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City Council Meeting: April 26, 2022 Santa Monica, California ORDINANCE NUMBER __________ (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA APPROVING THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION,
AND PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM-SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, A CALIFORNIA
NON-PROFIT RELIGIOUS CORPORATION, AS SOLE MEMBER OF PROVIDENCE SAINT JOHN’S HEALTH CENTER, A CALIFORNIA NON-PROFIT RELIGIOUS
CORPORATION
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 65450 et seq. permits each city to adopt a specific plan for the systematic implementation of the general plan for individual areas covered by the general plan; and
WHEREAS, the Hospital Area Specific Plan (the “HASP”) was adopted by Resolution No. 7695 (CCS) of the City Council on September 27, 1988 to ensure harmonious development within the Hospital Area identified in the HASP; and WHEREAS, the HASP was adopted to be consistent with the Land Use and Circulation Elements (the “LUCE”) of the City’s 1984 General Plan and Zoning Map in effect at the time of adoption of the HASP; and
WHEREAS, the HASP was amended by Resolution No. 8617 (CCS) on June 29, 1993, and Resolution No. 9254 (CCS) on April 1, 1998 (collectively referenced herein as the “HASP Amendments”) to reflect the changes associated with the Saint John’s Health Center Development Agreement (the “Original Agreement”), dated June 9, 1998 2 of 15
and recorded in the Official Records of the County of Los Angeles, State of California on July 29, 1998 as Instrument No. 98-1311808 (the “Original Development Agreement”); and
WHEREAS, the Original Development Agreement contemplated new development and associated zoning changes within the HASP areas associated with Saint John’s Health Center; and
WHEREAS, in July 2010, the City adopted a new LUCE (“2010 LUCE”) and associated zoning changes Citywide, including the Hospital Area; and WHEREAS, the 2010 LUCE contemplates that future amendments to the HASP will occur to be consistent with 2010 LUCE and associated zoning code updates, as well as new development proposed by the Saint John’s Health Center; and WHEREAS, the Original Development Agreement provided vested rights for development of the Saint John’s Health Center in two phases (“Phase I” and “Phase II”, respectively), with Phase I being developed entirely on the North Campus of the Saint John’s Health Center properties (i.e., those properties north of Santa Monica Boulevard) and Phase II being developed on a portion of the North Campus and on the South Campus (i.e., those properties south of Santa Monica Boulevard) of the Saint John’s Health Center properties; and
WHEREAS, the Original Development Agreement provided a ten (10)-year vesting deadline for Phase I (“Phase I Vesting Deadline”) and a seventeen (17)-year vesting deadline for Phase II (“Original Phase II Vesting Deadline”), subject to the 3 of 15
provisions for the continuation of vested rights pursuant to Sections 3.8.2 and 3.8.3 of the Original Development Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the owner of Saint John’s Health Center (“Saint John’s”) and City executed that certain First Amendment to Development Agreement dated October 4, 2011 and recorded in the Official Records of the County of Los Angeles, State of California on October 13, 2011 as Instrument No. 20111388841 (the “First Amendment”). The First Amendment extended the Phase I Vesting Deadline, modified the obligation under the Original Development Agreement to construct the North Subterranean Parking Structure and Entry Plaza as part of Phase I, and allowed a modified Entry Plaza and parking program in-lieu of constructing the North Subterranean Parking Structure; and
WHEREAS, Saint John’s completed construction of Phase I in accordance with the Original Development Agreement and First Amendment; however, Saint John’s was unable to complete Phase II within the Original Phase II Vesting Deadline; and WHEREAS, Saint John’s and the City executed that certain Second Amendment to Development Agreement dated August 28, 2017 and recorded in the Official Records of the County of Los Angeles, State of California on October 2, 2017 as Instrument No. 20171125181 (“Second Amendment”). The Second Amendment modified the terms of the Original Development Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, with respect to Phase II as follows:
(1) Replacement of the Original Development Agreement’s requirement for City council approval of a South Campus Master Plan with a 4 of 15
requirement for City Council approval of the Phase II Master Plan to address Phase II development on both the North and South Campuses (“Phase II Master Plan”). (2) Establishment of the basic development parameters for the Phase II Master Plan.
(3) Provision that no Phase II Development Review Permits shall be issued for the development of any building or parcel contemplated in the Phase II Master Plan prior to City Council approval of the Phase II Master Plan. (4) Provision that Saint John’s and the City each agree and covenant to negotiate in good faith a third amendment to the Original Development Agreement, as amended, to extend the Original Phase II Vesting Deadline in consideration for the provision of additional community benefits.
(5) Confirmation that nothing in the Second Amendment constituted a confirmation or denial of Saint John’s vested rights under the Original Development Agreement, as modified by the First Amendment, it being understood and agreed to by the City and Saint John’s that the intent of the Second Amendment was solely to make a procedural change to implement the Original Development Agreement, as modified by the First Amendment, while preserving the substantive rights of Saint John’s and the City, respectively; and
WHEREAS, the comprehensive changes to the City’s Zoning Code in 2015 rendered the zoning map designations and zoning code references in the HASP obsolete; and
WHEREAS, the Saint John’s and the City have negotiated in good faith a third amendment to the Original Development Agreement, as amended, to extend the 5 of 15
Original Phase II Vesting Deadline in consideration for the provision of additional community benefits (the “Third Amendment”); and
WHEREAS, the Third Amendment contemplates the concurrent adoption of the Phase II Master Plan, which will act as the specific plan for Phase II development of the Saint John’s Health Center after the Third Amendment Effective Date and until the end of the Phase II Vesting Deadline; and
WHEREAS, the Phase II Master Plan is a comprehensive master plan that governs the Phase II portion of the Saint John’s Health Center Campus, including with respect to development, uses, circulation, parking, open space, and timing for implementation of the Phase II Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, after the Phase II Vesting Deadline, the Zoning Code then in effect shall apply to any development applications filed for the Saint John’s Health Center, except as otherwise expressly allowed in the Third Amendment; and WHEREAS, due to the fact that the HASP is now obsolete, the Phase II Master Plan is a focused specific plan for the Saint John’s Health Center, and the development standards for the remainder of the Hospital Area are now included in Chapter 9 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code, City staff is recommending amendments to the 2010 LUCE and repeal of the HASP; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Phase II Master Plan conforms to the requirements of Government Code sections 65450 et seq. as well as the requirements of Chapter 9.45 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code (General and Specific Plans); and WHEREAS, the City prepared and circulated for public review and comment a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Phase II Master Plan (“Phase II DEIR”) 6 of 15
pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) and designated SCH No. 2017041030; and
WHEREAS, on January 26, 2022, the City’s Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on the Phase II Final Environmental Impact Report (“FEIR”), the Tentative Tract Map, the 2022 LUCE Amendment, the repeal of the HASP, the Third Amendment, the Phase II Master Plan, and the proposed street vacation of 21st Street, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, with conditions. At such hearing, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council certify the Phase II FEIR and approve the 2022 LUCE Amendment, the repeal of the HASP, the Third Amendment with specified conditions, the Phase II Master Plan, the Tentative Tract Map, and the proposed conditional street vacation of 21st Street, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, with conditions; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 2022, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on the Phase II FEIR, the Tentative Tract Map, the 2022 LUCE Amendment, the repeal of the HASP, the Third Amendment, the Phase II Master Plan, and the proposed street vacation of 21st Street, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, with conditions, and certified the FEIR and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation and Monitoring Plan; adopted the 2022 LUCE Amendment and repealed the HASP; approved the Third Amendment; and approved the initiation of proceedings for the street vacation of 21st Street, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, with conditions; approved the Phase II Master Plan; and approved the Tentative Tract Map; and
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WHEREAS, the proposed amendments to the LUCE and repeal of the HASP should only be effective concurrently with the “Third Amendment Effective Date,” as such term is defined in the Third Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Phase II Master Plan should only be effective concurrently with the “Third Amendment Effective Date,” as such term is defined in the Third Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Third Amendment, which is attached hereto as Exhibit A to this ordinance, conforms to the requirements of Government Code sections 65450 et seq. as well as the requirement of Chapter 9.60 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code (Development Agreements); and
WHEREAS, the City Council, after consideration of all oral and written testimony presented at the duly noticed meeting of the City Council on March 22, 2022, made the following findings (collectively, “the Findings”):
1. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, is consistent with the objectives, policies, general land uses and programs specified in the general plan and any applicable specific plan, in that Providence Saint John’s Health Center is a non-profit healthcare facility located in the Healthcare District Land Use Designation. The vision for this land use designation is to create a cohesive environment that supports the continued vitality of the City’s hospitals, responds to the evolving needs of the health care community, and improves the way health care facilities relate to surrounding residential and commercial areas. The Phase II Master Plan and Third Amendment is consistent with Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) Goal D28: Allow for the continued improvement of the Healthcare District and 8 of 15
the ongoing responsible expansion of the Saint John’s Health Center (St. John’s) and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center (SMUCLA). Specifically, the Phase II Master Plan and Third Amendment to the Development Agreement present a comprehensive Master Plan that addresses all development on the north and south campuses for a 17-year period and provides for substantive review of individual buildings closer to the time of construction in order to create the cohesive environment that supports the vitality of the health care district and also protects adjacent residential neighborhoods. The proposed Phase II Master Plan and Third Amendment to the Development Agreement is also consistent with LUCE Goal LU7: Support the continued vitality of the City’s hospitals to meet the healthcare needs of the City and the larger region, and implement strategies to reduce vehicle trips. Specifically, development standards in the Master Plan and the procedural requirements set forth in the Third Amendment to the Development Agreement ensure that a mix of medical research and hospital health care uses are vested (permitted) for a period of 17 years to allow phased implementation of health care facilities that are responsive to changing health care needs in the community.
Moreover, Saint John’s Health Center will be required to continue to implement a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program to reduce vehicle trips in the area and associated parking demand and the Master Plan includes pedestrian and bicycle enhancements to promote alternative modes of travel and better connections to public transit. Accordingly, the Phase II Master Plan is therefore consistent with LUCE Circulation Policy T19.2 which seeks appropriate TDM requirements for new development. Furthermore, the project is consistent with LUCE’s overall land use policies by providing community benefits for the area, including but not limited to, 9 of 15
affordable housing, mobility improvements, visitor accommodations, publicly-accessible open spaces, and programs to address the needs of vulnerable populations in the community.
2. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, is compatible with the uses authorized in the district in which the real property is located in the Healthcare Mixed-Use (HMU) District and with the existing uses on site. The existing Health Center includes hospital, medical research and related medical uses; the Master Plan proposes the same mix of uses and includes visitor accommodations, a new childcare center, education and conference center uses, and medical office. These uses are all permitted uses in the HMU District.
3. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, is in conformity with the public necessity, public convenience, general welfare, and good land use practices, in that the Master Plan allows for the redevelopment of certain components an existing Health Center campus and diversifies medical uses and services would benefit Santa Monica residents and the broader region. The project is consistent with the Land and Use Circulation Element vision for the area. The proposed Master Plan supports orderly, phased, and integrated development at the health care campus. Key components the Master Plan include a cohesive circulation and multimodal mobility strategy for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles; providing sufficient onsite parking; establishing development standards that address the specific needs of a health care campus; and requiring necessary utilities, publicly-accessible open space areas, and infrastructure to improve connections between the Health Center and the surrounding neighborhood. Moreover, the Master Plan and Third Amendment will 10 of 15
provide community benefits including affordable housing, publicly-accessible open space on the parcel, and monetary contributions that would support critical behavioral health initiatives and provide services to individuals who are homeless and other vulnerable populations.
4. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, will not be detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare, in that the Master Plan would allow for the redevelopment of the Providence Saint John’s Health Center in a manner that is consistent with the LUCE vision for the area (the Healthcare District Land Use Designation). The proposed project will be located in an urbanized area and is consistent with other health care uses, include Saint John’s acute care and in-patient hospital on the north campus and does not have the potential to disrupt the urban environment or cause health or safety problems. The proposed Master Plan provides a minimum of 10 new residential units, with all 10 units being deed restricted affordable units, a new Child and Family Development Center, new medical research facilities, and ambulatory and acute care facilities. The project will feature critically-needed medical and research uses, and a variety publicly-accessible open spaces on the property. The project will also provide community benefits including the aforementioned deedrestricted affordable housing as well as a requirement to monetary grants and provide in-kind health services to support programs provide homelessness services and services for other vulnerable populations in the community.
5. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, will not adversely affect the orderly development of the property, in that the proposed Phase II Master Plan and Third Amendment establishes a long-range, orderly, and 11 of 15
phased framework to redevelop and expand critically needed medical research and health care facilities to serve the community and as such is consistent with recognized urban design principles that reflect the goals and policies of the City of Santa Monica which were established through a long range planning process and are reflected in the Land Use and Circulation Element of the City’s General Plan. Further, the project will be subject to a construction mitigation plan that will be reviewed and approved prior issuance of a building permit for the project.
6. The proposed Third Amendment, including all exhibits attached thereto, will have a positive fiscal impact on the City in that the City will benefit from creating an orderly, phased, and comprehensive plan for buildout of the Phase II development program for Providence Saint John’s Health Center. The Master Plan will be support of orderly development of the site, predictable phasing of project construction, and secure negotiated community benefits that will preserve and expand community access to the high quality health care provided by Saint John’s; promote economic investment in Santa Monica through the creation of construction jobs and permanent high quality jobs in the health care industry; and attract investment in medical research and health care through the construction of new state-of-the-art facilities. It is estimated that the proposed Third Amendment to the Development Agreement would also provide significant community benefits through the provision of substantial funding for the City’s behavioral health initiatives and required funding to other non-profit organizations in the community who provide critically needed programs to provide social and health care services to vulnerable populations in the community; and 12 of 15
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that a development agreement substantially in the form of the Third Amendment is appropriate for the proposed development of the Saint John’s Health Center; and
WHEREAS, the Third Amendment will (1) eliminate uncertainty in planning for the Project and result in the orderly development of the Saint John’s Health Center, (2) assure installation of necessary improvements, (3) provide for public infrastructure and services appropriate to development of the Saint John’s Health Center, (4) preserve substantial City discretion in reviewing the design of buildings constructed as part of the Phase II Master Plan, (5) secure for the City improvements that benefit the public, (6) ensure the provision of community benefits as envisioned in the LUCE, and (7) otherwise achieve the goals and purposes for which the Development Agreement Statutes were enacted; and
WHEREAS, the Third Amendment is consistent with the public health, safety, and welfare needs of the residents of the City and the surrounding region. The City has specifically considered and approved the impact and benefits of the Phase II Master Plan in accordance with the Third Amendment;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are true and correct, and incorporated herein by this reference.
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SECTION 2. The City Council hereby adopts the Findings, and recommends approval of the Third Amendment, attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 3. Based upon Findings 1-6, the Third Amendment is hereby approved.
SECTION 4. Each and every term and condition of the Third Amendment shall be and is made a part of the Santa Monica Municipal Code and any appendices thereto. The City Council of the City of Santa Monica finds that public necessity, public convenience, and general welfare require that any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices thereto inconsistent with the provisions of the Third Amendment, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, be repealed or modified to that extent necessary to make fully effective the provisions of the Third Amendment.
SECTION 5. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices thereto, inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, are hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 6. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance, and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional. 14 of 15
SECTION 7. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall be effective 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
SUSAN Y. COLA
Interim City Attorney
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EXHIBIT A
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
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