
Goals, policies and actions designed
to achieve the Plan principles stated
above can be reviewed at the end of
this chapter.
INSIDE THE COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY CHAPTER
CREATING A LONG-TERM
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY
Downtown is already home to thousands
of individuals. In the coming years, a
new supply of residential units will add
even more diversity and character to
this growing neighborhood. This chapter
provides information for private property
owners, developers and the city about
ways to better serve the needs of these
existing and future populations in ways
that contribute to their wellbeing, from
affordable housing to community services
and local-oriented land uses.
JOBS AND ECONOMIC
SUSTAINABILITY
The Downtown workforce constitutes 25%
of the city’s total employee population. In
addition, many services that residents and
visitors need are located in Downtown.
To remain a vital economic engine,
Downtown will be tasked to expand
options and experiences centered around
office, retail, dining and entertainment,
and hospitality and tourism. This chapter
defines Downtown’s needs for economic
health, and qualifies the types of land
uses and spaces that are desired most by
Downtown consumers.
ARTS, CULTURE AND
ENTERTAINMENT
As the Downtown community grows, so
will the need for additional arts, culture
and entertainment options to support
a vibrant urban neighborhood. New
facilities, cultural institutions, public art
and festivals and other program details
are described in this chapter.
37 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Downtown hosts a diversity of offices and other activity.
The Third Street Promenade is not only a global attraction, but also a popular recreation choice for Los Angeles area residents.
Recently built residential buildings have added a new
population to Downtown’s fabric, and have created the
conditions for a truly mixed-use urban neighborhood.
The “Whale” at Santa Monica Place is one of the City’s only indoor playgrounds.
to create more opportunities for Downtown’s
business owners and employees to find housing
opportunities within the city so that they can
“live local.” This chapter also seeks to strengthen
Downtown as a civic space for the broader
Santa Monica community who enjoy coming
here to dine, shop or be entertained. Additional
Downtown experiences and new places to go
create exciting reasons for the city’s residents to
come together Downtown.
2B.1 AN INCLUSIVE
COMMUNITY
Since the mid-1990s Downtown has emerged as
one of the City’s most vibrant neighborhoods,
featuring a growing array of housing, employment
and entertainment options that appeal to many
members of our community. Individuals seeking
a walkable urban lifestyle come to Downtown
to live, work and play within the heart of Santa
Monica, and to relish in the varied cultural and
entertainment experiences that are built in to
the daily routine. What makes it all work for
Downtown’s nearly five thousand residents is
the easy transition between home life, work
and entertainment. This quality is unique, and
represents an opportunity for the city to expand
this lifestyle choice to a broader section of Santa
Monica through the Downtown Community Plan.
This chapter provides the framework for nurturing
a complete and long-term Downtown community
based on an appreciation of how housing, jobs,
services, cultural institutions and other activities
all relate to one another and contribute to the
wellbeing of residents. Policies and actions
found at the end of this chapter prioritize a
range of housing (affordable, middle-income
and family-sized) amidst new cultural venues
and programs. Skills training, entrepreneurial
development and job creation are also tied to
building community and fostering “work local”
opportunities for Downtown’s resident base and
aspiring entrepreneurs. Similarly, it is important
38 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2B.1A A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD
Downtown is the area in which the largest share
of new housing production is anticipated in
the city over the next 20 years. In many ways,
Downtown is already becoming a “complete
neighborhood,” with a sizable residential
population blossoming within its borders. Yet
despite its growth, challenges exist to the vision
of a stable Downtown neighborhood. As density
increases, so does the need for supporting
services, public space and parks, safety measures
and local-serving amenities to serve individuals
and families. Some of these new neighborhood
features and services will be implemented by the
city, while a far greater number will need to be
included in private development projects. This
includes the creation of larger, more affordable
apartments and condominiums.
The compact, mixed-use environment of
Downtown presents an opportunity to increase
the availability of housing in a more efficient
and less impactful way than in other parts of
the city. Higher density apartment buildings,
condominiums, and townhomes work well within
the walkable city-block structure. Immediate
access to transit and social services make
Downtown an attractive option for low-income
or fixed-income people, as well as for individuals
interested in living car-free or car-lite. These
groups include young adults, seniors, families
with children, and Santa Monica’s workforce,
who largely commute to Downtown from outside
the city limits (only 5 percent of Santa Monica
residents work Downtown). Creating an inclusive
neighborhood will ultimately strengthen and
support the existing economic and cultural
base, which will be supported by the additional
programs recommended by this Plan.
Community Wellbeing
The City’s Wellbeing Project is a public initiative
that uses the science of wellbeing to better
understand the community by looking beyond
traditional performance measures or economic
indicators and using a new method to gain
an understanding of how all of these factors
interact and affect residents’ quality of life. The
core of the project is the Wellbeing Index, which
provides the city with a snapshot of its current
wellbeing strengths and needs by analyzing data
collected from residents, city departments and
social media to gain a robust understanding of
how the people of Santa Monica are doing across
multiple measures known to influence wellbeing.
As the heart of the city, Downtown plays a vital
role in helping the community balance these
objectives by providing opportunities for upward
mobility in an environment that is safe, beautiful
and equitable. Nurturing this “social capital” can
provide the community with strong connections
among inhabitants to flourish in good times and
withstand the tough ones. An analysis of the
results of the Wellbeing Index for zip code 90401,
which wholly encompasses Downtown and
4-square blocks of the Mid-City neighborhood
demonstrate that Downtown residents benefit
from many positive dimensions measured in the
Wellbeing Index, such as access to healthy food,
proximity to culturally enriching experiences and
institutions, use and enjoyment of Downtown’s
outdoor spaces, and frequent use of the many
mobility options provided. However, the Index
also points to areas of concern that highlight
the growing pains of a residential neighborhood.
The metrics for stress, stability and work-life
balance all register slightly higher Downtown
than any other neighborhood in the city. One
indicator of particular concern to the planning
team reveals that Downtown residents do not
feel connected to one another in the way that
fosters community, trust among neighbors and
social interaction.
Identifying these strengths and weaknesses
provides the opportunity to envision the
Downtown Community Plan with an eye toward
improving the wellbeing of its residents. Tying
According to the findings of the Wellbeing Project,
Downtown community enjoys many positive attributes, but is also vulnerable to a few negative ones as well.
39 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
the results of the Index to Plan policies and
standards strengthens the logic for prioritizing
affordable housing, public open space, new
neighborhood serving uses and youth and senior
services.
Housing Mix
The vision for the Downtown neighborhood
embraces families of all sizes and ages. The
studio and one bedroom units that have been
developed over the past half-decade are a desired
residential type and appropriate to Downtown
for people seeking more independence from
driving, and better access to entertainment and
cultural venues; however, these unit types do not
cater to all living situations that would nurture a
complete and long-term community. This Plan
envisions a greater mix of housing options.
Further, the new housing stock is almost entirely
rental units, and market rate housing is priced at
the high end of the market. Current Downtown
monthly rents are not a typically viable option for
lower- and middle-income households (See Table
2B.1), and very few for-sale units are currently
available or being developed. Strategies and
requirements for increased housing affordability
Downtown are discussed in the next section, A
Spectrum of Affordability.
Families with children occupy less than 3 percent
of existing units Downtown, compared to 17
percent citywide. Two-bedroom units, and
some larger units of three or more bedrooms
are needed. Accessible units that accommodate
New housing development can provide options for low- and middle-income households in the workforce.
Recently constructed housing in the Downtown has focused on the creation of studio and one-bedroom units. Larger units are desired to nurture a long-term community.
Table 2B.1 2015 Downtown Rents
BDRS MARKET RENT
CONTROL CITYWIDE
1 $3,296 $2,701 $3,206
2 $5,276 $3,138 $3,898
Source: City of Santa Monica Rent Control Board, 2015;
Strategic Economics; RealAnswers
seniors and persons with disabilities should also
be included in new developments. Downtown has
the greatest opportunity to accommodate new
housing construction in the city. Implementing
the following will promote housing variety and
a stock of “stabilized” units for both low-income
and middle-income individuals and households,
as well as households with multiple occupants.
Bedroom Mix Requirements
(see Zoning Ordinance)
Tier 2 and Tier 3 “average bedroom factor”
requirements will result in a larger diversity of
units within Downtown.
Community Benefit Priorities – Negotiated
Projects (see Chapter 2: Downtown Districts)
In addition to conforming to the Tier 2 and
Tier 3 average bedroom factor requirements,
negotiated projects provide the opportunity to
increase the number of larger units suitable for
families to the maximum extent feasible. These
additional units could be paired with deedrestrictions on rent to make them affordable to workforce and middle-income households.
Incentives for Housing Construction
(see Chapter 4: Standards and Regulations)
To encourage the production of housing
Downtown, projects that meet the definition of
“Housing Project” as defined in Section 9.10.050
may qualify for a floor area ratio bonus of 0.5
FAR.
40 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Luxury housing with high rents have frustrated many who wish to move into the Downtown.
The Expo Light Rail presents the opportunity to create
more transit- and pedestrian-oriented housing that is
available to a wider group of households and income
levels, particularly in the Transit Adjacent District.
Ownership
Ownership housing in Downtown is scarce,
with less than 4 percent of units being owneroccupied. Outreach conducted for this Plan indicates that the community is also interested
in seeing residential ownership opportunities
in the district. As the lending market for
condominiums improves, the Plan encourages
units to be constructed that cater toward
permanent Downtown residents of all ages, and
particularly those working in the Downtown or
Oceanfront districts. A modicum of condominium
development that does not displace existing
rental housing is encouraged, and should be
marketed towards the Santa Monica workforce.
A Spectrum of Housing Affordability
Downtown is a microcosm of the Santa Monica
housing market and an example of the challenges
that the community faces to foster diversity and
inclusivity. High land values, low vacancy rates
and the appeal of the Downtown Santa Monica
lifestyle has resulted in the highest rent levels in
Los Angeles County. As a result up to 91 percent
of Downtown’s workforce, even those in the
“middle-income” range, live elsewhere.
The City’s Affordable Housing Production
Program (AHPP) has been instrumental in
adding to Downtown’s inventory of permanently
affordable units, but deeper involvement and
contributions from private development are
necessary to create a more consistent range of
units affordable to all income levels. The 2013-
2021 Housing Element reinforces the city’s
commitment to providing a range of housing
types and affordability levels, particularly for
those employed in the city.
Renters constitute the other 96 percent of
Downtown households, compared to 73 percent
citywide. In Downtown, where rents average
$2,700 – $3,300 per month for a one-bedroom
apartment, over half of households spend at
least one-third of their income on housing
costs, with many spending upwards of half their
income on housing alone. New developments
are not included under rent control, and rents
may increase unpredictably as dictated by the
market. While the AHPP program requires the
construction of deed-restricted, below-market
units, it does not provide assistance to the large
number of households just above the restrictedincome levels who do not qualify for subsidized housing.
In response to community input heard during the
outreach effort, this Plan provides a mechanism
to fill the gap in the housing market for middleincome households as a means to achieving a more permanent and stabilized Downtown
community.
Community Benefits – Negotiated Projects
(see Chapter 2: Downtown Districts)
Negotiated projects are encouraged to include
some residential units deed-restricted to
130%–180% of Area Median Income (AMI) with
regulated minimal rent increases. This approach
provides financial assurance to persons and
41 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program, 2013 Source: Strategic Economics Downtown Santa Monica Occupational-Wage and Rental Affordability Analysis, 2016
DOWNTOWN CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Workers Employed
Residents Workers Employed Residents
Count % of
Total Count % of Total Count % of Total Count % of Total Total Jobs 22,064 100% 1,720 100% 86,520 100% 45,359 100% Jobs by Age
29 or younger 6,917 31% 375 22% 20,560 24% 8,541 19%
30 to 54 11,958 54% 1,009 59% 50,274 58% 26,638 59%
55 and older 3,189 14% 336 20% 15,686 18% 10,179 22%
Jobs by Earning
$15K or less 5,370 24% 482 28% 17,316 20% 11,320 25%
$15K to $40K 7,129 32% 372 22% 26,004 30% 10,057 22%
More than $40K 9,565 43% 866 50% 43,200 50% 23,981 53%
FAMILY SIZE PERCENT OF AMI MAX HOUSEHOLD
INCOME
MAXIMUM RENT (2
BDR)
3 members 130% $75,816 $1,895
3 members 150% $87,480 $2,187
3 members 180% $104,976 $2,624
Table 2B.2 Workers and Employed Residents: Downtown and the City of Santa Monica Table 2B.3 Middle Income Housing Affordability
Overlooking the Expo alignment, a new housing project
offers the opportunity to bridge jobs, housing and
transportation.
The DCP promotes the creation of middle-class housing
that caters to individuals and families who earn too much to qualify for Affordable Housing and too little to afford market rents. Many of these people work in the Downtown. 42 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
families at lower-middle income levels and
creates the long-term opportunity to remain
in Downtown as part of the neighborhood
community. Table 2B.2 uses 2013 affordability
measures provided by the State and modified
for the Los Angeles region, and extrapolates
further to understand how much middle-income
earners can afford to pay in rent (a family of
three individuals is used as an example).
Deed-Restricted Affordable Housing
Pressures on the existing housing stock in
Santa Monica from market forces and changes
to state and federal laws impact affordable
housing opportunities for low- and moderateincome persons and families. This is true for existing residential properties and residents
living Downtown. The City’s Housing Division
works with affordable housing providers and
multifamily property owners to ensure that
economic diversity, a hallmark of Santa Monica,
continues to flourish and that longtime residents
can remain in their households.
As new residential and commercial projects
are proposed, the DCP’s modified projects
requirements will generate additional deedrestricted units either on-site, off-site or through linkage fees to build affordable housing. With the
State’s elimination of Redevelopment Agency
funding, building new deed-restricted affordable
housing Downtown will increasingly rely on
requirements applicable to new development
and on partnerships using Federal, State and
local funding sources that emerge to fill the gap.
Some additional units may be obtained through
the development agreement negotiation process
on a site-by-site basis, particularly on large
properties.
Affordable Housing Requirements
(see Zoning Ordinance)
Tier 2 and Tier 3 housing projects are required to
provide an augmented percentage of on-site or
off-site deed-restricted below-market units.
Community Benefits – Negotiated Projects
(see Chapter 2A: Downtown Districts)
Chapter 2A prioritizes Affordable Housing as
the city’s number one community benefit.
Negotiated projects should provide substantially
more affordable housing than otherwise required
by base standards.
Special Incentives for 100% Affordable Housing
Projects
To incentivize the production of affordable
housing, 100% Affordable projects are provided
the following incentives districtwide:
• Administrative Approval for all projects
regardless of number of units;
• Height and FAR bonuses.
Community Services
The city’s range of supportive services, programs
and projects help sustain many individuals’
cultural, social and physical needs. Accessible
public facilities are available throughout
Downtown for those in need, including children,
families, seniors, people with disabilities and
low-income or homeless individuals.
Recently constructed Affordable Housing projects provide diversity in `Downtown’s stock of residential options.
43 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
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As the Downtown neighborhood grows over
time to include a wider range of households,
the city and its partners will need to evaluate
the sufficiency of existing services. These
include childcare and early education centers,
an expansion to the WISE senior assistance
programs, employment training and placement
organizations, physical and mental health care
services such as OPCC, recovery services and
support for families and individuals challenged
by physical disabilities. Similarly, as more children
are raised within Downtown , the city and the
Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
should monitor the availability of classrooms for
this demographic. Currently, adequate school
facilities exist within the city. Proximity to the
city’s public schools — Roosevelt Elementary,
Lincoln Middle School and Santa Monica
High School — as well as a number of private
schools, provide sufficient choices and access to
nearby academic facilities for families living in
Downtown.
2B.2 A DIVERSE AND
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
Downtown’s economic success is a major
component of the city’s fiscal sustainability,
which supports high levels of community
infrastructure, financial assistance to the local
school district, and social services, events and
programs that Santa Monicans enjoy on a daily
basis. This plan promotes an economic vision that
supports the continuity of local businesses while
welcoming new investment to serve Downtown’s
years, exceeding the increases in occupancy
rates, absorption and rent levels experienced in
neighboring submarkets and Los Angeles County
as a whole. The scarcity of available office space
and the shortage of space with the characteristics
and amenities offered to creative businesses
elsewhere in the region poses a challenge to
Downtown’s economic sustainability in the
coming years.
Downtown also holds great appeal for locals
and out-of-town visitors alike. This Plan provides
the policies and standards to support economic
success by retaining important businesses,
encouraging new visitor uses, diversifying
entertainment and cultural attractions (e.g. live
local community and visitors. The combination
of a world-class retail district encompassing the
Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place,
a variety of different types of work places and
hotels, and a growing residential market — all in
a walkable, beach proximate setting — provides
a solid economic base for the City and must be
nurtured.
Over the past few decades, Downtown Santa
Monica has evolved into a unique and popular
place, attracting a growing number of high-tech
creative businesses and entrepreneurs that
have formed a cluster known as “Silicon Beach.”
As with housing costs, commercial rents in the
Downtown have risen significantly in recent
Illustration 2B.1 Workers per Square Mile (Source: LEHD “On the Map,” 2013) Occupational-Wage and Rental Affordability Analysis | January 15, 2016 44 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
0 2
4 6
8 10
12 14
16 18
Downtown Santa Monica
Office Inventory (Millions sq. ft.)
Class A Class B Class C
music venues) and enhancing accessibility and
mobility features in order to help people arrive
and get around comfortably. The Plan’s emphasis
on transportation demand management (TDM),
supporting non-vehicular modes of transport
in order to reduce traffic and greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions, aims to improve the Downtown
experience for everyone.
The following analysis of regional and localserving retail, employment, office, and hospitality uses is followed by goals and policies
to increase Downtown’s diversity to ensure
continuing economic strength, diversification
and sustainability.
Employment
There are approximately 27,000 – 29,000
workers employed in Downtown today with
a broad range of professional, creative, retail,
construction, government, hospitality and service
industry jobs, all of which generally reflect the
composition of the larger city economy. In 2010,
the LUCE projected that the local job market
would grow by approximately 150 net new
jobs per year citywide. It is anticipated that the
majority of new jobs will be located Downtown,
in the Healthcare District and in the Bergamot
Plan area.
Business Development
This Plan aims to continue a flexible “local
business-friendly” environment in Downtown
that can provide space for a broad mix of job
opportunities in new and expanding industries.
Policies support programs like “Buy Local Santa
Monica” and “Green Business Certification,”
which were created by the Santa Monica
business community, the local merchant/business
organizations (including DTSM, Inc.) and the
City of Santa Monica. These programs help raise
awareness about the economic, environmental
and community benefits of shopping, eating and
playing locally, and in promoting best practices
in business greening and sustainability. There are
currently over 850 businesses citywide that are
actively involved in the Buy Local campaign with
180 of those located in the Downtown district.
Downtown Office Space
In the last decade, Santa Monica has gained the
nickname “Silicon Beach” for its ability to attract
and grow technology companies. With a limited
supply of Class-A office space in a walkable, mixeduse urban environment, Downtown occupancy rates are holding at 94 percent compared to 93
percent for the westside market and 90 percent
for Los Angeles County (Source: CoStar). Office
rents in Downtown Santa Monica average 59
percent higher than countywide averages. This is
true despite the aging quality of the office supply,
in part because the continued increases in demand
for space exists in an environment in which there
has been almost no additional office space added
(entitled or constructed) in the last 20 years.
Illustration 2B.2 Occupancy Rates for Commercial Office in Santa Monica and Downtown 45 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Downtown has already experienced the loss of
several significant employers, including Google
and Riot Games due to lack of available office
space to accommodate their growth needs.
Many other local businesses are constrained
by the lack of larger contiguous work space
availability and are at risk of leaving. Limited
space also drives higher rents, which poses
barriers to entry. Small businesses, in particular,
face a challenge in entering the westside office
market due to high rents and limited availability
and work spaces that are suitable for start-up
ventures. This shortage is exacerbated when
office space is lost through redevelopment and/
or conversion to residential or hotel use. As long
as demand continues to exceed supply, the rents
will continue to escalate, running the risk of
pricing out local businesses of any size. This, in
turn, impacts the quantity of available jobs and
services for the city’s residents and impacts the
city’s overall fiscal health.
Furthermore, Downtown has lost some of its
current office supply as the aging office space
stock is being replaced by other uses, such as
housing, through repurposing and competing
demands. Recognizing the importance of
these businesses for the city’s economic
sustainability, this Plan supports a balance of
uses to retain a wide spectrum of jobs and
remain consistent with the City’s Strategy for a
Sustainable Local Economy.
As the regional economy continues to improve,
demand will continue to grow for new office
spaces. Small and incubator businesses, as well
as medium- and large-sized businesses should
be accommodated within Santa Monica to allow
the City to be regionally competitive and provide
new job opportunities for local residents. The
economic analysis conducted for this Plan
concluded that the superior transit access
provided by the proximity of the Expo Light
Rail terminus station will further accelerate the
demand for Santa Monica office space during the
second half of this decade.
Most future office growth in Santa Monica is
anticipated to be located near the Expo Light
Rail stations. For optimal trip reduction, special
consideration is given to opportunities for new
Downtown office space in the Transit Adjacent
district, which allows higher density within the
immediate area of the Light Rail Station. Because
of the daytime pattern of office uses, parking
associated with these buildings can be shared
with nighttime and weekend uses.
Creative Office and Local Education
Santa Monica’s youth are the future creative
workforce. The Los Angeles High Impact
Information Technology, Entertainment &
Entrepreneurship, and Communications Hubs
(LA HI-TECH) Regional Consortium works with
Santa Monica High School students to prepare
them for higher education in the technology
field. This innovative entity provides students
with pathways towards the following areas: 1)
Design, Visual and Media Arts; 2) Information
Support and Services; and 3) Software Systems
Downtown office space is changing as the way that people work changes. Recent additions to the City’s co-working spaces include WeWork off the Third Street Promenade.
Creating pathways from education to employment is vitally important. Local organizations, like LA HI-TECH help create those connections.
46 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
The Third Street Promenade is the center of Dowtown’s
social life and a retail force. Potential future events and public works projects will maintain its relevancy.
and Development, and the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Industry.
Many success stories can be attributed to LA
HI-TECH efforts and with nearly 2,000 SMC
students anticipated to graduate in 2017 –
some with Associates Degrees, others with
certificates – many will move on to universities
while others will go directly into the job market.
Santa Monica’s Silicon Beach firms are also
placing emphasis on hiring local and fostering
the important work-life balance and quality of
life that Santa Monica offers. A major factor
in locating to Santa Monica is the high-quality,
skilled local workforce and the locational benefit
that Santa Monica offers in helping these
companies recruit top talent from the region
and globe.
Retail, Dining and Entertainment
Downtown is Santa Monica’s premier retail
and entertainment district, with significant
pedestrian activity and market-setting rents.
Sales per-square-foot perform among the top
tier of U.S. retail districts. Downtown’s retail
sector:
• Provides a wide array of goods and services
for local residents
• Serves as a source of recreation and
entertainment for both residents and visitors
• Offers an important source of employment at
a range of skill levels
• Generates retail sales taxes that currently
constitute 12-14% of the City’s General Fund
• Generates 34% of the City’s total taxable sales
Downtown’s restaurants, open space and its
movie theaters are also a draw, as are the
Farmers’ Markets and the seasonal winter
ice rink. There is potential to further build the
connections with beach visitors, with positive
consequences for Downtown’s economic vitality,
through better access, signage and wayfinding,
and the new public spaces such as Tongva Park,
the Colorado Esplanade as well as other public
pedestrian and roadway improvements.
In particular, expanded retail and restaurant
options are desirable east of 4th Street to meet
the growing needs of the blossoming mixed-use
residential populations who are occupying new
buildings on 5th, 6th and 7th Streets and Lincoln
Boulevard.
The Third Street Promenade
The center of Downtown activity is focused on
the Third Street Promenade, which deserves
special consideration in discussing Downtown’s
economic sustainability. The Promenade’s
success is well established, largely in part to
the management of Downtown Santa Monica,
Inc., (DTSM) the business improvement district
whose mission is to promote and market the
area. It also maintains the physical spaces and
enhances the pedestrian environment through
programming, signage and special events.
Building off the Promenade’s wide array of retail
and dining experiences, DTSM has successfully
nurtured a vibrant street life by managing and
monitoring outdoor performers, who appeal to
a diverse audience, both local and non-local. In
2016, DTSM recorded over 16 million footfalls on
the Promenade alone.
The Third Street Promenade is anchored on
the south end by Santa Monica Place, the
city’s only shopping center. The 2010 “opensky” remodel of Santa Monica Place created a seamless connection to the Promenade, further
strengthening its vibrancy, particularly along the
southern blocks. This area benefits from the
Expo Light Rail transit system and Downtown
station. It will be important in the future for
the Promenade’s management to continually
reevaluate and refresh this important public
space so that it remains attractive and exciting.
Opportunity exists to continue to strengthen
the vibrancy of the northernmost block of the
Promenade, between Arizona and Wilshire
47 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Boulevard, because it is generally less active
than other sections despite quality retail and
restaurant destinations (some independently
owned and local-serving) both on the Promenade
and along Wilshire Boulevard.
Improvement projects to maintain the
Promenade’s vibrancy, and to address activating
the northern blocks are proposed in Chapter
2D, Pathways and Public Spaces. These include
exploring the creation of a fund to implement
capital improvements that will improve the
Promenade’s sidewalk areas to create a more
uniform experience. The expansion of the
sidewalk on Wilshire Boulevard between 2nd
Street and the Third Street Promenade on the
southern edge is also proposed as a “Signature
Sidewalk” that could serve to activate the
northern border of the Promenade, connecting it
to Palisades Park and a potential public space at
the Miramar property. Signage and wayfinding,
along with year-round street performance and
other outdoor event programming (e.g. DTSM
Cinema on the Street) will further help support
an overall vibrant Promenade, at both ends of
the pedestrian street.
Cinemas
A key source of Downtown’s success has been
its concentration of movie theaters, which were
sited on the Third Street Promenade to serve as
a catalyst for pedestrian-oriented activity. This
Plan encourages the continued retention and
further renovation of the two existing Third Street
movie theaters to reinforce the Promenade’s
position as an entertainment center. In 2016, a
new multi-screen ArcLight theater was added to
Santa Monica Place. As cinemas evolve, Santa
Monica should continue to provide new stateof-the-art entertainment venues.
Hospitality
As a top destination for regional, national and
worldwide travelers visiting the Los Angeles
area, the Hotel and Tourism sector is a major
employment and tax contributor to the City of
Santa Monica. Downtown Santa Monica’s hotels
generated almost $15 million in transientoccupancy tax (TOT) in 2015. International tourism is an important component of the visitor
profile in Santa Monica, and foreign tourist
counts are projected to increase during the Plan
period. Studies have identified the burgeoning
middle class of China, India and Brazil to be a
major influence on worldwide travel patterns
and will become one of the primary demand
drivers for new hotel rooms forecasted between
2017 and 2030.
Hotels are a valuable contributor to Santa Monica’s fiscal health. New hotels are under construction near the Expo Station.
People visit the Promenade for a variety of reasons. To shop, eat, be entertained or just to pass a few hours taking in the local sights and sounds.
48 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2B.3 A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY
Santa Monica’s residents have a strong interest
in the arts, as more than 40 percent of working
residents are employed in creative industries.
Reflecting this statistic, Santa Monica’s arts and
entertainment community has grown over the
past several decades, with many film and media,
music, art gallery, theater, internet and nonprofit organizations opening in Santa Monica, especially in the Bergamot Plan area and the
Olympic Boulevard corridor. Many have also
moved into Downtown Santa Monica. As more
creative businesses locate Downtown, the
demand for new and more diverse art, cultural
and entertainment activities is increasing.
Market demands put strains on Downtown’s
existing portfolio of hotel properties, which are
generally older and mostly built before 1970. In
some cases, room sizes are smaller than current
market standards for premium beachfront
properties, which constitute the majority of
overnight accommodations in the Downtown
and near the beach. Downtown hotel room
rates are amongst the highest in the region. Two
new hotels adjacent to the Downtown terminus
station have opened. Additional overnight
accommodations are desirable, particularly
those that cater to lower incomes, youth, and
visitors on a budget. Demand remains robust
to support additional rooms beginning late this
decade and continuing into the next.
Hospitality uses, and hotels in particular, are very
compatible with other Downtown businesses
and have been shown to contribute economically
with minimal traffic impacts. Patrons of hotels
are a constant consumer group that supports
the local restaurants, stores, and entertainment
venues, adding to the pedestrian vitality and
experience. Surveys conducted by Santa Monica
Travel and Tourism (SMTT) have consistently
shown that over 70 percent of hotel visitors do
not use a car once they arrive in Santa Monica.
To establish Downtown’s identity as a major
cultural center, the City must carefully consider
new opportunities for cultural engagement to
stretch Downtown’s vibrancy to a full 17/7 weekly
calendar. Building from the traditionally retailcentered economic base, events, major artworks, unique creative expressions, and live music will
infuse the street and public spaces to strengthen
Santa Monica as a cultural destination. Combining
the established retail experience with diverse
cultural and entertainment destinations will offer
multiple reasons for local workers, residents
and visitors alike to spend time Downtown and
increases the viability of the traditional drop-in
and destination-dependent retail. As brick and
mortar retail continues to compete with Internet
shopping and online delivery conveniences,
the overall visitor interactive experience of
Downtown is paramount.
Source: Santa Monica 2013 Tourism Economic and Fiscal Impacts and Visitor Profile 2012 2013
Total Annual Visitor 7,311,000 7,298,857
International 4,136,567 3,880,100
US Domestic 3,174,373 3,418,800
Total Overnight 916,977 962,380
Annual Spending $694,934,500 $827,667,000
Daily Per Person $286 $310
Table 2B.4 Tourism and Visitor Profile
49 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
The largest component of the creative economy in Los Angeles County is the entertainment industry, which is not surprising considering the region’s billing as “entertainment capital of the world.” The creative economy and Santa Monica’s
cultural landscape are intrinsically connected.
More creative businesses and individuals are
moving Downtown and, according to the 2016
Otis Report on the Creative Economy, growth in
these industries is expected to increase.
` Digital Media is expected to grow the
fastest with employment rising by 16%.
Considering the strong demand for
video games, smartphones and table
computers there is good reason to expect
a healthy rate of growth through 2019.
` Product/Industrial Design is
forecast to grow by 20.9%.
Consumers are increasingly demanding products that are unique and well designed. ` Entertainment will also post robust growth (3.6%). Much of this improvement flows from L.A. County’s signature motion picture production industry ` Architecture & Interior Design employment will increase by 16.8% as a direct result of growth in residential and nonresidential construction.
A REGIONAL CENTER FOR THE CREATIVELY INCLINED
LOS ANGELES REGION
Prepared for Otis College of Art and Design by the
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
FAST FACTS
744,100 Jobs (direct, indirect, induced)
IN L.A. REGION
L.A. REGION
CREATIVE INDUSTRY
OUTPUT ALMOST
$177 Billion
(direct, indirect, induced)
L.A. REGION’S
LARGEST CREATIVE
INDUSTRY
EMPLOYERS
Entertainment
Fashion
Publishing
FEBRUARY 2016
Nearly
1 in 6 Jobs
IN L.A. COUNTY
territory since then, but the creative economy is still 36,300 jobs shy of its prerecession peak. The five-year period (2009-2014) examined in this report captures the end of the recession, recovery and expansion with a gain of 3.3% or 11,700 jobs.
By comparison, last year’s report covered the previous five-year period (2008- 2013), which included the entire recession and the early recovery years, and saw employment decrease by 9.6% or 37,600 jobs.
Creative industries employment saw a larger decline relative to the overall regional economy (14.5% vs. 8.0%) during the recession and has been slower to recover. This can be explained in large part by the disproportionate share of manufacturing jobs in the creative economy. In 2014, manufacturing jobs were 10.0% of total nonfarm wage and salary employment in Los Angeles County, but 26.3% of total creative economy employment. Between 2009 and 2014, total job counts in the county’s manufacturing sector declined by 7.2%, with manufacturing employment in the creative industries declining at a roughly similar rate (6.1%). With manufacturing iflhf ild h
JOB TRENDS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY 2009–2014
GDP growth is expected to accelerate to 2.8% in 2016, with most industries adding jobs and continuing their capital expenditures. Wage gains will spur increases in consumer spending, while business spending will maintain momentum. Meanwhile, housing and construction is expected to do well as a result of demographic changes:
the oldest Millennials are now in their early thirties, the stage of life to form new households and exert greater demand for both rental and owner-occupied housing.
Inflation, which was nearly nonexistent in 2015, is increasing somewhat but will stay below two percent over the foreseeable future. Finally, international trade will again face challenges in 2016 as the dollar appreciates further and U.S. trading partners see only marginal improvement in their economies, if any at all.
California has outpaced the nation in terms of both economic growth and job creation over the past year. Nearly all of California’s industries added jobs in 2015 and will do so again in 2016. With improvements across much of the state, California’s unemployment rate has converged on long-run normal levels. Personal income, which has improved during the last several years, will grow more quickly going forward.
What does all this mean for the creative industries of the Los Angeles region? A number of creative industries are related directly or indirectly to real estate and construction: architecture and interior design, furniture and decorative arts, and product/industrial design. These industries should benefit from strength in real estate and construction during 2016. Other creative sectors may be more reliant on overall consumer spending or spending by individual consumer segments. These include art galleries, fashion, entertainment, toys, visual and performing arts, and digital media.
Continued growth in consumer spending in the year 2016 should provide a boost to these industries. Both communications and printing and publishing may be facing structural changes, but they also tend to be pro-cyclical with the overall economy. As such, the outlook for continued growth implies that these sectors will see further expansion in the year ahead.
CREATIVE INDUSTRY
TRENDS
EMPLOYMENT
A total of 364,200 wage and salary workers in Los Angeles County were employed directly in the creative industries in 2014. By sector, the largest employment counts were in entertainment (135,200 jobs), fashion (89,200 jobs), and publishing and printing (32,300 jobs). Although Los Angeles’ iconic entertainment industry consistently employs the largest number of workers by far – over 37% of total wage and salary employment -- the creative economy of Los Angeles is diverse with jobs distributed across a wide array of industries.
JOB TRENDS IN
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
2009-2014
Architecture & Interior Design
Art Galleries
Communication Arts
Digital Media
Entertainment
Fashion
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Product/Industrial Design
Toys
Visual & Performing Arts
Performing Arts Schools
Publishing & Printing
Architecture & Interior Design
Art Galleries
Communication Arts
Digital Media
Entertainment
Fashion
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Product/Industrial Design
JOBS
364,200
JOBS
346,100
JOBS
352,500
Source: California EDD, QCEW Data
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
2014
2011
2009
JOBS
54,0O0
JOBS
50,500
JOBS
ORANGE COUNTY
2014
2011
Direct employment in Los Angeles County’s creative industries reached its peak in this cycle in 2007 at 400,500 jobs. Like total employment in the region, creative employment fell sharply during the recession. Los Angeles County as a whole recovered all of its recession-era job losses by 2014 and has been in record territory since then, but the creative economy is still 36,300 jobs shy of its pre-recession peak.
The five-year period (2009-2014) examined in this report captures the end of the recession, recovery and expansion with a gain of 3.3% or 11,700 jobs. By comparison, last year’s report covered the previous five-year period (2008-2013), which included the entire recession and the early recovery years, and saw employment decrease by
9.6% or 37,600 jobs.
Source: California EDD, SOC Data
California Los Angeles County Orange County
Art, Design, Entertainment, Media Computer,
Mathematical Education, Training, Library
51.1%
7.7% 14.4% 27.3% 8.2% 8.3%
Employment in the Three Largest Creative Occupation
Groups as a Percentage of California Total, 2014
EMPLOYMENT IN THE THREE LARGEST CREATIVE OCCUPATION
GROUPS AS A PERCENTAGE OF CALIFORNIA TOTAL, 2014
(See Table 33 in the appendix for detail employment shares by occupation).
HOW MUCH DO CREATIVE
WORKERS EARN?
Creativity is a highly valued and recognized professional attribute. Along with the ability to collaborate with co-workers and to communicate effectively, creativity is one of the most sought-after qualities in a prospective employee. The salaries received by many creative individuals working in the Los Angeles region bear this out.
Additional entertainment choices Downtown,
particularly nighttime venues, will provide
residents, employees and visitors with a wider
array of destination experiences than in the past,
such as live performance spaces for theater and
live music. Some of these spaces will be new,
integrated into mixed-use projects that are
developed within the Downtown core. Others
will be adapted from existing spaces, such as
unutilized basements (with ample access), which
provide natural noise insulation.
2B.3A CREATIVE PLACES AND SPACES:
ENHANCING DOWNTOWN’S ART AND
ENTERTAINMENT OFFERINGS
The contributions of the arts and culture
are integral to the identity of Santa Monica.
Thoughtful planning provides an opportunity to
strengthen and build upon support for the arts to
achieve something unique in the Downtown that
will enhance our cultural landscape for years
to come. This Plan describes the need for new
cultural spaces, clean, safe and well-furnished
streetscapes, and for interesting artwork and
performances to help activate existing and
new public spaces. Support for many types
of creative enterprises–design, architecture,
advertising, film and video, performing arts,
software development, writing and publishing
– is provided through land use regulations and
Plan policies to ensure that Downtown will
continue to grow and develop as a prominent
local and regional cultural destination. Ongoing
commitments to nurture the arts are reinforced
through the prioritization of spaces for non-
50 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Access Area for Garage and/or Service Entries
KEY
Pedestrian Oriented Frontage
Pedestrian Paseo
Existing Building
15' 2ND STREET
OCEAN AVE
25'
VIEW TO WAR
MEMORIAL
PRESERVE
HISTORIC
BUILDINGS
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
THROUGH SITE
NEW ALLEY
MUSEUM OR
CULTURAL FACILTIY
Artist’s interpretation of potential community benefits, including a new cultural institution, on a collection of parcels at the corner of Santa Monica Bouelvard and
Ocean Avenue.
profit cultural organizations and the city’s Illustration 2B.3 Potential Site for Museum support of public art (murals, sculptures) on the
city-owned properties are key to the success
of attracting larger arts-related investments.
Further, expanded opportunities for outdoor
cultural programming (as permitted by the City’s
event laws and policies) are promoted through
the Plan’s actions to enhance the existing cultural
options.
Downtown is also fortunate to have exceptional
architectural and historic assets. Moving forward,
it will be important to build on the foundation
that these assets represent, as Downtown’s
cultural competitiveness depends on the unique
sense of place that its historic and architectural
treasures afford.
The following eight strategies outlined in this
chapter combine the placement of visible and
stimulating public art that supports the walking
experience with creative and cultural facilities,
educational programs, live outdoor events and
other features that could serve as a model to
preserving and enhancing Downtown’s cultural
and entertainment offerings.
18'SANTA MONICA BLVD
Museum or Cultural Anchor
The community expressed a desire for an anchor
institution, such as an art museum, to provide
an alternative attraction to Downtown. Several
identified sites could help to catalyze and
provide synergies with other activities around
it. The city-owned site at 4th/5th and Arizona
is a critical venue to consider, because a project
at this location would anchor the northern edge
of Downtown. Similarly, a grouping of 11 parcels
at 101 Santa Monica Boulevard presents the
opportunity to integrate a cultural space into a
comprehensively designed site that also includes
historic preservation, multifamily housing, open
space and possibly a hotel.
Identifying possible collections, collectors and/
or interested institutions seeking a permanent
location, a better location, or a new branch
location could be undertaken by the City or
any other interested party with a feasible
business plan for capital and ongoing operations.
Foundations who have an interest in establishing
partnerships with the City to attract and fund the
construction of a new museum (or a new branch
of an established museum) are encouraged to
come forward with a business plan.
51 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Illustration 2B.4 shows the conceptual location of new signature pieces of public art.
Table 2B.4 Potential Major Public Art Locations Major Works of Art Infusing the visual arts into the Downtown
experience by thoughtfully siting major public
art pieces is a component of the urban design
strategy that has been underway for some time.
Recent additions to the City’s public art inventory
at Santa Monica Place and Tongva Park, as well
as public art integrated into Downtown Parking
Structures are examples of how the City is
already activating Downtown’s public buildings
and public spaces through public art.
The purchase of new major pieces of art would
likely exceed any contribution that could be
received from a single project. Negotiated
development agreement contributions, private
donations and grants could be aggregated
to acquire one or more signature works of
public art. In addition, the City could consider
holding an international competition to inspire
additional private donations and consider
allocating resources, possibly in conjunction with
a private entity, to initiate a program for curating
and siting significant works of public art for the
Downtown district.
Banners and Signage
The Third Street Promenade currently has
bespoke banner columns to help promote local
events and also to display visual art. These
banners, along with new signage at the parking
structures, could further help support the
display of art and the promotion of cultural
events. Consideration should also be given to
7TH ST
6TH ST
5TH ST
4TH ST
THIRD STREET PROMENADE
OCEAN AVE
CALIFORNIA AVE
WILSHIRE BLVD
ARIZONA AVE
BROADWAY
INTERSTATE 10
SM PIER
MAIN ST
COLORADO ESPLANADE
LINCOLN BLVD
M
OLY PIC DR
SANTA MONICA BLVD
2ND ST
PACIFIC COAST HWY
Signature Public Art
Gateway Art
Future Public Art
Existing Public Art
Art Axis
52 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
• Art Festivals, Street Festivals and Open
Air Events. With a mild climate and a
communal appreciation for experiencing
the outdoors, Santa Monica’s Downtown is
an ideal place for open-air events. Outdoor
art shows, pop-up installations organized
by top museum curators and gallery
directors, music festivals, food festivals and
other outside expressions could enliven
Downtown public open spaces and streets.
Opportunities to showcase local businesses
and Santa Monica artists are also encouraged.
• Culinary Events and Food Festivals. The
City is renowned for its multitude of dining
establishments. Top-end eateries that focus
on fresh, local ingredients combine with
local favorites to provide an extraordinary
menu of dining options. Similarly, fresh
local produce and seafood are abundant,
which has made Santa Monica’s farmers
markets the subject of national attention for
many years. Events that celebrate the city’s
culinary scene would help to enhance the
variety of cultural offerings in the Downtown.
• Horticulture and Gardening Events. Santa
Monica’s mild climate has also provided
inspiration to generations of gardeners. City
programs targeted to horticulture sciences
are extremely popular, and have set the
tone for sustainable, climate-appropriate
gardening throughout the region. Downtown
could host a regional symposium or retail
event geared toward native and other ecofriendly plantings. re-instating an over-the-street banner column
near 4th/Arizona or 4th/Colorado intersections
to help promote art and events.
Street Furniture
Street furniture typically takes on a utilitarian
purpose within streetscape design, providing
seating, lighting and trash/recycling functions.
However, opportunities exist to customize
these objects into functional art that serves a
variety of purposes beyond their original use.
Streetlights that are artistically designed, such
as those on 4th Street between Colorado and
Broadway, could dramatically transform the
pedestrian experience Downtown. In some
instances it may be appropriate to add charging
stations for mobile phones to the functionality
of a streetlight, too.
Festivals and Events
To strengthen and diversify Downtown’s role
as a vital event and activity space, the City and
major Downtown stakeholders could design a
program of activities to complement the City’s
regularly sponsored events such as Coast, the
Twilight Dance Series, farmers markets, Library
programs, and gardening and eco-themed
programs. Additional events and festivals
geared to the unique context of the beloved
community gathering places, like the Third Street
Promenade, Santa Monica Place, and other
landmark Downtown destinations would help to
enhance Downtown’s cultural prominence. Key
event related concepts include: “Big Sweep”, Denver Art Museum, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
“Cloud Gate” referred to by locals as “The Bean” by Anish Kapoor, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL.
53 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Live Performances and Theater
One of the often-repeated themes heard during
Plan outreach was the need for more nighttime entertainment choices, particularly live performance spaces for theater and live music.
Historically, zoning in the Downtown area has
discouraged live music venues out of concerns
about noise, so these spaces are currently limited
to a handful of grandfathered venues such as
Harvelle’s on 4th Street.
Several Downtown locations, particularly a
number of insulated basement level spaces
that are either unused or under-utilized, lend
themselves to these activities, and naturally
mitigate noise concerns due to their location.
Other venues may be developed as a component
of a mixed-use or commercial project. Potential
live performance options could include
performing arts and live theater space, cabaret,
dinner theaters, bars, nightclubs or cocktail
lounge (with appropriate conditions), and
restaurants with live music.
Creative Space in New Development
Downtown’s creative identity should be enhanced
by including spaces for creative and arts-related
uses in new or existing developments. Flexible
spaces that incorporate creative uses into
ground floor, basement space or upper level
spaces (where appropriate) could contribute
to Downtown’s land-use diversity and help to
further integrate the arts into the community
fabric. New developments proposing projects at
the Development Agreement level may consider
the provision of subsidized below-market rental
space for arts-related uses as a community
benefit, including:
• Arts & Craft Center. Space for non-profit
arts organization(s) utilized for programmed
activities and office space
• Art - Crafts Handmade Gallery / Retail Space.
This will include established criteria approved
by the Arts Commission to ensure quality
• Non-profit. A performance space, including
basement uses
• Artist Studios or live/work spaces in upper
levels. Also, a photographic studio
(appropriate for basements and upper level
spaces)
Art Walks and Artistic Wayfinding
As the Downtown area expands so do the
opportunities for art at entrances and gateways.
Additional public art enhancements along public
rights of way and in local gathering places should
support a fun, walkable network Downtown.
Design elements could be used to enhance
projects and public right-of-way at points of
entry and on designated corridors. This may be
implemented through public art works, urban
design features such as fountains and pocket
parks or seating areas, street lighting, historical
walking routes, or other right-of-way features.
These opportunities invite partnerships between
public and private sectors.
Small theaters could be created in the basement of existing cinema spaces.
Culturally Compatible Uses
To further promote Downtown as an evening
destination, the land use regulations and
development standards in governing Downtown
seek to expand the range of uses that provide
entertainment and culture. Uses such as new
cinemas, restaurants and art and entertainment
venues are permitted in nearly every district,
and public space policies seek to program
underutilized spaces with unique land uses and
cultural offerings to diversify activities and create
a collaborative environment that mixes housing,
jobs and public space with art and entertainment.
54 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Goal CCP1: Downtown evolves as a diverse
and complete neighborhood, with housing
opportunities available to households of all
sizes and income levels.
Policy CCP1.1 Accommodate a significant portion
of Santa Monica’s share of regional housing
growth as defined by Regional Housing Needs
Assessments (RHNA) within the Downtown
Community Plan area, as compared with other
appropriate areas in the City.
◊ Action CCP1.1A Adopt DCP which anticipates
at least 2500 new units in the Downtown
area.
Lead Agency: City Council
Timeframe: 2017
Policy CCP1.2 Encourage projects to provide
a variety of housing types and sizes to serve
individuals, families, seniors and persons living
with disabilities.
◊ Action CCP1.2A Evaluate possible tools and
incentives for encouraging housing for persons
who are elderly and/or have disabilities,
especially those that incorporate supportive
services. Apply the most promising tools and
incentives to Downtown.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Short-Term
Policy CCP1.3 Explore stabilized rents for
households with incomes at 130% to 180% of
AMI for negotiated projects giving priority to
RHNA obligations.
◊ Action CCP1.3A Achieve a minimum of
30% Affordable Housing for residential
development.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy CCP1.4 Encourage development of housing
ownership opportunities to complement the
rental housing stock in order to develop a strong
residential community with longer tenure.
Policy CCP1.5 Provide a 0.5 floor area ratio
(FAR) bonus for qualifying mixed-use residential
projects within maximum FARs for each district.
Policy CCP1.6 Work with the business community
to understand and incorporate the housing
needs of their employees and gain support for
marketing efforts toward Downtown employees.
◊ Action CCP1.6A Interview Downtown
employers to understand the housing needs
of their employees and to support Downtown
employees moving into Downtown.
Lead Agency: HED
Supporting Agency: PCD, DTSM
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action CCP1.6B Explore establishing a
preference for Santa Monica workers and
residents in Downtown housing units
provided that this preference does not result
in any unintended discrimination and other
legally adverse impacts.
Lead Agency: HED
Supporting Agency: CAO
Timeframe: Short-Term
Goal CCP2: Downtown continues to be a
thriving and diverse economic force that
supports the city’s vitality, fiscal stability
and high levels of community services.
Policy CCP2.1 Strengthen the retail experience
by supporting cultural and art uses, connections
to the Expo Light Rail, and attractive streets and
public spaces.
◊ Action CCP2.1A Partner with merchants,
property owners, residents and community
supporters of Downtown Santa Monica to
share responsibility for implementing this
Community Plan and achieving its goals.
Lead Agency: All
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy CCP2.2 Accommodate emerging
businesses, such as co-working or new forms
of creative business that can benefit the local
economy and are compatible with other
Downtown uses.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY: GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS 55 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
◊ Action CCP2.2A Support entrepreneurial
activity and emerging industries, such as coworking spaces to determine specific needs necessary to promote continued job growth.
Lead Agency: HED, Library
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
Policy CCP2.3 Support Downtown’s role as a
visitor destination by encouraging uses that
appeal to both locals and tourists, including
food, retail, entertainment and overnight
accommodations.
◊ Action CCP2.3A Evaluate regulatory incentives
to establish a broader base of affordable
overnight accommodations Downtown.
Lead: PCD, HED
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP2.4 Support the expansion and
enhancement of community and social services
that contribute to the wellbeing of residents,
including youth and families, seniors, persons
with disabilities, individuals experiencing
homelessness and members of our most
vulnerable populations.
◊ Action CCP2.4A Collaborate with the Santa
Monica Boys and Girls Club to identify and
resolve obstacles to the renovation of their
facilities on Lincoln Boulevard.
Lead Agencies: CCS, PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
89%
ARTS &
CULTURE
RAISE CHILDREN
OF SANTA MONICA
PARENTS BELIEVE
THE CITY’S
MAKE THE CITY A
BETTER PLACE TO
-From Santa Monica
Creative Capital Plan
◊ Action CCP3.1A Expand outreach of the Buy
Local Santa Monica to connect Downtown
residents, businesses and visitors with local
sources of products, services and healthful
foods.
Lead Agency: HED
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action CCP3.1B Evaluate potential to reduce
or eliminate parking requirements, permit
fees or other obstacles for businesses under
5,000 square feet.
Lead Agency: HED, PCD
Supporting Agency: DTSM
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP3.2 Encourage retailers and events
that provide access to fresh food, and support
organizations that promote farmers’ markets,
“community supported agriculture,” and buylocal initiatives. ◊ Action CCP3.2A Monitor demand for
Downtown’s twice weekly farmers’ markets
to identify need for expansion or alternative
locations.
Lead Agency: HED
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action CCP3.2B Review city regulations and
procedures to encourage additional outdoor
dining opportunities and to identify obstacles
to sidewalk/courtyard standards.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agencies: HED, DTSM, CAO
Timeframe: Short-Term
Goal CCP3: Local-serving uses, including
office uses, have the support they need
to sustain themselves in Downtown Santa
Monica.
Policy CCP3.1 Seek to maintain and increase
locally-based, independent small retailers that
allow residents and employees to meet their
daily needs on foot.
56 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Policy CCP3.3 Encourage mixed-use development
to accommodate local-serving businesses east
of 4th Street as a means of expanding the retail
concentration of the Third Street Promenade
eastwards.
Policy CCP3.4 Foster local-serving office uses,
including creative office, real estate, financial,
and insurance uses, and encourage properties
to provide space that can be adapted to serve
smaller, local-market tenants.
Goal CCP4: Downtown has a diversity of
uses and attractions that reinforce its role
as the city’s shared “living room.”
Policy CCP4.1 Continue to work with local
agencies, property owners and DTSM to
promote good design and management of public
amenities and open spaces.
◊ Action CCP4.1A Develop a matrix of physical
upgrades and program improvements to
public spaces and right-of-way for evaluation
by a joint committee of DTSM and City
representatives.
Lead Agency: PW
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, PCD, CCS, PW
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action CCP4.1B Identify funding sources
and partnership opportunities to implement
physical upgrades to public infrastructure and
space.
Lead Agency: PCD, PW
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, HED
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Craft Festival along an expanded sidewalk
2008 Glow Festival, Santa Monica. Photo by Michael Kang.
Digital Art is `incorporated, temporarily on the façade of a building.
◊ Action CCP4.1C Revaluate event and activity
guidelines and regulations and management
policies to identify potential for more joint
sponsorship of events on the Third Street
Promenade and other public spaces between
the City and non-governmental agencies,
such as DTSM.
Lead Agency: CAO
Supporting Agencies: CCS, DTSM
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP4.2 Develop the public realm along
Wilshire Boulevard near the Third Street
Promenade with pedestrian-oriented, locallyfocused improvements to enliven the northern end of the Promenade and support local-serving
businesses.
◊ Action CCP4.2A Implement Signature
Sidewalk project on Wilshire Boulevard.
Lead Agencies: PCD, PW
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Goal CCP5: The Third Street Promenade
continues to anchor the Downtown’s retail
and public space experience with updated
features and activities.
Policy CCP5.1 New public art should be
encouraged and located to enhance the
pedestrian experience and create an immersive
arts experience.
57 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
◊ Action CCP5.1A Install Pathway Art, Banners
and Urban Design Features to support the
walking experience and to promote awareness
of Downtown’s cultural offerings.
Lead Agencies: CCS
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, PCD, HED
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP5.2 Consider opportunity for negotiated
development agreement art contributions to be
aggregated in order to facilitate the acquisition
of significant public art pieces.
◊ Action CCP5.2A Develop standard language
for art contributions associated with
negotiated development agreements to allow
for aggregating funds.
Lead Agencies: CCS, Finance
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action CCP5.2B Aggregate the Arts
contributions made through development
agreement negotiations to acquire a major
work or works of art.
Lead Agencies: Finance
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Goal CCP6: Downtown offers a wide variety
of entertainment, including both live
performance and cinema.
Policy CCP6.1 Encourage live entertainment
venues in the Downtown if they include features
that reduce/mitigate noise and other impacts on
surrounding neighbors.
◊ Action CCP6.1A Identify and create
streamlined review procedure and
conditions of approval for live theater, and
live entertainment designed in a manner to
mitigate hours of operation, noise, public
safety and other potential adverse impacts.
Lead Agencies: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action CCP6.1B Establish regulations to
enable existing restaurants to provide
amplified music in a non-stage setting.
Lead Agencies: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP6.2 Encourage multiple types of
cinemas and entertainment venues with a broad
range of appeal.
◊ Action CCP6.2A Recruit uses that complement
Downtown as an evening destination,
including new cinemas, restaurants and art
and entertainment venues.
Lead Agencies: HED, DTSM
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
Goal CCP7: Santa Monica continues to
be known for its role in the arts and its
high-quality cultural events, activities and
institutions.
Policy CCP7.1 On larger sites prioritize the
inclusion of a new museum as a community
benefit, particularly where a partnership for
its ongoing operation can be identified and
achieved.
◊ Action CCP7.1A Seek and identify appropriate
parties who are interested in bringing a new
museum to Downtown Santa Monica.
Lead Agencies: CCS, HED
Supporting Agency: PCD, DTSM
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action CCP7.1B Assist potential museum
partners demonstrating capital and ongoing
operations funding viability.
Lead Agencies: CCS, HED
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy CCP7.2 Guide art investment in accordance
with the goals of the Public Art Master Plan and
Creative Capital, the city’s cultural programming
vision document.
◊ Action CCP7.2A Update Creative Capital Plan.
Lead Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Mid-Term
58 2B >> COMMUNITY, CULTURE, PROSPERITY
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
◊ Action CCP7.3C Provide ongoing support to
City partners to hold additional fine arts events
and competitions for temporary installations
in Downtown locations throughout the year.
Lead Agency: CCS
Supporting Agency: DTSM
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy CCP7.4 Encourage small and mediumsized gathering spaces in new developments to be utilized for a range of art activities, including
both visual and performance art.
Policy CCP7.3 Support the ability for non-city
entities to consider/propose a program of
recurring events, such as the city produced Coast,
which enhance the Santa Monica’s reputation as
an exciting cultural venue.
◊ Action CCP7.3A Coordinate with DTSM and
SMTT to evaluate opportunities to promote
cultural programs that capitalize on the City’s
unique cultural strengths.
Lead Agencies: DTSM, CCS
Supporting Agencies: CAO, HED
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action CCP7.3B Develop a Public Art
Master Plan that incorporates a process for
temporary artworks, events and installations,
and identify specific opportunities in the
Downtown.
Lead Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action CCP7.4A When new gathering spaces
are proposed as part of new development,
the applicant should illustrate how the
proposed space(s) can be utilized for at least
two different types of activities, and proposals
should be evaluated accordingly.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agencies: CCS, PW
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy CCP7.5 Explore accommodating artists
within ground floor residential units, including
consideration of live/work units as residential
spaces, provided that these classifications do not
result in any unintended discrimination impacts.
A cut scene from the video game, “Mass Effect” as seen at “The Art of Video Games” exhibit, Smithsonian American
Art Museum, Washington, DC, March -September, 2012.
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 2C
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
VICTORIA’S SECRET 3rd Street Promenade
1311 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica, CA
Architectural Review Board Submittal
November 19, 2013
60 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
HISTORY AND SETTING OF
DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA
Downtown has experienced several
major changes throughout the life of
the City, with each era helping to shape
the form, character and quality of this
beloved community space. This chapter
explores Downtown’s past, and makes
the case for respecting the scale and
character of Downtown by preserving
critical resources as a way to maintain a
connection to Santa Monica’s rich heritage
of buildings, open spaces and cultural
experiences. It also highlights the need
to sharpen our tools for the preservation
and maintenance of historic resources
through new review processes, incentives
and funding mechanisms, as well as the
formal establishment of standards and
guidelines to protect Downtown’s historic
core.
Advocates of Historic Preservation as well
as property owners who own historic
resources should review the toolkit that is
described in this chapter, and familiarize
themselves with the policies that guide
site improvements. Historic resources
include those properties identified on
the City’s Historic Resources Inventory
(“HRI-listed properties”) and designated
Landmarks and Structures of Merit
(“City-designated historic resources”).
Owners of properties within the Bayside
Conservation District should pay attention
to policies and actions directed at the
creation of a Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay in the 43 acre area bound by
Wilshire and Broadway, and 4th Court to
1st Court.
Property owners who own historic
resources may also find direction within
this chapter for how to design projects in
a way that is sensitive to the scale, views
and context of an historic resource.
INSIDE THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAPTER
PRINCIPLES GUIDING THIS
CHAPTER
HONOR DOWNTOWN’S HISTORY
THROUGH PRESERVATION AND
CONTEXT-SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN
Require an urban form and building
character that is consistent with the
existing Downtown fabric, preserving
historic resources and allowing for
improved architectural design and
building diversity in new buildings.
MAINTAIN THE UNIQUE CHARACTER
OF DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA
Preserve Downtown Santa Monica’s
unique character by requiring context
sensitive new development that
responds and contributes to high
standards of architecture, urban design
and landscaping.
Goals, policies and actions designed to
achieve the Plan principles stated above can
be reviewed at the end of this chapter.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 61
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
2C.1 DOWNTOWN’S HISTORY
AND RESOURCES
Downtown has a rich past and architectural
history and there is an extensive concentration
of City-designated historic resources and other
historic resources within the City. While many
new buildings have been constructed throughout
the years, a significant number of existing
buildings have been successfully repurposed
with new uses.
The Third Street Promenade is a good example
of how historic building fabric can change and
adapt over time, as much of the building stock
is largely intact. Despite several renovations,
demolitions, and earthquake-related changes,
this historic section of Downtown has retained
its basic visual character. In other cases,
contemporary architectural treatments have
altered the character and compromised the
historical value of many Downtown commercial
buildings. At street-level, several older buildings
have not maintained their original appearance,
and in limited instances have surrendered the
entire façade to a modern-day style. Preservation
of Downtown’s most important structures is an
integral component of the planning process.
The City’s existing Historic Preservation program
Since the City’s early days, there has been a high interest in creating buildings of exceedingly high quality and beauty, which has resulted in an impressive diversity of landmark structures located Downtown.
As of April 2017, 24 Downtown properties have been designated as City Landmarks:
A RICH PAST RECORDED IN BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC SPACES
The Georgian Hotel:
Designated 1995.
Bay Cities Guaranty Building:
Designated 2004.
Former USPS Post Office:
Designated 2014
Rapp Saloon:
Designated 1975.
1501 4th Street:
Designated 2009.
710 Wilshire Boulevard:
Designated 2004.
` 1305 2nd St
` 1438 2nd St
` 1202 3rd St
` 1210 4th St
` 1424 4th St
` 1455 4th St
` 1501 4th St
` 1248 5th St
` 227 Broadway
` 302 Colorado Ave
` 1133 Ocean Ave
` 1301 Ocean Ave
` 1323 Ocean Ave
` 1333 Ocean Ave
` 1337 Ocean Ave
` 1415 Ocean Ave
` 212 Santa Monica Blvd
` 225 Santa Monica Blvd
` 301 Santa Monica Blvd
` 301 Wilshire Blvd
` 312 Wilshire Blvd
` 431 Wislhire Blvd (Zucky’s Wall Sign)
` 507 Wilshire Blvd
` 710 Wilshire Blvd
Landmark objects/sites:
` Miramar Moreton Bay Fig Tree
` Oregon Ave. Sign (5th and Santa Monica)
` Terrazzo Sidewalk at Mayfair Theatre
62 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
2C.2 COASTAL RESORT
BEGINNINGS
Santa Monica’s beginnings as a modern town
famously began with an auction. In July 1875
the City founders, John P. Jones and Colonel
R.S. Baker, began to sell off their land holdings,
promising sunsets, sailboats, a perfect climate
and the delivery of rail lines to connect this
paradise by the sea to downtown Los Angeles.
Santa Monica instantly became a diverse
community, with properties purchased by people
from many different countries, religions and parts
of the U.S. The first residential and commercial
buildings followed quickly in what would become
Downtown Santa Monica, including a small brick
commercial building erected in 1875 by William
Rapp on 2nd Street. Today, the Rapp Saloon is a
remnant of this era, recalling both the humble
beginnings and the hopes and dreams of the
emerging community in Santa Monica. On its
100th birthday, it would eventually be honored
as the first City-designated Landmark.
The City founders’ ambitious efforts to become
the Los Angeles region’s major port city ultimately
failed, losing out to the Ports of Long Beach and
San Pedro. Santa Monica developed instead as
an active resort community with a dense and
busy environment of many piers, amusements,
hotels, summer cottages and services catering to
a variety of visitors. The hub of the resort was up
on the bluffs in Downtown, with the wealthiest
families building homes on Ocean Avenue.
Prime land on the west side of Ocean Avenue
was set aside for public use in 1892 and Palisades
Park was established (designated as a Landmark
in 2007). The community has always taken great
pride in this green and open interface between
Downtown, the beach and ocean below.
Corner of 3rd Street and Broadway 1924. Corner of Third Street and Broadway 2014. includes the Historic Preservation Element that
is implemented by the Landmarks and Historic
District Ordinances. Designated Landmarks are
considered to have the highest level of individual
social, cultural or architectural significance.
Therefore, along with contributing buildings
located within historic districts, Landmarks are
offered the highest protection with respect to
alterations and demolitions. Structures of Merit
are historic resources with a more limited degree
of individual significance with limited protections
in place. This designation requires special review
for demolition permits.
By embracing preservation strategies and
protecting Downtown’s historic resources,
the City can successfully evolve in a way that
preserves character and allows the thoughtful
introduction of new buildings, public open
spaces, and streetscape elements that support
the District’s economic development and vitality
as a social center.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 63
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
A Rich Past
Among Downtown’s few remaining 19th century
structures is the Romanesque Revival-style
Keller Block, built on the corner of 3rd Street
and Broadway in 1893 and designated as a City
Landmark in 2008. Featured in photographs
from the City’s earliest days, this building with
its brick façade and distinctive corner tower
illustrates the highs and lows of Downtown’s
history. The Keller Block opened as a grand
structure containing the Clarendon Hotel and a
corner drug store. The hotel changed ownership
and was operated as the Santa Monica Hotel
until the 1960s. Street-level uses changed over
time with a series of businesses including tailors,
pawn brokers and barbers and, in the 1950s an
Army-Navy surplus store dominated the corner
as the white-painted building bore witness to
an economically depressed Downtown. A 1980s
restoration, spurred by the City’s revitalization
efforts, brought the Keller Block back to its
original glory, adjacent to the contemporary
Santa Monica Place. Since the open-sky remodel
of Santa Monica Place, the mixed retail/office
building that anchors the 3rd Street Promenade
is now a highly visible Landmark.
The Roaring 20s – and 30s!
As early as 1896, a reliable interurban rail line
made it possible to commute to Los Angeles.
As a permanent population settled into new
neighborhoods to the north, a mixed batch of
commercial buildings sprang up. In 1929, two
important buildings were completed: on Santa
Monica Boulevard, the City’s first tall building
was built at a height of 196 feet (Bay Cities
Guaranty or clock tower building); and the 102-
foot high Art Deco Central Tower building on 4th
Street. Both are now designated Landmarks.
Hotels were constructed all over Downtown
as Santa Monica held its popularity as a resort
community. While not a designated historic
resource, The Carmel (1922) on 2nd Street is one
of the earlier examples existing today. Other
multi-story structures to follow included the
Downtown Santa Monica, 1939. 4th Street, 1938.
Georgian Hotel at 1415 Ocean Avenue and the
Lido Hotel at 1455 4th Street (both designated
Landmarks, built in 1931) and several apartment
hotels, including the Sovereign, Charmont, El
Cortez and Embassy in the residential blocks
north of Downtown. The Palisades Wing of
the Miramar Hotel (a designated Landmark)
was built at this time at the corner of Wilshire
Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. Although the
former mansion of John P. Jones was demolished
in the process, the grand Moreton Bay fig tree
he planted was retained and incorporated into
the hotel’s site design. The Moreton Bay fig was
designated as a Landmark in 1976 and is known
as “The Founders Tree.”
Lower-scale two and three-story structures in
various revival styles filled up the Downtown
blocks in the years leading up to World War II,
and many of these buildings, although altered
64 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
1875: RAIL CONNECTS SANTA
MONICA TO DOWNTOWN LA
1930s: BEACH CLUBS FLOURISH
1892: PALISADES PARK ESTABLISHED 1950s: SANTA MONICA
TRANSITIONS FROM RESORT
TOWN TO BOOM TOWN
1965: THIRD STREET IS
TRANSFORMED INTO
A PEDESTRIAN MALL
1948: RAND ARRIVES 1965: SANTA MONICA
FREEWAY IS COMPLETED
1920s: MAJOR DEVELOPMENT AS
HOLLYWOOD ELITES MAKE THEIR
HOME IN SANTA MONICA
1909: SANTA MONICA PIER BUILT
1953: PASSENGER RAIL
SERVICE STOPS
and remodeled over the years, still line the Third
Street Promenade and other Downtown streets.
The City built a Mission Revival-style City Hall
in a central location at 4th Street and Santa
Monica Boulevard. The building was demolished
sometime after the City moved to accommodate
growing space needs in 1938. The new Art Decostyle City Hall was placed south of Downtown in what would become Santa Monica’s new Civic
Center.
It is evident by Santa Monica’s Landmarks from
this era that Downtown was a bustling business
environment and a popular tourist destination,
attracting a diversity of scale and a variety of
architectural styles, even through the Depression
years. This entire era, from City establishment
through the 30s and early 40s has generally been
considered a significant timeframe for evaluating
historic resource eligibility Downtown, although
new potential resources have recently been
identified that are outside of this time frame.
Downtown’s remaining historic resources
consist of 75 resources on the City’s Historic
Resources Inventory that appear eligible for
local designation, of which 27 are already Citydesignated historic resources. There are 48 remaining resources that appear individually
eligible for designation.
CHANGING RETAIL PATTERNS, CHANGING LANDSCAPES
Pedestrian-oriented: Henshey’s department store, 1924. Auto-oriented: Sears department store, 1947.
Catering to Automobile Drivers
Responding to growing automobile dependence,
Sears opened a large department store on
Colorado Avenue in 1947. It had a 200-space
parking lot, a stark contrast to Henshey’s on
4th Street, Santa Monica’s first “metropolitan
department store” which had opened as the Bay
Department Store in 1925. The Sears building
and other department stores opened during this
time were tailored to a driving lifestyle. In 2004, the Late Moderne-style building was designated as a
City Landmark. It is now poised to adapt and blend
into the pedestrian-oriented Colorado Esplanade
connects Expo passengers with their Downtown and
beach destinations.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 65
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Third Street Promenade
In the 1960s, as retail activity languished in
the face of retail flight, it became clear that a
more aggressive strategy was needed to bring
Downtown out of the doldrums. City leaders’
response to the moribund character of Downtown
showed initiative and innovation as they tried new
ideas such as pedestrian-only streets and, later,
an enclosed Downtown shopping mall aimed at
bringing retail sales back to the central business
core.
The first iteration with the closure of 3rd Street
to motor vehicles was the “Third Street Mall,”
which was completed in 1965 along with large
parking structures along 2nd and 4th Streets.
Third Street Promenade, 1968. Third Street Promenade.
Post-War: Decline in an Auto-Oriented World
The pace of development slowed nationwide
in the 1940s as the United States focused all
efforts on defeating the Axis powers and winning
the Second World War. After the war, American
economic activity picked up again, rising to new
levels of prosperity. Locally, a housing boom
stretched across the Los Angeles region and
sub-divisions filled up Santa Monica’s remaining
vacant land reserves with housing for returning
soldiers, families and the growing workforce.
The Interstate 10 expanded westward reaching
completion when the last stretch opened in
Santa Monica in 1965.
Regional decentralization and automobileoriented shopping patterns ushered in Downtown’s least prosperous era, spanning a
good part of the next three decades. These years
were characterized by vacant storefronts, limited
occupation of buildings and a general loss of
economic vitality. The area around Broadway
was known as “skid row,” dividing the core retail
area in two, and further disconnecting it from the
Civic Center. As the City got to work in the mid50s to consider how to address its problems, the Central Business District was considered an area
of blight and depreciation.
1980: SANTA MONICA
PLACE OPENS
1989: RENOVATED THIRD
STREET PROMENADE OPENS
1997: DOWNTOWN URBAN 2010: LUCE IS ADOPTED
DESIGN PLAN BRINGS
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
2010: SANTA MONICA
PLACE REOPENS AS
AN OPEN AIR MALL
1986: THIRD STREET MALL
SPECIFIC PLAN IS APPROVED 1992: HENSHEY’S
DEPARTMENT STORE CLOSES
1996: BAYSIDE DISTRICT
SPECIFIC PLAN
The ‘60s and ‘70s also saw the city in the midst
of overall commercial expansion including the
transformation of Wilshire Boulevard into a
location for high-rise financial services and
corporate headquarters in the city. Two such
examples are the 21-story General Telephone Co.
Headquarters building at 100 Wilshire Boulevard
and the 7-story City National Bank Plaza (now
Soka Gakkai International – USA) at the corner of
6th Street and Wilshire Boulevard. In the same
era, interest also grew in the Downtown for highrise multi-family development with examples such as the 13-story Christian Towers senior
apartments at 1233 6th Street, the 15-story
Pacific Plaza apartments at 1431 Ocean Avenue
and the 16-story Champagne Towers at 1221
Ocean Avenue.
66 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The development was bold, but it never quite
managed to attract the businesses and achieve
the kind of commercial success that was
envisioned. By the late 1970s, the Third Street
Mall still lacked activity. A strategy visualized in
the 1957 Plan was acted on: to “revitalize (the
Central Business District) with the features and
amenities which are being built into new regional
shopping centers.” A suburban-style indoor mall,
classically anchored by major department stores,
Santa Monica Place (an early design by Frank
Gehry), was constructed and opened in 1980,
enclosing two city blocks and absorbing 3rd
Street between Broadway and Colorado Avenue.
Santa Monica Place succeeded in bringing
shoppers back to Downtown. However, while the
early success of this indoor mall was welcome,
it did not have spillover benefits for the Third
Street Mall, particularly as some of the most
viable Downtown businesses relocated to Santa
Monica Place. In 1979, traffic congestion caused
by the Mall prompted the City to turn Broadway
and 5th Street into one-way streets to improve
automobile traffic flow. The one-way streets
were later converted back to two-way in 1998 to
address changing circulation priorities.
With a new human-scale vision for Downtown
articulated in the 1984 General Plan, the City
went back to the drawing board to inject new
energy into the Third Street Mall, and a Specific
Plan was adopted in 1986 to hasten its revival,
enhancing economic activity throughout
Downtown. Entertainment and restaurant
In the early 1990s, City preservationists rallied to
prevent the demolition of two historic buildings
damaged in the Northridge earthquake: Henshey’s
on 4th Street, the Westside’s first department
store, which had closed in 1992 after 67 years
for economic reasons, and the Mayfair Theater
on Santa Monica Boulevard. Although redtagged and vacant, the Landmarks Commission designated both properties the following summer
as City Landmarks. Eventually, Henshey’s was
demolished by order of the Building Official and
replaced with a new building. After prolonged
negotiations, the Mayfair Theater was permitted
to redevelop as a mixed-use building, retaining the
façade and its terrazzo that had previously greeted
theater patrons.
The Henshey’s building, built in 1924, was critically
damaged in the earthquake. This site is now the
location of R.E.I.
Damage caused by the Northridge earthquake
affected many communities around the region.
R.E.I. (formally Toys”R”Us) replaced the earthquakedamaged Henshey’s building.
NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE:
ONE DAY IN JANUARY 1994
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 67
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
uses were encouraged with the hope of creating
an environment that would become a center
for evening activity. The plan encouraged movie
theaters to locate Downtown, and took the radical
step of not permitting new movie theaters in any
other Santa Monica locations. After extensive
renovation, the Third Street Mall reopened in 1989
as the hugely successful “Third Street Promenade,”
anchoring a 25-year rise for Downtown as the City’s
economic engine.
Growing Success, More Pedestrians
The Third Street Promenade’s success could be
seen and measured by the increasing numbers of
pedestrians on Downtown streets. The Promenade
had finally now achieved what the City had set out
to do in 1964. However, this resulted in a new set
of concerns. In the early 1990s, a re-evaluation
of the City’s circulation policies was undertaken.
Originally created by City Council in 1986, the Third
Street Development Corporation was established
as the area’s Business Improvement District
(BID) to promote economic stability, growth and
community life within Downtown Santa Monica.
This corporation, later re-named Downtown Santa
Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.), has been instrumental
in the management and coordination of programs,
projects and services contributing to the District’s
success.
The Bayside District Specific Plan (1996) and the
Downtown Urban Design Plan (adopted by the
Council in 1997) illustrates the changed attitudes
towards Downtown traffic:
Congestion is a fact of life in successful urban
places [...] and the physical changes required
to increase traffic capacity inevitably degrade
and diffuse the street-level pedestrian
environment[...]
Policies and measures such as encouraging
on-street parking, widening sidewalks,
tightening intersections, increasing the
number of crosswalks and various streetscape
improvements all combine to send drivers a “go
slow” message and make for a safer and more
pedestrian-friendly place.
The Downtown Urban Design Plan envisioned
further streetscape and circulation improvements
throughout Downtown, including a Downtown
Transit Mall, sidewalk widening on Santa
Monica Boulevard, reconfigured crosswalks
and pedestrian lighting fixtures that encourage
today’s high level of pedestrian traffic.
In another trend reversal, as residents and
visitors rediscovered the streets and outdoor
spaces of Downtown, foot traffic in the enclosed
Santa Monica Place shopping mall declined, and
its outdated format clearly needed rethinking.
In 2010, Santa Monica Place re-opened after
extensive renovations as an open-air shopping
center that seamlessly transitioned into the Third
Street Promenade. The shopping center that had
been conceived as a suburban-style antidote
to retail flight is connected to the Colorado
Esplanade, Expo Station and rejuvenated Civic
Center.
2010 also witnessed the adoption of an updated
Land Use and Circulation Elements (LUCE) of the
City’s General Plan. As with the 1984 plan, the
LUCE reestablished Downtown as the economic
engine and entertainment center of Santa Monica,
suggesting new goals, policies and strategies for
fortifying a pedestrian-oriented environment,
resolving the challenges for automobile access,
particularly on days with events or good weather,
and requiring a Specific Plan for Downtown.
2C.3 A BALANCED STRATEGY FOR
URBAN DESIGN
Through the ups, downs, and changes that have
characterized Downtown Santa Monica’s history,
an economic, social and architectural vitality has
emerged that today is the envy of most cities of
similar size. An integral part of that vitality can be
attributed to the continued marriage of old and
new, blending over time with new additions, some
of which have become remarkable in their own
right. Downtown contains a historic core anchored
by the Third Street Promenade, which has a strong
visual identity, in part due to concentrations of
older-era buildings. This visual identity also extends
to 2nd and 4th Streets.
Other Downtown subareas contain fewer historic
buildings and lack a strong visual identity, which
is a consequence of the substantial demolition
and rebuilding that characterized much of the
Downtown during the 1950s and 60s. In these
areas, parking lots and other under-utilized sites
interrupt the urban fabric.
68 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Procedural Change to Demolition Review
As an application submittal requirement, a project
that proposes demolition of any property over 40
years old would require Landmarks Commission
review of a demolition permit application, prior
to Planning Commission review as a means
to identify whether the property warrants
designation as a City-Designated Historic
Resource prior to submitting an application. This
would have the effect of identifying potential
historic resources much earlier in the Planning
process. In addition, because applications for
demolition permits expire one year from the
date the permit application is filed, this is often
insufficient time for an applicant to complete the
entitlement and plan check process, which has
acted as a disincentive to seek early Landmarks
Commission demolition permit review. In order
to accommodate this process change, an increase
to the lifespan of a demolition permit application
would be required.
Bayside Conservation District Special Standards
Special standards applicable to the Bayside
Conservation District recognize that Downtown’s
historic core is a unique place. Compared to
existing height regulations, the maximum
allowable height has been lowered to 60 feet. In
order to maintain the predominant 3-story street
wall, no building modulation is required below
39 feet. On the Third Street Promenade, no
open space or minimum side interior stepback is
required.
This Plan seeks to actively embrace and protect
Downtown’s historic character and celebrate
the diversity and visual interest that they create.
As Downtown heads into its next era, the DCP
provides a framework and approach that takes its
cue from Santa Monica’s history to support new
buildings that embody the quality of timeless
architecture and design. This Plan supports the
preservation of existing resources and context
sensitive infill on under-utilized parcels through
a balanced urban design strategy that:
• Conserves the character of the historic core,
while recognizing that context sensitive infill
development and, in appropriate cases,
additions to designated Landmarks can occur;
and
• Directs much of Downtown’s new
development into the areas adjacent to
the Expo Line, such as the Transit Adjacent
district.
Encouraging adaptive reuse helps preserve and
conserve the historic building stock and promotes
sustainable use of materials. At a minimum,
extant historic fabric should be maintained and/
or rehabilitated and the scale and character of
additions must be compatible with the historic
building.
New development should reinforce the character
of Downtown’s commercial and mixed-use
streets. The orientation, design, and scale of new
buildings should take into account neighboring
structures and public spaces.
2C.4 TOOLS FOR HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
The DCP’s approach to implementing the
urban design strategy includes both regulatory
protections and incentives for adaptive re-use.
Protections
Updated Downtown Historic Resources Inventory
An indispensable tool to ensure that preservation
is integrated into the Planning process is the
Historic Resources Inventory (HRI). When used in
the processing of development applications, the
HRI provides information regarding characteristic
features of a potential resource that can be
used in the Planning process to help avoid the
complete loss or degradation of structures that
contribute to the community’s historic character.
The net effect is that a building can continue to
be used in different ways while still preserving
its exterior character. The Plan includes Action
HP1.2C that requires that the Downtown HRI
be submitted to the State Office of Historic
Preservation within 45 days of the effective
date of the Plan. This means that the HRI-listed
properties are presumptive historic resources
pursuant to the California Environmental Quality
Act and therefore, alterations must comply with
the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the
Treatment of Historic Properties. If alterations
are not in compliance with the Standards, an
Environmental Impact Report will be required.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 69
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DEF NI NI G FEATURES OF HISTORIC CORE
ST RUCTURE OF MER I T DE SIGNAT ION
EX PLORE S TR ENGTHENING THE
FOR HISTORIC RESOURCES
RELIEF FROM DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
CONSERVE CONTEXTUAL DES GI N
REDUCE HEIGHT TO PROTECT SCALE
IDENTIFY RESOURCES BEFORE PROJECTS BEGIN
INCREASE LIFESPAN OF DEMOLITION PERMITS
REQUIRE CEQA FINDINGS FOR HRI MODIFICATIONS
NE
GI HBO
R
H
O
OD CO
NSERVATION
OVERLAY DIST
RICT
CEQA PROTECTION OF
HRI BUILDINGS
LANDMARKS ORDINANCE
STRENGTHEN THE
ADAPTIVE REUSE
INCENTIVIZE
SPECIAL STA
N
D
A
R
DS FOR
THE
BAYSIDE CONSERVAT OI N
DISTRICT
ASSESS HISTORIC VALUE
IN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
HOW DO WE
PROTECT OUR
DOWNTOWN?
THE DCP’S SIX POINT APPROACH TO PRESERVATION
Preservation requires multiple approaches that both incentivize adaptive reuse and discourage unnecessary redevelopment. The DCP establishes a unique framework of “carrots and sticks” to achieve a balanced measure of old and new buildings.
Future Regulatory Actions
In order to ensure that historic resources are
provided with the appropriate protections,
two future actions have been included in the
Plan:
• Update to Landmarks Ordinance: An update
to the Landmarks Ordinance is needed to
explore additional pathways for HRI-listed
properties to become City-designated historic
resources. An additional possibility is to
explore strengthening of the review process
for the Structure of Merit designation.
• Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District
(NCOD): The NCOD is a zoning tool for a
specific geographic area that can be used to
maintain existing character. The NCOD will
expand upon special consideration given to
properties listed on the Historic Resources
Inventory under category 6L, which are
properties not considered eligible for future
designation but which may still contribute
to the character of the district. Building
from the special standards applicable to the
Bayside Conservation District, the NCOD will
encompass the Bayside Conservation District
and identify unifying design features such
as dominant rhythms for structural bays or
windows, cornice lines, materials, texture,
and landscaping.
70 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Incentives
Historic preservation is not solely about regulations
that prevent inappropriate change to historic
resources. Successful historic preservation
programs also make available positive incentives,
providing property owners financial and technical
tools that help give new life to historic properties.
• Economic incentives are available to historic
preservation projects at the local, state and
federal levels. The Historical Property Contract
(Mills Act) Program provides property tax
abatement to qualified City-designated
historic resources. The Federal government
offers rehabilitation tax credits to qualified
projects and properties. Property owners
The local preservation movement began as the
City of Santa Monica responded to the increased
development pressures taking place in Southern
California cities during the 1960s and 1970s. The
City Council, following the community interest
in preserving local landmarks, adopted the
Landmarks and Historic District Ordinance on
March 24, 1976.
Several important tools exist to promote
preservation. Chief among them is the Historic
Resources Inventory (HRI), which is used to
provide both property owners (or potential buyers)
and decision-makers with information about
properties that are for sale or being considered for
demolition or major alterations.
Another tool used by the City includes the
Landmarks process, which designates structures
or features of the City that must be preserved in
perpetuity. Historic Districts, too, are utilized to
recognize areas of heightened preservation, and
several exist throughout the City.
ESSENTIAL PRESERVATION
TOOLS FOR DOWNTOWN
A NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAY DISTRICT
Downtown is not eligible to
become a designated historic
district because of the lack
of historic continuity among
buildings. However, on 2nd, 3rd
and 4th Streets the opportunity
exists to create a Neighborhood
Conservation Overlay District
(NCOD) that could preserve certain
features and scale of this famous
walking area. A future action
(see Action HP1.1A) of this plan
will identify specific boundaries
and preservation features of the
Downtown NCOD. The proposed NCOD would overlay the Bayside Conservation District. often find that property values increase when
historic preservation standards are used in
rehabilitating their buildings.
• Technical incentives are those that allow
flexibility in restoring a historic buildings.
These structures are often made of older
materials that can be rehabilitated to increase
their useful lifespan. Chapter 4, Standards
and Regulations, Table 4.4, contains a variety
of these technical incentives for HRI-listed
and/or City-Designated Historic Resources
addressing parking, open space, and certain
use regulations that would create barriers to
adaptive reuse. Other technical incentives
are available through state-level programs
such as the California Historical Building
Code, which recognizes older buildings often
have additional needs in meeting fire and life
safety requirements.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 71
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Illustration 2D.1 Map of the Downtown Historic Resources Inventory KEY
Potential Structures
of Merit
Potential Landmark
Special Planning
Consideration
Designated Landmarks
The California Historical Building Code (CHBC)
recognizes the unique construction issues
inherent in maintaining and adaptively
reusing historic buildings. The CHBC
provides alternative building regulations for
permitting repairs, alterations and additions
necessary for the preservation, rehabilitation,
relocation, related construction, change of
use, or continued use of a “qualified historical
building or structure.”
The CHBC’s standards and regulations are
intended to facilitate the rehabilitation or
change of occupancy so as to preserve their
original or restored elements and features,
to encourage energy conservation and a
cost effective approach to preservation, and
to provide for reasonable safety from fire,
seismic forces or other hazards for occupants
and users of such buildings, structures
and properties and to provide reasonable
availability and usability by the physically
disabled.
CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL
BUILDING CODE
72 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
SUPPORTING DOWNTOWN’S CHARACTER
BY PROTECTING BUILDINGS THAT STRENGTHEN IDENTITY
1314 7th Street
` 1137 2nd St
` 1216 2nd St
` 1308 2nd St
` 1417 2nd St
` 1452 2nd St
` 1254 3rd St
` 1301 3rd St
` 1336 3rd St
` 1349 3rd St
` 1227 3rd St
` 1322 3rd St
` 1354 3rd St
` 1148 4th St
` 1227 4th St
` 1245 4th St
` 1330 4th St
` 1433 4th St
` 1443 4th St
` 1301 4th St
` 1231 4th St
` 1327 5th St
` 1211 6th St
` 1218 6th St
` 1433 6th St
` 1314 7th St
` 1444 7th St
` 1457 7th St
` 1331 7th St
` 604 Arizona Ave
` 625 Arizona Ave
` 720 Arizona Ave
` 520 Arizona Ave
` 510 Arizona Ave
` 127 Broadway
` 201 Broadway
` 719 Broadway
` 516 Colorado Ave
` 528 Colorado Ave
` 631 Colorado Ave
` 1255 Lincoln Blvd
` 1670 Lincoln Blvd
` 1221 Ocean Ave
` 1431 Ocean Ave
` 101 Santa Monica Blvd
` 502 Santa Monica Blvd
` 518 Santa Monica Blvd
` 602 Santa Monica Blvd
` 401 Santa Monica Blvd
` 100 Wilshire Blvd
` 520 Wilshire Blvd
` Main Street Bridge
` McClure Tunnel
520 Wilshire Boulevard 127-131 Broadway
The City’s first effort to develop a comprehensive HRI was initiated in 1983. The City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory, Phases I and II Final Report, which included documentation of potentially eligible historic structures in the Downtown area, was released in 1985. In addition to potential individual Landmarks, structures throughout Downtown were identified as contributing to a “Central Business District” potential historic district. Following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, an Inventory Update was undertaken in the Central Business District (1995), noting buildings that had either lost their historic integrity or had been destroyed by the earthquake.
A comprehensive Downtown HRI update, released in 2017, evaluated all structures constructed by 1977 for possible historic significance. Altogether, 17 ineligible properties were removed and 8 newly identified potential landmark structures or structures of merit were added. Importantly, the HRI Update also found that sufficient integrity does not exist to continue to identify a potential Downtown Historic District. As a result, properties included in the inventory have been identified as individually eligible instead of potential District contributors. The HRI now identifies 76 properties within the Downtown Community Plan boundaries as being potentially significant. The Downtown HRI will be submitted to the State Office of Historic Preservation pursuant to Action HP1.2C.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 73
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Goal HP1: Downtown’s historic resources
are protected and maintained and
development and alterations on properties
with potential historic resources meet the
Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the
Treatment of Historic Properties.
Policy HP1.1 Ensure City regulations adequately
address preservation of character in the
Downtown.
◊ Action HP1.1A Establish a Neighborhood
Conservation Overlay District over the Bayside
Conservation District to preserve features of
scale, massing, materials and landscaping,
and streetscape.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: CAO
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action HP1.1B Update the City’s Landmarks
Ordinance (SMMC 9.56), including the
addition of a refined process, and criteria for
the designation of different classifications of
historic resources.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: CAO
Timeframe: Short-term
Policy HP1.2 The Historic Resources Inventory
(HRI) should be consulted in the Planning review
process for all applications.
◊ Action HP1.2A Use the HRI as a planning tool
to ensure consideration is given to a property’s
historic potential when any new development
involving a historic resource, or involving
those with a 6L status, which are properties
not considered eligible for future designation
but which may still contribute to the character
of the district, to ensure appropriate efforts
towards designation, protection or adaptive
reuse are made.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP1.2B Provide a height incentive
for City-designated historic resources in
conjunction with preservation of the resource.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP1.2C Submit the Downtown HRI to
State Office of Historic Preservation within 45
days of the effective date of this Plan.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action HP1.2D Explore waiver of outdoor dining
license fees for City designated historic resources
Lead Agency: PCD
Supportive Agency: HED
Timeframe: Short-term
Policy HP1.3 Projects on HRI-listed properties
should be reviewed for conformance with the
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the
Treatment of Historic Properties when alterations
to the exterior or to interior space regularly open
to the general public or demolition of any historic
structure is proposed.
◊ Action HP1.3A Review potential for the retention
or reveal of historic facades in the Downtown,
including those with ground level or upper level
features.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy HP1.4 Owners of HRI-listed properties with
a status code of 5S3 or 5S3* should be encouraged
to apply for consideration by the Landmarks
Commission.
◊ Action HP1.4A Evaluate the Landmarks
Commission recommendation to include the
Structure of Merit classification as a permanent
second-tier designation.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
HISTORIC PRESERVATION: GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS
74 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Policy HP1.5 Historic properties should be
encouraged to maintain and upgrade their
energy efficiency to ensure long-term usefulness
and value.
◊ Action HP1.5A Provide information and
incentives for improving energy efficiency of
historic structures, such as the Secretary of
the Interior’s Guidelines for Sustainability in
Historic Properties, with guidance to avoid
removal of historic features such as windows.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: OSE
Timeframe: Short-Term
Policy HP1.6 When substantial repairs or
alterations to historic properties are proposed,
the City will encourage the restoration and repair
of any lost or damaged historic features when
feasible and appropriate.
The Criterion Building, built in the 1920s on what is today’s Third Street Promenade, has enjoyed nearly 100 years of use and has served as a mixed-use retail/residential space for countless users.
T
CA
SW Corner
1990
3rd Street Facade and SW Corner
1942
SW Corner
1949
Arizona Ave. Facade and NE Corner
1983
◊ Action HP1.6A Allow flexibility in parking, green
building, and other zoning standards, such as
exemption from on-site parking and open space
requirements, when buildings are substantially
and appropriately preserved or restored as
part of a development project. Review and, if
necessary, revise standards that may discourage
historic rehabilitation and adaptive reuse.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agencies: PW, OSE
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP1.6B Promote and expedite use of the
California State Historic Building Code for HRIlisted properties.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP1.6C Evaluate and, if needed,
strengthen recommendations relating to
substantial alterations contained within the
Downtown Design Guidelines.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action HP1.6D For the most common
practices and alterations, encourage
interaction with the Santa Monica
Conservancy and its new Preservation
Resource Center to compile reference
materials that describe appropriate
maintenance and façade improvements
in a document. Make these materials
available to property owners, contractors,
and architects.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action HP1.6E Encourage property owners,
developers, and other stakeholders to use
preservation architects for projects on HRIlisted properties. Encourage use of archives and other resources to guide the design
of appropriate restorations and repairs.
Support the maintenance of and encourage
public access to archives with information
on older Downtown buildings.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP1.6F When an application is
submitted for projects that involve HRIlisted properties with a status code of category 5 or better, encourage the
applicant to seek courtesy feedback from
the Landmarks Commission.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
CITY OF SANTA MONICA 75
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Goal HP2: The character of Downtown is
enhanced by visual elements that convey
and celebrate its history.
Policy HP2.1 Projects on properties that do not
contain a historic resource should identify any
adjacent historic resources and consider impacts
of the proposed project on the adjacent historic
resource.
Policy HP2.2 City-designated historic resources
should be identified with signage (such as a
plaque) that provides information about the
resource, and highlighted in marketing efforts
related to the attractions of Downtown.
◊ Action HP2.2A Work with preservation
organizations, such as the Santa Monica
Conservancy, to develop a program to highlight
City-designated historic resources within
Downtown, including place recognition, an
educational component and information to
direct visitors to find points of historic interest.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: ISD, CMO, DTSM
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP2.2B Provide street furniture,
street lamps, benches and other amenities
that are compatible with historic elements in
appropriate areas Downtown.
Lead Agency: PW
Supporting Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP2.2C Develop a process for
distributing funds collected for community
benefits for historic preservation.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy HP2.3 Where appropriate, Downtown
Signage, events, art installations and other
activities should include interesting and engaging
information that educates the public about Santa
Monica’s history.
◊ Action HP2.3A Work with the Santa Monica
Conservancy to update and expand its
“Downtown Walking Tour” brochure
and explore digital and other interactive
methods of presenting information about
Downtown’s historic resources. Encourage
broad distribution of these materials by other
community organizations.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action HP2.3B Implement and coordinate
public improvements to emphasize
Downtown’s strong sense of place.
Lead Agency: PW
Supporting Agency: PCD, DTSM
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy HP2.4 Adaptive reuse of older buildings
should be considered for new construction and
rehabilitation projects, when the scale, materials
or method of construction evokes Downtown’s
history, and where the building contributes to a
continuous streetscape.
Goal HP3: Downtown has a dedicated
funding source that can be used to maintain
and enhance its historic resources.
Policy HP3.1 Recognizing Downtown Santa
Monica’s significant concentration of the City’s
historic resources, the City should consider
creating a developer-funded fund to assist with
preservation-related activities in the Downtown
area.
◊ Action HP3.1A Evaluate the potential for
community benefits from all discretionary
development to contribute toward Downtown
preservation programs.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action HP3.1B Identify funding for the
ongoing preservation of City-owned historic
resources within Downtown and provide
incentives for private preservation efforts.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy HP3.2 The City should pursue funding
opportunities for Downtown preservation
activities including grants, community benefits,
partnership opportunities and other sources
available to the City.
76 DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2C >> HISTORIC PRESERVATION
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PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 2D
78 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
INSIDE THE PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES CHAPTER
INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACES
Publicly accessible and inclusive open
space is necessary in all communal
environments. Downtown Santa Monica
is home to several existing gathering
spaces that cater to residents, visitors and
employees, but requires more to meet the
needs of a growing urban neighborhood.
In fact, a 2016 citywide survey found
that the number one priority identified
for Downtown was new public open
space. Several opportunities to realize
this vision are discussed in this chapter,
and key locations for potential new public
or privately-owned open spaces are
identified.
This chapter also discusses how
enhancements to Downtown’s existing
public spaces, often underutilized, can
be facilitated and encouraged through
new incentives that generate activity and
interest.
PATHWAYS AND SIDEWALKS
The largest public open space Downtown
is, in fact, the network of public sidewalks.
Recognizing this, the DCP’s public space
strategy focuses on making sidewalks
perform better for pedestrians of all
abilities as they journey from destination
to destination. Designers, property
owners and City staff will want to read
about the “Signature Sidewalks” concept,
which proposes four new streetscape
projects on Ocean Avenue, Wilshire
Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard and 4th
Street. A future action of this Plan is the
Downtown Streets Manual, which will
provide high-level guidance on the design,
materials, furnishings and amenities of
future streetscape projects conducted
within Downtown.
Similarly, guidance is provided on
improving existing sidewalks and building
setbacks with landscaping, lighting and
pedestrian-friendly activity, like outdoor
dining.
PRINCIPLES GUIDING THIS
CHAPTER
MAINTAIN THE "OUR TOWN"
CHARACTER OF DOWNTOWN SANTA
MONICA
Preserve Downtown Santa Monica’s
charm and character by requiring
new development to contribute high
standards of architecture, urban design
and landscaping.
CREATE A NEW MODEL OF MOBILITY
Provide mobility enhancements
that address all forms of circulation
while prioritizing the pedestrian and
maintaining vehicle traffic flow for the
benefit of cars and buses destined for
Downtown.
FOCUS PUBLIC REALM
INVESTMENTS TO SERVE RESIDENTS,
VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES
Focus on enhancements to the public
realm that bring a higher level of
amenities to the Downtown community,
and utilize key investment sites
identified in the LUCE to provide districtwide enhancements to circulation, open space and affordable housing.
Goals, policies and actions designed to
achieve the Plan principles stated above can
be reviewed at the end of this chapter.
79 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Downtown Santa Monica contains significant
public spaces along its periphery, such as
Palisades Park, Tongva Park, Reed Park, and the
Pier and Beach. However, more public spaces are
need within Downtown to support the growing
needs of its residents, employee populations and
visitors. This Plan recognizes the benefits of this
investment, and seeks to increase the amount
of public spaces Downtown through a network
of interconnected courtyards, plazas and other
public spaces woven together through improved
streets, sidewalks and pathways. Leveraging
existing assets, the DCP seeks a more complete
public space network by providing a series of
strategies to increase the inventory of community
gathering spaces and strengthen the connections
that serve them, which include:
• Sizeable open air spaces of diverse character
created through City-initiated public/private
projects, as well as benefits resulting from
private investment in new development
• Revitalized public plazas, courtyards and other
privately owned public spaces (“POPS”) that
can feature small local-serving uses, events or
flexible activities
• A network of well-designed streets, pathways,
paseos and sidewalks that link to new and
existing public spaces, and which double as
public spaces in their own right
GUIDANCE ON PATHWAYS
AND PUBLIC SPACES
This chapter outlines the vision and potential
projects that might occur to deliver additional
public space and streetscapes within the
Downtown. Designers, property owners, and
City staff should also review:
` Chapter 3, Access and Mobility,
for information on the City's "Great
Streets" policy, to maximize the
comfort, usability, and aesthetics for
pedestrians creating complete streets.
` Chapter 4, Standards and Regulations, for
specific requirements for private open space.
` Chapter 5, Design Guidelines, for
consideration of the desired variety
of public spaces large and small.
DRAFT DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 113
FEBRUARY 2016
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 3
ACCESS AND MOBILITY
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 4
STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APRIL 2017
CHAPTER 5
DESIGN GUIDELINES
Chapter 3: Access
and Mobility
Chapter 5: Design
Guidelines
Chapter 4: Standards
and Regulations
2D.1 DOWNTOWN’S PUBLIC
REALM NETWORK
Downtown’s thriving public space network is
composed of interconnected streets and public
open spaces that provide a place for community
socializing and recreation. On any given day,
but especially during weekends and farmers’
market events, Downtown’s streets, park, and
pedestrian areas are teeming with life. Members
of the community rub elbows with one another
while casually shopping, dining or taking a stroll.
Public spaces, like the Third Street Promenade,
and publicly accessible private spaces, like Santa
Monica Place, support Downtown’s continuing
role as Santa Monica’s premier social and cultural
gathering space. Together, they also promote
and enhance economic health, which largely
depends on the quality of the city’s pedestrian
environments and the experience they provide to
users en route. From a physical and psychological
perspective, the well-being of residents and
workers, too, depends on the availability of green
and attractive public spaces as well as lively
and inviting streets and sidewalks. This chapter
discusses public open spaces, whether publicly
or privately owned, and describes the strategic
framework for enhancing and maintaining these
spaces and right-of-way environments for people
of all abilities.
80 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
in the comprehensive public space system.
Implementation of the full network would
provide public space within a 2 ½ minute walk
to all those who live, work and visit Downtown.
The following public space proposal integrates
new and existing public spaces and POPS into
a cohesive network. This is supported by the
complementary matrix of streets, sidewalks
and paseos that serve as the connective tissue
2D.1A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE SPACES
Downtown Santa Monica is rich with significant,
civic and regionally-scaled public space along its
borders. However it lacks public spaces at a more
intimate scale suitable for local neighborhood
gathering, as found in Hotchkiss Park, Goose Egg
Park or Ozone Park. Green, landscaped space
is also in short supply, as many of Downtown’s
public spaces are hardscape plazas and
pedestrian thoroughfares in reclaimed right-ofways.
Not all of Downtown’s existing public spaces
are owned and maintained by the City. Many
Downtown plazas, courtyards and walkways are
on private land. On the Third Street Promenade,
several paseos that connect the City’s parking
structures to the Promenade’s retail activity
cut through private property, where access has
been negotiated or voluntarily provided. These
privately-owned public spaces, called “POPS”
(identified in Illustration 2D.1) are sprinkled
throughout Downtown, and represent early
attempts at providing pedestrian linkages within
Downtown. In examining these spaces today, it
is clear that while they lack the amenities and
furnishings that would be included in most new
projects, they have potential to be reimagined
and revitalized. The DCP provides guidelines for
redesigning and activating these spaces, and
also creates targeted exemptions from certain
standards to allow for small-land uses, events and
other programming that serve the community.
THERE ARE MORE THAN A FEW TYPES OF OPEN SPACE
There are three types of public spaces. Completely public, completely private, and the partnership of the two - public-private spaces. The type of public space dictates who owns and operates the space, who is allowed to use the space, and when.
Spaces that are not freely
open to the public and only
accessible to private entities
(i.e. Sway Apartments).
Spaces that are publicly
accessible, but owned
and operated privately
(i.e. Santa Monica Place).
Public spaces that are
owned by the City and open
to all
PUBLIC-P RIVATE SPAC ES
COMPLETELY PUBLIC SPACES
COMPLETELY PRIVATE SPACES
(i.e. Santa Monica Central
Public Library Courtyard).
81 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
2D.1.B NEW PUBLIC SPACES
In a 2016 survey conducted for this Plan, the
creation of new public spaces Downtown was
identified as a top priority. To accomplish this
within a mostly built-out environment, several
strategies must be pursued that take advantage
of public and private opportunities. While the
exact location, orientation and size of many
future public open spaces are unknown, the
DCP anticipates several new public spaces to be
introduced throughout the District over the next
20 years. As new projects are proposed, including
redevelopment on City-owned land, applicants
will be encouraged to incorporate public open
space into their package of community benefits
and work with the City on a comprehensive
design process to ensure access and activation of
the space. Illustration 2D.2 identifies six potential
sites on both public and private property, which
are based on their strategic location, size of
property and likelihood for redevelopment.
Potential opportunities for new public spaces
Downtown include:
Public/Private Partnerships
These opportunities can be shaped by City
participation and investment in coordination
with private development interests.
• 4th/5th and Arizona – a City-owned
property with the potential for sizeable
public activities and gathering spaces, such
as a permanent ice rink and major public
plaza and landscaped green spaces.
• Expo TOD Site – a City-owned property
whose character will be greatly influenced
by transit users who will need a dynamic
range of services, sitting areas and mixing
zones.
Private Development and Community Benefits.
These new publicly accessible small parks or
plazas can be created through community
benefit contributions.
• 5th and Broadway – an approved mixeduse project where housing, retail and public space will nurture Downtown’s livability
and community focus.
• Ocean and Wilshire (The Miramar) –
potential exists to make public a sizable
area of the Miramar property through
redevelopment and connection with the
activity of both the Third Street Promenade
and Palisades Park.
• Lincoln and Broadway (Von’s) – Lincoln
Boulevard’s incorporation into the
Downtown district may result in this 2.5-acre
site redeveloping to serve new residents, as
well as those in adjacent neighborhoods.
Public space and art have been identified as
priorities at this site.
• 101 Santa Monica Boulevard – this 11-parcel
site has the ability to provide a cultural
institution as well as a significant amount
of public space, including mid-block paseos
and pedestrian pathways.
The identified sites are located so most
Downtown residents and employees would be
within a 2 ½ minute walk of opportunities for
passive recreation and/or places where children
can play. A 2 ½ minute walk, or approximately
1/8 mile, is understood as the range that urban
residents, especially those living with children
in a multi-family dwelling, will typically walk to
access public open space. Thus, a distribution
of usable green space toward the east side
of Downtown is particularly necessary, as the
largest concentration of residences are located
between 4th Street and Lincoln Boulevard.
Public/Private Partnerships
The City of Santa Monica is not a major landowner
in Downtown, save for the public parking
structures that have contributed to Downtown’s
economic success. However, the City does own a
handful of well-located and potentially catalytic
sites that could provide a variety of public
spaces that could be programmed with events,
festivals, outdoor markets or other activity. In
collaboration with a design/development team,
a public-private partnership could be formed
to incorporate locally and regionally significant
public space into future projects at the 4th/5th
and Arizona site, and at the Exposition Light Rail
Terminus station.
4th/5th and Arizona
The multi-year community vision process for this
City-owned property has identified a number
of desired community benefits, including the
permanent addition of a seasonal community ice
rink that would occupy a large public gathering
82 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Illustration 2D.1 Existing Publicly Accessible Open Space PUBLIC SPACES: CAN YOU
SPOT THE DIFFERENCES?
The two maps adjacent to one another frame
the Downtown's existing and future public space
outlook. See if you can notice the difference
between them.
Over time, policies and priorities for public
open space contained in the DCP will help to
fill in the gaps between today's existing public
spaces. Both large and small scale public spaces
will emerge from projects, or potential City
investment in land.
Streets and pathways will undergo some change
as well, as the City responds to the increase in
pedestrians and bicycles through the DCP's
Signature Sidewalk plan, parklet concept, and
mid-block pedestrian passages.
As Downtown embraces its new distinction as
a mixed-use neighborhood, these public spaces
will serve residents from all around, and provide
those who visit (including employees) a respite
from the bound environment.
83 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Illustration 2D.2 Future Public Space Vision Plan
City Properties
8 SANTA
MONICA PIER
3 3RD STREET
PROMENADE 4
TONGVA PARK
9 KEN GENSER
SQUARE
A 401 WILSHIRE
C
E 1299 OCEAN
520 BROADWAY
B
D 233 WILSHIRE
F
G
SANTA MONICA
PLACE
1250 4TH STREET
606 WILSHIRE
5 COLORADO
ESPLANADE 6
EXPO STATION
TRANSIT PLAZA
1 REED PARK
7 PALISADES PARK
2 CENTRAL LIBRARY
COURTYARD
Private Properties with Public Access
84 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
space. During warmer weather, this public space
could be programmed with events and activities
in conjunction with the Promenade.
Expo TOD Site
The location of the Downtown terminus of the
Exposition Light Rail plays a key role in the City’s
circulation network as a critical hub and point of
interchange between train, bus and pedestrian.
Its relationship to the Colorado Esplanade and
proximity to public space destinations make it
an ideal candidate for an urban plaza and mixing
zone that can provide a place of brief respite
between destinations.
Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS)
Better use of existing POPS throughout
Downtown is strongly encouraged. Small, but
significant incentives are offered through the
DCP’s development standards to assist property
owners in activating underutilized plazas and
courtyards.
Incentives for POPS
(see Chapter 4, Standards and Regulations)
• The allowance of outdoor dining areas
fronting the publicly accessible plaza
without a requirement for additional
parking.
• The ability to install small structures of
750 square feet or less within an existing
plaza regardless of the site’s existing floor
area ratio (FAR); the height of these small
structures shall be no greater than 15 feet.
This POPS plaza at 4th and Wilshire is largely unused during the day and evening. Its size could easily accommodate a small food-orieneted structure or group activities like a craft fair or market. • The ability to stage temporary events, such
as farmers’ markets or craft fairs within a
publicly accessible plaza .
To qualify for these incentives, property owners
will need to work with City staff to evaluate the
condition of their existing POPS and propose
changes that meet the goals of the DCP for
increased utilization of publicly accessible
private spaces. Improvements should address
seating, shade, landscaping, and land uses, as
well as the ability of the POPS to cater to daytime
Existing: 401 Wilshire plaza POPS
Proposed: 401 Wilshire POPS with sidewalk cafe
85 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
and evening neighborhood needs. These newly
activated spaces should be predominantly open
to the sky. In addition, publicly accessible spaces
may be provided above ground level on roof decks
that are easy to reach and provide further views
of the city, ocean, and mountains. Negotiations
should allow for public programming, like
classes, occasional events, and other activities,
while the responsibility for maintenance would
remain with the property owner.
The specific process for implementing this policy
is a future action recommended within this
chapter’s goals and policies (see Action PPS2.1C).
Guidelines for POPS improvements are further
described in Chapter 5, Design Guidelines. Those
guidelines establish use, transparency, location,
height and signage preferences.
2D.1C PUBLIC SPACE AMENITIES AND
ACTIVITIES
As ideas for these new and existing spaces
evolve, designers should consider amenities and
programming that are currently under-provided
in Downtown. This Plan’s focus on building a
long-term community requires variety, and
suggests the need for new courtyards, plazas,
children’s play areas, a seasonal skating rink,
and flexible outdoor spaces to accommodate
performances, event programming, and street
vendors. In these locations, moveable tables and
chairs, water features, landscaping and shading
should be provided to allow for comfortable and
meaningful gathering during all seasons and
times of day.
Guidelines given in Chapter 5 provide a set of
parameters for programming elements that have
been identified as most desired by local Santa
Monicans, and which could provide a valuable
contribution to the public space network in
Downtown Santa Monica, including:
• Courtyards. Courtyards are unroofed areas
that are completely or mostly enclosed by the
walls of a large building. They often serve as
gathering space and/or outdoor dining spaces
with potential for scheduled performances,
fairs or movie screenings. Space needs vary
by venue.
• Plazas. Plazas are open hardscapes that
are typically incorporated into the ground
floor of a development, and which are
designed and programmed for recreational
or entertainment uses. Ranging between
7,500 -20,000 square feet, a plaza is infinitely
rearrangeable to serve seasonal needs, or
temporary programming.
• Pocket Park. These small open spaces are
typically framed by buildings on a least two
sides, and provide a break from the streetwall
at opportune moments. Typically at least
7,500 square feet, a pocket park is roughly the
size of a single lot Downtown, which could be
converted to open space use through minimal
landscaping and seating interventions.
Rooftop Garden at the Curren House designed by
Landscape Architect, Andrea Cochran.
Girard Fountain Park, Philadelphia, PA
86 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
WHAT IS INCLUSIVE PUBLIC OPEN SPACE DESIGN?
The ideals of public spaces are that they are open and free to enjoy by all. Public spaces in theory do not exclude anyone from using them, but in reality their design doesn’t always meet everyone’s needs. One way to help protect the foundation of public space for all is inclusionary design. Inclusive design is consciously designing a space so that a diversity of users, whether women, men, children, elderly, or people with limited abilities, feel comfortable and safe. Six core inclusive design principles will guide the creation of new public spaces Downtown.
Include good lighting and clear signs in public
spaces and along exit paths.
Provide transportation access to public spaces
that is safe and inclusive of disabilities.
Position sensitive staff at the public spaces.
Incorporate clear and smooth pathways for
entering and navigating the public spaces.
Eliminate hiding places in public spaces.
Provide neccessary amenities for users.
These six core principles will help ensure more
people feel that they can be part of the space and
the Downtown Santa Monica community. Principles
addressing lighting, signage, and location may support
feelings of safety and security. Clear and ample
signage, in addition to open and smooth pathways,
can help those with limited abilities navigate through
the space better. Providing transportation access with
safety amenities such as emergency lights, and with
more points of access to the public space offers more
reasons for people to step out the door and enjoy their backyard.
1 2
3 4
5 6
87 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
• Parklets. A parklet is a small seating area or
green space created as a public amenity on
or alongside a sidewalk, especially in a former
roadside parking space. As this space is part of
the right-of-way and the local transportation
network, no vendors or privatized use is
permitted in a parklet.
• Craft/Artisan Fair. Wide-open spaces, like
unused plazas or parking lots, provide an
opportunity for temporary events and
festivals. Pop-up booths, tables and vendor
carts can easily turn a quiet corner into a
bustling marketplace. This use could be
accommodated in an area of approximately
4,000-12,000 square feet.
• Outdoor Performance Venue. Requiring some
seating and shading amenities, an outdoor
performance venue can be temporary or
permanent in nature. Consistent with the
community’s desire for more live music and
performance, spaces within POPS and public
parks should be considered for this type of
activity. Space needs vary by venue.
2D.1E PUBLIC SPACE OPERATIONS,
MAINTENANCE, AND MANAGEMENT
Successful public environments need constant
monitoring and review so that they are upto-date and well maintained. The long-term sustainability of Downtown public spaces
depend largely on funding, staffing and oversight
for operation and maintenance, whether
maintained by the City, by another public agency,
or by a private entity. Downtown Santa Monica,
Inc. (DTSM) is the Business Improvement District
responsible for the district’s active management.
DTSM’s public focus is to ensure that public open
spaces are clean, safe, well-lit and accessible to
users of all capabilities. The highly successful
Downtown Ambassador program is just one
example of DTSM’s management approach to
curating a positive public space experience.
In situations where private property owners and
tenants are responsible for the maintenance
and management of POPS, these individuals
should post a performance bond to assure
compliance with maintenance measures and
signage implementation. It may also be helpful
to leverage DTSM’s existing relationships with
Water Park: Jamison Park Portland, OR
property owners and organizational capacity
to create a stakeholder committee, non-profit
or other group (i.e., Friends of POPS) to help
promote the success of POPS in Downtown. In
coordination with DTSM, this group would be
responsible for monitoring and programming.
It would visit sites to assure they are accessible,
well maintained and have appropriate signage.
It would also allow for public and private event
programming to be scheduled in the space.
Some portion of fees from renting these spaces
for private events during non-public hours would
go directly to additional public programming for
the spaces.
88 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Illustration 2D.4 Location for Pedestrian Improvements
2D.2 THE PEDESTRIAN REALM
Public spaces are linked together and to the
larger fabric of the community through a
network of streets, pathways, and paseos that
help determine the character of a place.
The City has direct control over streets and can,
through its investments, dramatically shape the
quality of the pedestrian realm. The Colorado
Esplanade is an example of a major public
project that recognizes the potential of the street
right of way to function as a significant public
open space, providing an enhanced pedestrian
experience linking the public spaces of the Expo
station, the Santa Monica Pier and beach, Santa
Monica Place, and Tongva Park.
The sidewalk is the public place where pedestrians
connect on their journey to destinations within
the Downtown, and therefore special attention
must be paid to ensure that streets, sidewalks
and other pathways are well designed with the
pedestrian in mind. In conjunction with Chapter
3, Access and Mobility, this Plan proposes
specific strategies to balance the needs of trains,
buses, and bikes to allow people to switch from
one mode to another easily, while always giving
priority to people walking.
This section provides guidance on sidewalk
design and function to designers of private
projects affecting the right-of-way, as well as
Planning and Public Works staff who may be
KEY
89 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
responsible for future streetscape improvement
projects. The “Signature Sidewalk” concept
proposed for Wilshire Boulevard, Ocean Avenue
and Lincoln Boulevard recommends a set of
design requirements to enhance the pedestrian
realm as new development occurs or as the City
determines in the course of more detailed studies.
2D.2.A IMPROVING THE SIDEWALK
EXPERIENCE
The majority of Downtown sidewalks are
unchanged from their original construction, which
occurred when residential, employee and visitor
populations in the District were far less than
they are today. A handful have been widened or
updated with trees, lighting, or street furniture
as part of a streetscape project, such as on 2nd
and 4th Streets, but by and large Downtown’s
sidewalks, especially those on major Boulevards,
do not allow several people to walk side-byside together. A number of different sidewalk conditions are documented in Illustrations 2.4 -
2.9 to provide examples of how sidewalk width
affects the quality of experience for pedestrians.
Incremental enhancements to the sidewalk
experience will be realized by a combination
of public investment in streetscapes and
requirements for private development that
require increased setbacks at the ground-floor.
Except for the Signature Sidewalk proposed
on Wilshire Boulevard between 4th Street
and Ocean Avenue, which utilizes available
roadway space, all other improvements to the
sidewalk experience will be provided through
setback requirements on private property as
redevelopment occurs. The desired curb-tobuilding width is documented in the Proposed Building Frontage Line Map from Chapter 4,
Standards and Regulations, which specifies
exactly how much buildings shall setback in
order to achieve potentially more space at
the sidewalk level. Because the space created
by set backs will be on private property, it will
be incumbent upon the property owner to
determine how that space is used and managed
either as an extension of the sidewalk itself, or as
outdoor dining, vending space or other features
that promote a quality pedestrian environment.
Sidewalk design and function is discussed on the
following pages so that over time, as new private
development occurs throughout Downtown, it
is clear what kind of streetscape amenities and
enhancements are needed, and what is the
desired curb-to-building width in the Downtown.
Since being proposed in 2012, these setback
requirements have been applied successfully to
numerous projects.
DOWNTOWN STREET DESIGN
A major action of this chapter is to create a
comprehensive streetscape manual for the future
renovation or development of Downtown Streets.
This "manual" would provide guidance on the
various elements of streetscape design so that
the function, aesthetics and management of
Downtown right-of-way spaces are coordinated
(see Action PPS1.1A)
The existing improved sidewalk on Santa Monica Blvd,
between 4th and 5th, allows for trees, bike racks, seating and ample space for pedestrians.
8’ Sidewalk typical of many pathways within the
Downtown. This sidewalk is too narrow for an active street frontage.
90 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2D.2.B SIDEWALK DESIGN AND FUNCTION
Great sidewalks are not solely defined by their
width but by their composition and amenities.
Within the curb-to-building face lies three zones,
as shown in Illustration 2.4:
• Zone 1 is adjacent to the curb
• Zone 2 is the traditional sidewalk or pedestrian
path of travel and
• Zone 3 is the space next to buildings or private
property
Within these zones, a variety of different
activities and furnishings can be accommodated,
such as:
Zone 1
Landscaping. Street trees provide shade, beauty,
and act as a buffer between pedestrians and
traffic. A row of street trees is required on every
street in Downtown Santa Monica. Along some
wider sidewalks, a double row of trees is desired.
Most Downtown streets will continue to have
tree wells, which should be designed for proper
tree growth and for pedestrian flow with grates
where needed to protect both pedestrians
and trees. Tree species appropriate for the
Downtown area are outlined in the Urban Forest
Master Plan.
Pedestrian Lighting. Consistent pedestrianoriented lighting on sidewalks can improve the walking experience for pedestrians. Lights should
illuminate the pedestrian pathway to maximize
pedestrian safety without being too distracting,
be selected for function, and be designed to add
to the pedestrian character. Private property
should be encouraged to add ground floor
lighting as part of pedestrian-oriented façades.
Street Furniture. Numerous amenities ranging
from benches and news racks to bike share and
water stations can be located next to the curb.
Signage/Wayfinding. Wayfinding helps visitors
navigate the Downtown. Properly scaled and
of a consistent palette, these signs will direct
pedestrians to significant landmarks and
amenities in the Downtown and to the beach,
Pier and Civic Center.
Zone 2
Pedestrian Pathways. The pedestrian travel
zone should be a minimum width of eight feet,
except on 6th and 7th Streets where it should
be a minimum of six feet. However, many areas
require additional space to accommodate
pedestrian demand. The Building Frontage
Lines prescribing building setbacks in Chapter
4, Standards and Regulations, are designed to
accommodate this requirement.
Zone 3
Vendors. Ranging from street performers to
small carts selling goods or services, this activity
enlivens the sidewalk. Vendors must obtain City
permits and require management to ensure
compatibility with surrounding businesses and
activities. Also compatible with Zone 1.
Outdoor Dining. Outdoor Dining activates
the sidewalks and celebrates Santa Monica’s
favorable climate. These areas are maintained
by individual business owners. Outdoor Dining
Permits are obtained through the City and, in
certain circumstances, dining may be located
in Zone 1, provided the establishment complies
with state law in regard to sales of alcoholic
beverages.
ZONE 1
Landscaping/
Lighting
Illustration 2D.5 Sidewalk Zones
ZONE 2
Pedestrian
Pathway
ZONE 3
Flexible
Frontage
On 6th and 7th Streets,
Pedestrian Pathway
must be a minimum of
2+' 8+' 5+' 6 feet wide.
91 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Illustration 2D.7 Sidewalk Width 18 feet Illustration 2D.8 Sidewalk Width 20 feet 18’ Sidewalk = Minimum width for cordoned off cafe
with tables against building edge.
20’ from edge of porch to curb.
18 FT SIDEWALK 20 FT SIDEWALK
DOWNTOWN SIDEWALK WIDTHS
Illustration 2D.6 Sidewalk Width 15 feet
15’ Sidewalk along east side of 2nd Street. Where parked cars. This is the minimum width for one row of tables.
15 FT SIDEWALK
ZONE 1
Landscaping/
Lighting
ZONE 2
Pedestrian
Pathway
ZONE 3
Flexible
Frontage
ZONE 1
Landscaping/
Lighting
ZONE 2
Pedestrian
Pathway
ZONE 3
Flexible
Frontage
ZONE 1
Landscaping/
Lighting
ZONE 2
Pedestrian
Pathway
ZONE 3
Flexible
Frontage
92 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2D.2.C PASEOS AND PARKLETS
Paseos are linear public spaces located between
blocks with access for pedestrians only. Several
examples of these exist on the Third Street
Promenade, where paseos connect pedestrians
from the alleys and parking garages on 2nd
and 3rd Courts to the retail activity of the
Promenade. Paseos are encouraged in new
development where there is continuous building
frontage over 300 feet in length to break down
the block size and provide a more pedestrianscaled experience. Mid-block paseos should be located to enhance linkages to the public space
network, and may be counted toward meeting
open space requirements in new developments.
In particular, paseos are highly appropriate at the
4th/5th Arizona and Expo Station sites.
Parklets are located within an on-street parking
lane with raised seating at grade with the
sidewalk, as shown in Illustration 2D.8. Tactical
insertions of parklets, with no more than two per
block, are a great way to provide more capacity
to a narrow sidewalk or activate the space. The
City recently approved a parklet pilot project on
Main Street that will be maintained by adjacent
businesses, but will be open to anyone as an
extension of the City’s public space network.
Parklets are suggested especially along 2nd and
4th Streets between Colorado and Wilshire.
PASEO DETAILS
Size Min. 20 ft in width.
Access From sidewalk or building.
Public Availability All times unless otherwise restricted by property owner.
Landscaping Hardscape surface with landscaping in pots, planters, flower baskets, etc.
Seating Fixed or movable seating along edge of Paseo facing open space.
Sunlight/Wind Awnings, canopies, or trellis.
Vendors N/A
Public Art Maybe integrated into design of paving, planters, and lighting.
Programming Gathering/walking space with potential for scheduled performances or fairs.
Pedestrian Paseo located in Downtown Los Angeles, CA Pedestrian Paseo with Storefronts 93 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
PARKLET DETAILS
Size Approximately 22 ft (1 parking space long) or 44 ft (2 spaces long) in length and 8 ft in width.
Access From sidewalk.
Public Availability Publicly Accessible.
Landscaping Hardscape surface with planters or other buffer separating parklet from street travel lanes.
Seating Moveable chairs and tables.
Sunlight/Wind Shade structure, trellis, trees or umbrellas.
Vendors May be used for restaurant seating of adjacent restaurant.
Public Art May be integrated into design of seating and landscaping or buffer between parklet and street.
Programming Gathering space or outdoor dining space.
Valencia Street , San Francisco, CA
The City is constructing several parklets on Main Street in 2017.
San Francisco, CA
Illustration 2D.9 Parklet Diagram
94 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2D.3.E SIGNATURE SIDEWALK CONCEPT
Four major streetscape improvement projects
will help to define the character of Downtown
as a place where pedestrians come first. These
“Signature Sidewalks” are proposed on Wilshire
Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard, Ocean Avenue,
and 4th Street. They have been selected based
on their role as major connectors and access
corridors between surrounding neighborhoods,
key Downtown destinations, and the regional
transportation network. The implementation of
these streetscape projects will complement the
efforts of the Colorado Esplanade and future
circulation network improvements to enhance
access and connections from the Downtown
district to the Pier, Beach, and Civic Center.
Ocean Avenue.
OCEAN AVENUE
Despite being the widest sidewalk in Downtown, the east side of Ocean Avenue could yet be expanded between Colorado and Broadway to accommodate pedestrian, bike or transit demand associated with access to the Pier. However, at times this wide sidewalk feels isolated due to a lack of active ground floors.
Chapter 4, Standards and Regulations addresses ways to activate Ocean Avenue through building use and frontage design, but proposed enhancements to the sidewalk can also help to enliven the area. An improved streetscape might include: innovative furnishing, outdoor dining locations, lighting, consolidated valet operations, wayfinding signage to other destinations, protected bikeways, additional bike racks, curbside pick-up/drop-off and transit improvements. In this way, Ocean Avenue facilitates better connection between the Pier and Expo Light Rail Station and to the rest of Downtown via the Colorado Esplanade or to the Civic Center via Tongva Park.
Illustration 2D.10 Ocean Existing Plan View
95 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Colorado Esplanade Plan for Ocean/Colorado Intersection.
TONGVA
PARK
OCEAN AVE
ESPLANADE
COLORADO
PIER
Illustration 2D.11 Ocean Proposed Plan View
Illustration 2D.12 Ocean Proposed Section
Improved bike lanes
Widened sidewalk
Curb extensions
Permeable paving
KEY FEATURES
Buffered Bike Lanes
Outdoor Dining
Signature Furniture
Public Art
96 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Illustration 2D.14 Wilshire Proposed Section
WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
Though Wilshire Boulevard is the grand street of Los Angeles, at this termination point the roadway space is not as highly utilized by automobiles, and vehicle trips drop off significantly west of 4th Street. Thus, an opportunity exists to provide terminus to the Boulevard by either creating an esplanade experience to better connect the Promenade to Palisades Park and Ocean Avenue. Widening the sidewalk and improving the interface between Wilshire and Third Street would allow for expanded outdoor dining, public art, or by enhancing the roadway with transit stops, tour and local bus access, street vendors, protected bikeways, bike racks, bike share stations, and other outdoor activity, or a combination, thereby providing the grand culmination at the Pacific Ocean that Wilshire Boulevard deserves.
Illustration 2D.13 Wilshire Existing Plan View Illustration 2D.15 Wilshire Existing Section Illustration 2D.16 Wilshire Proposed Section
Double row of trees
Potential for outdoor
dining in Zone 1
Curb extensions
Permeable paving
Widened sidewalk
Pedestrian Scramble
97 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Wilshire Boulevard after sidewalk widening on south side of street.
Wilshire Boulevard: existing conditions.
KEY FEATURES
25ft South Sidewalk
Curb Extensions
Alee of Trees
Outdoor Dining
98 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
LINCOLN BOULEVARD
A thoughtful streetscape on Lincoln Boulevard would improve the pedestrian experience for the expanding residential neighborhood and the neighborhood directly east of Downtown while creating new gateways from Lincoln Boulevard to Downtown. Anticipated land-use changes and expanded sidewalk areas, as prescribed in Chapter 4, Standards and Regulations, will accommodate pedestrians walking from the new residential buildings on Lincoln Boulevard to the nearby Expo Light Rail station. Attractive streetscape amenities such as decorative lighting, pedestrian-oriented ground floors and bus service accommodation, will encourage people to walk to the station.
Illustration 2D.17 Lincoln Existing Plan View Illustration 2D.19 Lincoln Existing Section Illustration 2D.18 Lincoln Proposed Section Illustration 2D.20 Lincoln Proposed Section Widened sidewalks
Trees against curb
Curb extension
Permeable paving
99 2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Lincoln as it might appear with an expanded building setback.
Lincoln: existing conditions.
KEY FEATURES
Expanded
Pedestrian Zone
Decorative Lighting
Colored Sidewalks
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2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
4TH STREET
4th Street has long been the most direct and convenient access to the freeway, Ocean Park, Santa Monica High School, the Civic Center and some hotels. Demand will continue to increase now that the terminus station of the Expo Light Rail is added to that list. Short-term improvements include lighting, bus amenities, landscaping and attractive bridge railings over the freeway. The long-term action is to widen the bridge to accommodate the anticipated level of pedestrian and bicycle activity. Improvements should be coordinated with new access to development near the station and the prospective realignment of the 4th Street freeway exit (discussed in Chapter 3).
Illustration 2D.21 4th Street Bridge Existing Plan View Illustration 2D.22 4th Street Bridge Existing Section 101
2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Sketch of what the improvements might look like along the 4th Street bridge.
KEY FEATURES
Lighting
Landscaping
Decorative Railings
Public Art
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2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
Goal PPS1: Downtown’s public space
network is composed of a variety of public
open spaces linked through comfortable
and inviting pedestrian-friendly sidewalks,
pathways and passages.
Policy PPS1.1 Provide guidance for future
streetscape projects Downtown to coordinate
pedestrian improvements including sidewalk
widening, landscaping, seating and street
furniture, wayfinding and Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
◊ Action PPS1.1A Develop a Downtown Streets
Manual for Planning, Public Works and private
development to follow when changes to the
public right-of-way are considered as part of
a capital project, or a redevelopment effort.
Lead Agencies: PCD, PW
Supporting Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Short-Term
Policy PPS1.2 Downtown Sidewalks should be
scaled and designed so they are comfortable
with enough room for activity, amenities and
landscaping.
◊ Action PPS1.2A Adhere to the Building
Frontage Line Map provided in Chapter 4,
Standards and Regulations. In areas that
are anticipated to have higher volumes
of pedestrians, provide as much space
as necessary above what is required by
Standards and Regulations.
Lead Agency: PCD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS1.2B Ensure Zone 2, the Pedestrian
Pathway, is at least 8 feet wide, where
practicable, except on 6th and 7th Street
where it must be 6 feet wide.
Lead Agency: PW
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS1.2C Provide landscape and
amenities in Zone 3 for utility and as buffers
from moving vehicles in conformance with the
new Downtown Streets Manual, described in
Action PPS1.1A.
Lead Agency: Private Property Owners as new
projects are built
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy PPS1.3 Encourage paseos and passageways
where better mid-block connections are required
to improve the public space network and access
to key public gathering places.
◊ Action PPS1.3A As part of their approval,
new developments in locations described in
Section 2D.2.C Paseos and Parklets, should
include these paseos as part of their plan, and
these developments should include public
use agreements.
Lead Agency: Private Property Owners
Supporting Agencies: PD, CCS
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy PPS1.4 Allow parklets along 2nd and 4th
Streets to provide visual interest and expand the
usable area of the sidewalk consistent with City
guidelines.
◊ Action PPS1.4A Determine permitting, design
and maintenance requirements of parklets.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Short-Term
Policy PPS1.5 Develop Signature Sidewalk
projects to enhance connections throughout and
beyond Downtown.
◊ Action PPS1.5A Create coordinated
schematic-level plans for the Signature
Sidewalk locations.
Lead Agencies: PW, PCD
Supporting Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Mid-Term
PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES - GOALS, POLICIES & ACTIONS
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2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
◊ Action PPS1.5B Implement Signature Sidewalk
construction efforts opportunistically as
funding allows.
Lead Agency: PW
Supporting Agency: CCS
Timeframe: Mid-to Long-Term
Goal PPS2: Downtown Santa Monica has
a diverse and balanced system of highquality, inclusive public open spaces that are well-utilized and enjoyed by a diverse
constituency of residents and visitors.
Policy PPS2.1 Expand the inventory of publicly
accessible community gathering spaces so that
all residents are within a short walking distance
of a park or recreational area.
◊ Action PPS2.1A Partner with interested
property owners to develop new publicly
accessible open green spaces or plazas as
identified in Section 2D.1.B New Public
Spaces, such that no site in the Downtown
area is more than a 2 ½ minute walk (1/8
mile) from open air, publicly accessible, and
programmable at-grade open space.
Lead Agencies: PCD, CCS
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, PD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS2.1B Develop public use
agreements with private property owners
to guarantee public access and community
policing of new spaces, and to define terms
of liability.
Lead Agency: CCS
Supporting Agencies: PCD, PD, DTSM
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS2.1C Establish a detailed Privately
Owned Public Space (“POPS”) plan that
includes an evaluation of existing POPS and a
list of site appropriate incentives, support and
marketing to activate the space.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, CCS
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action PPS2.1D Evaluate the potential to close
or partially close Arizona avenue to vehicles
from 2nd Street to 5th Street to create a
"slow street" for increased pedestrian and
bicycle use.
Lead Agency: PCD
Supporting Agency: PW
Timeframe: Mid-Term
◊ Action PPS2.1E Evaluate the use of the public
right-of-way for non-contiguous outdoor
dining.
Lead Agency: PCD, PW
Supporting Agency: CAO
Timeframe: Mid-Term
Policy PPS2.2 Ensure that new public spaces
add to the variety of public space types and are
appropriate to location, use, and size, including
hardscape plazas, active parks, passive space,
play lots and dog parks.
◊ Action PPS2.2A Provide opportunities for
passive recreation and places where children
can play in Downtown’s public space network,
and develop agreements with private property
owners that clarify use, role of public safety,
as per Action PPS2.1B.
Lead Agency: Private Property Owners
Supporting Agencies: CCS, PD
Timeframe: Ongoing
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2D >> PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
◊ Action PPS2.2B Incorporate art and cultural
event opportunities into the design of publicly
accessible open space.
Lead Agency: Private Property Owners
Supporting Agencies: DTSM, CCS
Timeframe: Ongoing
Goal PPS 3: Downtown’s public space
network serves to improve ecological
health and the environmental sustainability
of the area.
Policy PPS3.1 Provide well-considered
landscaping as part of the public space network.
◊ Action PPS3.1A Maintain the urban forest by
planting new street trees, as needed, of the
species and size required in the City’s Urban
Forest Master Plan in empty tree wells or in
areas that can accommodate additional trees.
Lead Agency: PW
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS3.1B Where sidewalk widths are
at least 18 feet, provide native or climatically
adapted, low-growing landscape as part of the
Zone 1 of the streetscape and in accordance
with the Downtown Streets Manual for
Planning, Public Works per Action PPS1.1A.
Lead Agency: PW
Timeframe: Ongoing
Policy PPS3.2 Facilitate a more sustainable
streetscape and public space network.
◊ Action PPS3.2A Develop a stormwater
management plan for Downtown to facilitate
rainwater storage and infiltration in sidewalk
landscaping, including in curb extensions
to the extent practicable in areas where
infiltration is desired.
Lead Agency: PW
Timeframe: Short-Term
◊ Action PPS3.2B Create a new policy for
sustainably irrigating vegetation in the public
space network.
Lead Agency: PW
Timeframe: Short-Term
Goal PPS 4: Downtown’s public space
network is operated, maintained, and
managed well.
Policy PPS4.1 New public spaces created as a
result of these policies, should have dedicated
funding sources for operation and maintenance,
whether maintained by the City, another public
agency or a private entity.
Policy PPS4.2 Continue to support active
management practices by Downtown’s
assessment district (DTSM, Inc.) to ensure
that public spaces are clean, safe, well-lit and
accessible to users of all capabilities.
Policy PPS4.3 Ensure that the Third Street
Promenade is regularly updated to remain
consistent with the surrounding areas in terms
of infrastructure, landscaping, signage and
aesthetic upgrades.
◊ Action PPS4.3A Continue to work with DTSM,
Inc. to evaluate the necessary upgrades to
Third Street Promenade.
Lead Agencies: PCD, PW, HED, CCS, PD
Timeframe: Ongoing
◊ Action PPS4.3B Evaluate and prioritize
necessary capital improvement and
infrastructure upgrades to the Third Street
Promenade.
Lead Agencies: PCD, PW, DTSM
Supporting Agency: CAO
Timeframe: Mid-Term
-From the City of Santa Monica Open
Space Element.
OF SANTA MONICA
WALKING
IS THE MOST POPULAR
Outdoor
Activity
Residents
Recreational
DRAFT DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN 105
FEBRUARY 2014
DCP
THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 2E
SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
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2E >> SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
INSIDE THE SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE CHAPTER
PRINCIPLES GUIDING
THIS CHAPTER
FOCUS PUBLIC/PRIVATE
INVESTMENTS TO SERVE
RESIDENTS, VISITORS AND
EMPLOYEES
Focus public and private
enhancements to bring a higher
level of services and community
amenities to support Downtown
and its growing community.
Goals, policies and actions designed
to acheive the Plan principles stated
above can be reviewed at the end of
this chapter.
This chapter provides an analysis of and
information on the ability of the City’s existing
utility infrastructure networks to service
Downtown through the 15-20 year time horizon
of the Downtown Community Plan (Plan). This
chapter also identifies key actions that the City
will implement during this period to maintain a
supportive infrastructure system. Because the
Downtown Community Plan is a living document
designed to accommodate both identified and
emerging challenges City staff will periodically
review this chapter utilizing forecasting and
backcasting methods to keep the Plan relevant.
In this way the Plan will be a useful reference
for future Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
Projects and for grant and other funding and
project applications. The utility systems and
programs described in this chapter include:
WATER SUPPLY AND CONSERVATION
A reliable, drought resilient and sustainable
supply of potable water made possible by
forward-thinking conservation measures and
the innovative use and reuse of all locally
available water resources.
WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
The planning, improvement and maintenance
of water treatment infrastructure and water
distribution lines with adequate capacity to
meet the forecasted demand for potable and
non-potable water throughout the City.
STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
The harvesting, treatment and reuse of
storm water to assist the City in meeting
its triple objectives of independence from the
environmentally costly practice of importing water
from distant watersheds, improving beach water
quality by reducing discharges to the ocean, and
the reuse of all local water resources to help meet
forecasted water demand.
WASTEWATER AND SANITARY SYSTEM
The planning, improvement and maintenance of a
wastewater treatment and collection system with
sufficient capacity to accommodate forecasted
wastewater flows as well as the pursuit of new
advanced facilities to reuse treated wastewater as
permitted by State law.
ENERGY
An economically feasible and reliable source of grid
power and associated electrical distribution system,
in tandem with the continued expansion of solar
and other alternative sources of sustainable energy
throughout the City.
WIRED AND WIRELESS BROADBAND
Expansion of CityNet fiber network and City WiFi services to support broadband to residents and businesses. This includes offering service to cellular
carriers, providing free Wi-Fi within public open
spaces, supporting public safety cameras, smart bus
shelters and kiosks, EV charging stations, pedestrian
counters and smart city assets.
RESOURCE RECOVERY AND RECYCLING
A comprehensive trash and recycling program that
services the Downtown and helps the City achieve
the targets established in the Zero Waste Strategic
Plan.
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2E >> SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
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2E.1 A SUPPORTIVE
INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK
As envisioned in the Plan, new residential and
commercial development along with exciting
cultural venues will shape Downtown into a more
diverse, active and complete district. The DCP
realizes that this vision of Downtown will require
investments into the City’s public infrastructure to
ensure that the basic needs of future residents,
workers and visitors are met.
In addition, the DCP also seeks to set the stage
for utility and infrastructure systems to be
environmentally sustainable, and potentially
restorative, in their nature. The Plan’s strategies
for infrastructure align with the City’s adopted
sustainability goals such as Water Shelf
Sufficiency, Zero Waste and Net Zero Energy.
Other sustainability goals are found in adopted
City documents such as the City’s Climate Action
Plan, the Watershed Management Plan and the
Santa Monica Bay Jurisdictional Groups 2 and
3 Enhanced Watershed Management Program
(EWMP).
UTILITY METHOD OF ASSESSMENT RESULT
Water
Water Distribution System numerical
modeling, GIS mapping of existing water
infrastructure and potential demand.
Anticipated need for pipe “upsizing”
and booster pumps to be provided
by new development to increase
static pressure in some locations.
Sewer Sewage flow modeling and analysis of
existing and future needs.
Anticipated need for sewer l upgrades.
to increase hydraulic capacity. Further,
when completed, the Sustainable
Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) will
produce 1MGD of advanced treated
water for immediate non-potable reuse,
and when properly permitted, for indirect
potable reuse via aquifer recharge.
Gas In-house assessment by SoCal Gas. Macro distribution system deemed adequate, but new projects will trigger
need for localized gas service upgrades.
Electricity
GIS mapping, field observation and
Southern California Edison performed
an in-house assessment.
Macro distribution system deemed
adequate, but new projects
will trigger need for localized
power service upgrades.
Storm Drain GIS mapping of existing storm drain
infrastructure framework.
Macro distribution system is adequate
as is, but additional project-specific
opportunities, such as the Clean
Beaches Initiative Project and the
Sustainable Water Infrastructure
Project (SWIP) will enhance water
quality and beneficial reuse.
Fiber Optic/Wireless
GIS mapping of existing fiber optic
infrastructure framework coupled with
City ISD assessment.
Macro distribution system does not
cover Plan Area and recommended
extensions of the fiber optics ‘backbone’
and local wireless hub stations.
Table 2E.1 Infrastructure Adequacy Assessment
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2E >> SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
2E.1A WATER SUPPLY AND CONSERVATION
The City has long recognized that water is
an important natural resource that must be
conserved and managed efficiently. In 2014,
the City adopted the Sustainable Water Master
Plan which outlines a plan to achieve water
self-sufficiency (i.e., no reliance on imported
water) by 2020. In support of the City’s water
self-sufficiency goal, the City’s Water Resources
Division and Office of Sustainability and
the Environment (OSE) are jointly exploring
innovative solutions to improve water supply
reliability and promote water conservation. The
City has embarked on a multifaceted strategy
that employs the conjunctive reuse of nonconventional water resources such as stormwater runoff and/or wastewater, new ground water
supply and distributed treatment, and innovative
conservation programs and policies to encourage
developers to incorporate water saving devices
into their designs. This combined approach
will have the effect of increasing local supply
while simultaneously moderating demand and
prolonging the useful life of the City’s existing
infrastructure.
Existing Conditions
The City’s primary source of water supply includes
groundwater drawn from the 50.2-square mile
Santa Monica Groundwater Basin (SMGB), which
covers portions of Los Angeles County including
the cities of Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly
Hills, and western Los Angeles. Faulting and
differing geology divides the SMGB into five
sub-basins: Arcadia Sub-Basin; Olympic SubBasin; South Santa Monica or Coastal Sub-Basin; Charnock Sub-Basin; and Crestal Sub-Basin (City
of Santa Monica 2010). The City operates 10
wells within three of the sub-basins of SMGB.
The SMGB and its sub-basins provide local
groundwater resources for approximately 70%
of the City’s water supply, including Downtown.
The remainder of the City’s water supply
currently comes from imported water with a
small percentage (less than 8%) coming from
the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility
(SMURFF).
In recent years, the state of California
experienced the worst drought in over a century.
As a result of historically low rainfall, water
supplies were reduced to critically low levels.
Despite the heavy rainfall experienced in the
winter of 2016-2017, the City will continue to be
a leader in setting aggressive water conservation
and water efficiency regulations. In response to
extended drought conditions, the City adopted
a Water Shortage Response Plan in 2015. The
Water Shortage Response Plan established
mandatory water conservation regulations and
has been a key component in reducing water
use during the drought. Additionally, the City is
taking steps towards adoption of a new Water
Neutrality Ordinance. Anticipated to be adopted
in summer 2017, the Water Neutrality Ordinance
will require new development projects to offset
net new water demand.
Anticipated Need
Water demand city-wide is anticipated to
increase anywhere from 1% (2014 Sustainable
Water Master Plan) to 7.5% (2010 LUCE Water
Supply Assessment) by 2030. The City’s 2015
Urban Water Management Plan concludes that
future water demand through 2040 can be
accommodated through a combination of local
groundwater supplies, imported MWD water,
and implementation of the Sustainable Water
Master Plan and other water reuse projects in
planning.
However, meeting the City’s 100% water selfsufficiency goal, will require more than water conservation efforts alone. Recent drought
conditions, which affect the natural recharge to
the City’s groundwater aquifers, has emphasized
the need to supplement the City’s groundwater
supply with a drought resilient and sustainable
source of local water. The City is actively seeking
alternative sources of local water, including the
construction of small scale, distributed projects
that blend into the City’s built environment,
and which treat and reuse all non-conventional
water resources available for beneficial reuse
as permitted by State law (i.e. runoff, brackish
groundwater and municipal waste water). As
an example, the City is currently pursuing the
Clean Beaches Initiative Project (CBI) and the
Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP),
which will increase opportunities for water
recycling and reuse. The CBI Project will harvest
up to 1.6 MG of stormwater runoff from any
single storm for treatment and reuse at the City’s
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2E >> SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
SMURRF. The CBI project is currently in design
with construction set to begin in summer 2017.
The SWIP will involve upgrades to the SMURRF
with the installation of a reverse osmosis unit,
the construction of a below grade 1MGD recycled
advanced water treatment facility beneath the
Civic Center parking lot, and installation of two
below grade stormwater harvest tanks at the
Civic Center and Memorial Park with a combined
capacity of 4.5MG. Taken together the SWIP
elements will have the ability to produce up
to 1,680 acre feet per year (AFY) of advanced
treated water for immediate non-potable reuse,
and when properly permitted, for potential
indirect potable reuse via aquifer recharge. The
City is currently in the process of securing State
funding for the SWIP, with a planned start to
design in winter 2017.
Illustration 2E.1 Static Pressure Zones
The DCP supports the proactive approach
that the City continues to take toward water
conservation and sustainable water projects.
New projects Downtown will be required to
meet, at the very least, CalGreen water efficiency
standards. Furthermore, adoption of the Water
Neutrality Ordinance will ensure that new
projects Downtown will not further strain the
City’s water resources.
2E.1B WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Existing Conditions
Downtown is served by approximately 67,000
linear feet of water lines, ranging in 6 to
16 inches in diameter. Water lines within
Downtown generally follow the grid-pattern
within existing streets and alleys. A preliminary
analysis of Downtown’s water distribution
system was conducted to analyze the ability
water distribution system and its ability to
accommodate existing water demands.
The preliminary analysis also analyzed static
water pressure in the distribution system.
Illustration 2E.1 and Table 2E.2 present the
static pressure zones relevant to the Downtown
area and identify areas of potential low pressure.
Although some zones within the Downtown
area may be identified as having low water
pressure, this in itself does not always indicate
a need to replace or upgrade the existing water
distribution system because water pressure
deficiencies can often be resolved through
established operational measures. For example,
static pressure zones that fall below 50 psi,
considered to be low (but not unusable), may be
effectively improved using an on-site pump or by
building a loop line to ensure adequate flows to
LOCATION OF
WATER LINE LIMITS PIPE DIAMETER PRESSURE
Wilshire Boulevard Lincoln Boulevard/3rd Street 16” 35-45 psi 7th Court Wilshire Boulevard/Arizona Avenue 12” 35-65 psi 6th Court Wilshire Boulevard/Arizona Avenue 12” 35-65 psi 5th Court Wilshire Boulevard/Arizona Avenue 12” 35-65 psi 4th Court Wilshire Boulevard/Arizona Avenue 12” 35-65 psi Table 2E.2 Low Static Pressure (minimum estimates*)
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2E >> SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
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SMURRF Facility. (Source: City of Santa Monica)
SMURRF Facility. (Photo: Richard Turner)
a property as part of a development project. Based
on currently available data, static water pressure
in the Downtown area is within accepted industry
operational parameters.
Anticipated Need
As development occurs in Downtown through
the life of the DCP, water demand is expected to
increase. A preliminary analysis was conducted to
determine if the water system would have capacity
to accommodate forecasted water demand.
The analysis used mapping and planning level
comparison of the capacity of existing systems
against forecasted water demand in Downtown.
A preliminary analysis of the Downtown’s water
distribution system did not identify any existing
deficiencies in Downtown’s water system at this
time. For the purpose of the Plan, deficiency is
defined as the inability of a water distribution line
to provide adequate dynamic pressure under peak
day demands or to provide the required fire flow.
As a second-level analysis, a hydraulic model
of the distribution system is currently being
developed and will serve as the baseline for
future infrastructure planning efforts. When the
hydraulic model becomes available, the City will
continue to assess water demand and the capacity
of the system, utilizing its results to determine any
necessary improvements to the water distribution
system. Water main infrastructure needs will also
be updated and revised as necessary as part of the
review of the aforementioned hydraulic modeling
and reviews of any planned future development in
the Downtown area.
2E.1C STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Existing Conditions
Stormwater runoff Downtown is collected by a
municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4).
The MS4 is comprised of all the various channels,
gutters, drains, catch basins and pipes which
convey storm water discharge to Santa Monica
Bay. The majority of the Downtown area drains
to the Pico-Kenter Storm Drain, which discharges
at the west end of Pico Boulevard. Areas west of
4th Street, from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado
Avenue, drain to the Pier storm drain which
discharges near the Santa Monica Pier.
Dry weather runoff refers to runoff when there is
no precipitation. Dry weather runoff occurs from
excess irrigation, spills, construction sites, pool
draining, car washing, washing down paved areas
and residual wet weather runoff. Dry weather
runoff from the Pico-Kenter and Pier storm drain
systems is treated by the SMURRF before release
to the Santa Monica Bay. The SMURRF treats
dry weather urban runoff to remove pollutants,
including sediment, oil, grease and pathogens.
The processed non-potable water is sold to the
City and corporate customers for irrigation and
toilet operations at a cost rate equal to potable
water rates.
Anticipated Need
The City’s strategy and policy direction is to
reduce stormwater and dry weather runoff
discharges through investments into new cityowned rainwater harvest and treatment projects, improvement of existing stormdrain systems,
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
and ensuring that new developments incorporate
design features to minimize stormwater runoff
(e.g., bioswales, rainwater harvest basins, etc.).
Development and redevelopment projects
Downtown will consider design provisions to
enable on-site non-potable water uses such as
irrigation and toilet flushing.
Urban runoff (stormwater and dry weather)
represents a large untapped water resource which
the City plans to harvest for beneficial reuse in
the coming years. Recently, the City received a
$3.8 million grant from the State Water Board
to help fund the CBI Project. The CBI project
consists of a 1.6MG below grade stormwater
harvest tank to be constructed immediately north
of the Pier. Harvested runoff will be supplied to
the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility
(SMURRF) for treatment and non-potable uses
such as irrigation and toilet flushing. The CBI
Project is anticipated to begin construction in
summer 2017. The harvesting of this stormwater
will improve beach water quality by virtually
eliminating all discharges at the Pier Outfall. In
addition, the City’s SWIP project will harvest and
advance treat an additional 4.5MG from any single
storm event for immediate non-potable reuse,
and when properly permitted for indirect potable
reuse via aquifer recharge. The SWIP is in the
process of securing construction funding from the
State. Design is expected to begin in winter 2017,
and the project is scheduled to be completed by
winter 2020. Together these projects will provide
approximately 1,680AFY of new water. To maximize
the opportunities for reusing treated urban runoff,
especially for the purpose of aquifer recharge,
there is a need to expand the current recycled
water (i.e., purple pipe) distribution system.
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Illustration 2E.2 Map of Areas Where Water Infiltration is NOT Allowed The following documents establish the City’s stormwater policies and will serve as the
foundation for the planning and design of future
public and private development projects within
the Downtown area:
• The City’s Urban Runoff Pollution Control
Ordinance requires all new development to
implement stormwater best management
practices (BMPs) to contain, infiltrate and/or
treat and reuse rainwater.
• The Watershed Management Plan will help
identify potential upgrades to the City’s
MS4 necessary to keep pace with forecasted
development Downtown and city-wide. It
also provides for the implementation of
Green Streets, parking lot BMPs, tree well
infiltration pits, below grade street storage
and rain barrels and cisterns.
• The Santa Monica Bay Jurisdictional Groups
2 and 3 Enhanced Watershed Management
Program (EWMP) provides for the
implementation of multi-benefit regional and
sub-regional harvest and reuse projects such
as the City’s innovative CBI Project and the
SWIP. Writ large, the objective of the EWMP is
to improve beach water quality by significantly
reducing discharges of stormwater to the
ocean. California Regional Water Quality
Control Board Order No. R4-2012-0175,
NPDES Permit No.CAS004001, establishes
the waste discharge and monitoring
requirements for MS4 discharges within the
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DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
coastal watersheds of Los Angeles County
(except Long Beach). The CBI Project and the
SWIP are, among other benefits, specifically
designed to help the City meet non-point
source discharge regulatory requirements.
2E.1D WASTEWATER AND SANITARY
SEWER
Existing Conditions
Sewage (municipal wastewater) from Downtown
is collected by the City’s wastewater system and
is conveyed to the City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion
Treatment Plant for treatment. The City actively
monitors and maintains the sanitary sewer
system elements to ensure that there is sufficient
capacity for dry weather peak flow conditions, as
well as for appropriate design for storm or wet
weather events.
Downtown is served by 192 sewer pipe
segments, totaling 49,338 linear feet (9.3 miles).
Sewer pipes in the Downtown range in size from
6 to 36 inches in diameter. The sewer system in
Downtown convey wastewater from a variety of
residential, commercial, institutional and mixeduse buildings. They run southerly to the Colorado Ocean Relief Sewer, an approximately 500-foot
section of sewer line consisting of two sewer
segments each of which exit the Downtown
carrying wastewater south from two points along
Colorado Boulevard between 1st Street and 2nd
Street.
A planning level analysis, including limited
sewer flow monitoring, was prepared to assess
the Downtown’s sewer system. A 2015 flow
monitoring study conducted at 25 key locations
within the City’s sewer system determined that
only four sewer monitoring locations had peak
day depth of flow to pipe diameter (d/D) ratios
greater than 0.5 (or 50% design capacity), the
City’s ideal maximum for sewage capacity for
any given line. No segments exceeded 0.75 d/D,
the City’s screening criteria for short-term peak
flow in any given sewer line which is a typical
indication that a particular segment should be
prioritized for replacement (see Table 2E.3).
In addition to the four sewer segments facing
existing constraints within Downtown, there
are also sewer segments outside Downtown
that are tangentially affected by flows traveling
from Downtown Santa Monica to the Hyperion
Treatment Plant. These include a 1.2-mile
section of sewer lines leading from just outside
the southern edge of Downtown to the southern
edge of the city. This corridor runs from the
intersection of Ocean Avenue and Seaside
Terrace, along Ocean Avenue to Pico Boulevard,
east along Pico Boulevard to Main Street, and
then along Main Street from its intersection with
Pico Boulevard until it exits the city to the south.
Anticipated Need
As development occurs in Downtown through
the life of the DCP, increased wastewater flow
volumes will be generated to the sewer systems.
Preliminary analysis indicates that additional
flows anticipated Downtown are expected to
result in some sewer segments approaching
or exceeding the ideal maximum d/D of 0.5 or
greater. Taking into account future wastewater
loads from land-use changes occurring as a result
of the Plan, some segments of sewer lines in or
adjacent to the Downtown, including the Ocean/
Main Corridor, will eventually require upgrading
and/or replacement.
The City’s planned hydraulic model will provide
more refined data regarding existing and
projected flow capacity of the sewer systems.
The model will consider past studies and ongoing
sewer monitoring to help quantify projectrelated waste-water flows for developments under the Downtown Community Plan. Sewer
infrastructure needs will also be updated and
revised as necessary as part of the review of the
aforementioned hydraulic modeling and reviews
of any future development in the Downtown
area.
MANHOLE ID LOCATIONS PIPE DIAMETER d/D RATIO
11-330 (N) 2nd Street at Broadway 27” 0.52
11-330 (S) 2nd Street at Broadway 10” 0.54
17-707 Broadway at Lincoln Court 12” 0.54
Table 2E.3 Existing Sewer Line Deficiencies (minimum estimates*) 113
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It is expected that construction of the future
SWIP, which will mine approximately 1MGD
of municipal wastewater from the force main
on Ocean Boulevard near Vicente Terrace, will
provide some additional hydraulic capacity relief
to several of the lines with elevated d/D ratios.
The SWIP is now in the final phases of review
for State funding. Assuming funding is provided,
construction is scheduled to begin in 2018.
2E.1E ELECTRICITY
In 2015, Governor Brown recognized the
importance of the electricity sector in meeting
California’s ambitious GHG reduction goals by
integrating “more distributed power, expanded
rooftop solar, microgrids, an energy imbalance
market, battery storage, the full integration
of information technology and electrical
distribution and millions of electric and lowcarbon vehicles.” As the confluence of economic activity, transportation demands, technology and
urban living, the Downtown district is uniquely
positioned to experiment and advance ideas to
promote a low carbon economy and lifestyle.
Existing Conditions
Santa Monica is adequately served by five
substations operated by Southern California
Edison. Downtown is served by the Santa Monica
substation located near Lincoln Boulevard and
Colorado Avenue. Most, but not all, transmission
cables are installed underground with other
utilities such as phone, cable and internet. Several
buildings in Downtown have solar photovoltaic
systems, battery storage and electric vehicle
chargers.
Anticipated Need
As new housing is constructed and new
businesses move Downtown, there will be
an increased demand for energy and power.
Additionally, warmer temperatures due to
climate change will add increased demand for a
building’s cooling load.
Increased demand may require additional utility
infrastructure, which is the responsibility of the
Southern California Edison utility provider.
Innovative energy production and recycling
systems like solar and battery storage could also
be utilized to create microgrids that can help
meet increased demand, improve grid reliability
and resilience, as well as support building loads
during outages or emergencies. District-scale
systems that supply heating and cooling can also
significantly reduce building energy load.
An action of this Plan is to explore the feasibility
and cost of undergrounding all electricity
transmission lines, particularly in Downtown’s
alleys.
2E.1F WIRED AND WIRELESS BROADBAND
Existing Conditions
The City’s fiber optic network is used to provide
fiber services for the City’s broadband program to
connect the City’s traffic control synchronization
systems, traffic management center, parking
management systems, pay-on-foot stations, realtime parking availability system, high definition traffic and public safety video cameras, and free
public Wi-Fi (City Wi-Fi). Adoption of the City’s
Telecommunications Master Plan in 1998 and
the City’s Right of Way Management Ordinance
in 2004 has resulted in new fiber optic conduit
on most of the main transit corridors such as
Wilshire Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard, 4th Street,
Santa Monica Boulevard, Broadway, Colorado
Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Olympic Boulevard,
Pico Boulevard, Ocean Park Boulevard and Main
Street. These conduit runs coupled with fiber
optic cabling spans, pullboxes and cabinets
constitute the City’s fiber optic infrastructure.
The City’s broadband program, Santa Monica
CityNet, currently offers fiber optic services,
at speeds up to 100 Gigabits per second,
to businesses in Santa Monica. Customers
requesting new fiber services are required to pay
for the construction costs to extend the City’s
fiber network to their commercial building.
Currently tech companies and businesses located
near the City’s fiber network are able to obtain
globally competitive broadband speeds at a costeffective rate. CityNet is expanding its services to residents by connecting multi-dwelling units
via the Digital Inclusion Program Pilot. The pilot
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