1 Vernice Hankins
From: Justin Gordon <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2022 9:10 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Yes on the Ocean Avenue Project!
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers:
My name is Justin Gordon and I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed development project on Ocean Avenue. Born and raised in Santa Monica, and a proud alum of Santa Monica High School, Class of 2004, I have a vested interest in the city’s future.
I believe this project will bring a mix of uses to an underutilized site, reinvigorating Ocean Avenue and the downtown area. I am particularly happy to see that space is being prioritized for the public, including a museum in homage to renowned architect (and Santa Monica resident) Frank Gehry, as well as a publicly accessible viewing deck, which will offer beautiful views of Santa Monica and the ocean.
With so much negative press about the downtown area, including businesses shuttering, crime/homelessness rising, etc., having a world-class, legendary architect such as Gehry put his touch on Ocean Avenue will be a gift for generations to come.
As an alum of the Santa Monica Public School system (K-12), I am thrilled to see that the project provides many community benefits for local schoolchildren. Donations to the Santa Monica Education Foundation and annual field trip opportunities for local students, will ingratiate this project with the host community. Further, a hotel internship program is being created, which will benefit students at both Santa Monica High School and Santa Monica College.
As a world class city and tourist destination, it is confounding that Santa Monica does not have more museums. A Frank Gehry museum on Ocean Avenue will provide everyone from local residents to visitors around the world with an opportunity to see his incredible work while exploring all that this beautiful city has to offer.
I believe this project is going to add a level of class and character that downtown Santa Monica desperately needs right now. The last two years have been rough for tourism and the city's budget.
Santa Monica should invest in a project that benefits everyone, and this one does just that. I strongly urge you to support this project. Thank you for your consideration.
Best,
Justin
‐‐
GORDON & GORDON
Justin Michael Gordon, Esq.
12100 Wilshire Blvd.
Ste 800
Los Angeles, CA 90025
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2 (310) 806-9205
Fax (310) 451-3335
www.gordontrust.com
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: O'Connor, James <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2022 3:27 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Re: Ocean Avenue Project at City Council
EXTERNAL
Mayor Himmelrich and City Council,
I am writing to express my support for the Ocean Avenue Project.
I am a Principal at Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners. I would like to share my perspective as a longtime resident of Santa Monica.
The extraordinary project before you on Wednesday night will bring to the Santa Monica community an experience that is vibrantly new and, at the same time, redolent of our city’s history. It is a unique project in that it situates a wide range of complementary uses – retail, rental housing, a revenue‐generating luxury hotel, adaptively‐reused historic Ocean Avenue structures, a notable public art element, improved pedestrian areas and a public viewing deck that will provide sweeping views of the ocean, the Los Angeles basin and the mountains that surround it – onto a single location.
The prospect of a Frank Gehry‐designed museum providing educational opportunities and access to important works from his archives/collection, as well as the work of other architects and designers, is especially exciting and wholly appropriate. Since its founding, Santa Monica has attracted notable and groundbreaking architects and nurtured new and notable talents, including Mr. Gehry. The community’s appetite for good architecture has encouraged outstanding architects to put down roots here and produce award‐winning residential, institutional, and cultural projects. The museum will put architecture and placemaking front and center in one of the region’s most visited locations and will perhaps inspire young residents and visitors to explore careers in the field.
Please consider Staff’s recommendations and vote to approve this project on July 14. Thank you.
James Mary O’Connor FAIA
Ocean Park
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Nat Trives <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2022 4:27 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: July 14th Agenda Item 14, Ocean Avenue Project – Support
EXTERNAL
Re: July 14th Agenda Item 14, Ocean Avenue Project – Support Honorable City Council and Staff:
I write in support of the proposal for the Ocean Avenue Project. Many of you know me as a resident of Santa Monica for over 70 years, a graduate of Samohi and Santa Monica College, a frontline officer and then supervisor in the Santa Monica Police Department, a city councilmember, mayor, and a lifelong educator and community activist. As such, my experience in the community qualifies me to evaluate community benefits in their own right and also against the backdrop of seven decades of happenings and observations about our community.
This project provides numerous City benefits that are specific and defined, robustly supported financially, and informed by professional expertise. This project is a gift to the community that will certainly keep on giving. In particular, the next generation of Santa Monica residents will greatly benefit. Santa Monica’s youth will have the opportunity to visit the museum for annual field trip opportunities, which will allow students to view a collection of Frank Gehry’s archives. Santa Monica residents and visitors alike will be able to take in the beauty of our wonderful City from the rooftop viewing deck and one hundred percent of the net income from the observation deck will go towards the Santa Monica Education Foundation to support our local schools.
The project’s full service hotel and new shops/restaurants will have substantial economic and fiscal impacts. As the City is just re-emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to approve projects that will generate revenue for our local economy and allow our City to provide the high level of services that our residents expect.
This project has made sizable contributions to the City’s top priorities and includes extraordinary community benefits for all residents to realize. I truly believe the Ocean Avenue Project will revolutionize downtown Santa Monica and renew its vibrancy for decades to come. I urge you to approve the proposal.
Sincerely,
Nathaniel Trives
310-399-1788
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July 8, 2022
VIA E‐MAIL
Santa Monica City Council
Re: Agenda Item 12, Ocean Avenue Hotel Project, 13DEV‐004, 20ENT‐0303, 18ENT‐0385 Dear Councilmembers,
After years of community input, thoughtful consideration and creative design, I look forward to presenting our revised Ocean Avenue Project (“Project”) to you on July 14. As you know, our Project is designed by Pritzker Prize‐winning architect Frank Gehry and includes a new labor‐friendly hotel with a rooftop viewing deck open to the public; deed‐restricted affordable, rent‐controlled and market‐rate apartments; restaurants and shops; and a Cultural Uses Campus that incorporates two City‐designed landmarks. Our Project embraces the City’s goals and policies for the Downtown area with community access/engagement, historic preservation and cultural uses, the pedestrian experience, and sustainability being key elements of the Project’s design. The Project will also provide substantial fiscal, economic and other benefits for the community. We respectfully ask that you approve our Project as recommend by City Staff and the Planning Commission.
Project Summary
Our proposed design will transform the corner of Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard with a truly special Project that embraces and epitomizes the LUCE and DCP’s vision for new investment in Downtown Santa Monica. Gehry Partners has carefully studied and evaluated the site, City policies, the community’s input, and the Project’s relationship to the urban fabric and the environment. The Project is designed to engage the community and includes:
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2 a new labor‐friendly hotel with 120 rooms;
an observation deck on the roof of the hotel that will be open to the public, providing unparalleled public views of our City’s magnificent beach/coastline and majestic mountains that will generate revenue for Santa Monica’s public schools; 100 residential apartments with a variety of unit types (studios to three‐bedrooms) consisting of 25 deed‐restricted affordable, 11 rent‐controlled and 64 market‐rate units; a 35,500 sf Cultural Uses Campus that incorporates and features the existing Queen Anne Victorian and Spanish Colonial landmarks on the Project Site, to be occupied by a cultural facility/museum use;
Restaurants and shops;
Ground‐level publicly‐accessible open space and paseos weaving through the Project; Elimination of curb cuts on Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and widened sidewalks to enhance the pedestrian experience; and
285 spaces of subterranean parking.
The Project’s benefits package prioritizes affordable housing, cultural facilities and historic preservation per the DCP’s guidance and also includes meaningful open space for the public including the rooftop viewing deck, local hiring and internship programs, cutting edge sustainability features, spectacular design by a world‐renowned architect, and financial contributions for transportation and pedestrian improvements, affordable housing, early childhood initiatives, economic equity, parks and open space.
In addition, the Project will result in fiscal and economic benefits to the City and the Santa Monica‐Malibu Unified School District and create hundreds of new construction and permanent jobs in the heart of Downtown.
Background
After initially purchasing most of the property in 1980 that make up the Project Site (with the balance in 2007) and considering the Site’s prominent location along Ocean Avenue in the core of Downtown Santa Monica, our family knew the site deserved extraordinary vision and investment. One of our first decisions was, in 2007, to ask Santa Monica resident Frank Gehry to go on this journey with us. His vision and creativity have been invaluable throughout the process.
Following guidance from the City’s LUCE adopted in 2010 and given its identification of our Project Site as a key place to focus new investment, we continued our work with Frank Gehry on a plan that would incorporate the two City‐designated landmarks, add a new hotel, add a cultural uses, replace the existing rent‐controlled housing, add residential condominiums, and prioritize the pedestrian experience in and around the Project. This effort led to our filing of a development agreement application in February 2013 proposing, among other things, 125 hotel rooms, 22 residential condominium units, 19 replacement rental apartments, 5 affordable Item 12.A
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3 rental apartments, a cultural uses campus including the preservation and adaptive re‐use of the Spanish Colonial Revival Landmark and Queen Anne Landmark, ground floor restaurants and retail, an observation deck, a maximum height of 244 feet and a 4.0 FAR (the “2013 Plans”).
Despite overwhelmingly positive feedback on the 2013 Plans from the community, the Architectural Review Board, and other City and civic leaders, the combination of our Project and two others (the Miramar and the Holiday Inn/Wyndham) all proposing taller buildings resulted in the City asking us to put our Project on hold while the City prepared its specific plan for the Downtown. Respecting the City’s request, we spent the next 4 years listening and engaging in the City’s process of developing the DCP.
Following the DCP’s adoption in 2017, we worked with Frank Gehry to redesign the Project to reduce the Project’s height and floor area, eliminate the residential condominiums, add rental housing and make the corner of Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard more special. We then filed revised plans in 2018, hosted additional community outreach meetings and presented the revised Project to the Landmarks Commission, Architectural Review Board, Planning Commission and City Council for their preliminary feedback on the revised plans.
In June 2018, the City Council directed City Staff to move forward with development agreement negotiations for our Project. The Project today is the culmination of the feedback we received during the prior preliminary hearings and community outreach, additional input from City Staff’s various departments, and our team’s further design work. A comparison of the current Project compared with the original 2013 Plans and the DCP standards is included in the below table:
2013 Project Current Project DCP
FAR 4.0 2.95 4.0
Max. Height 244’ 130’
(avg. 48’‐1” across the site)
130’
Hotel Rooms 125 rooms 120 rooms
Residential 46 condos/apartments 100 apartments
In May 2022, the Planning Commission held its hearing to review the Project and with a 7‐0 vote, unanimously recommended approval of the Project. Prior to and during this hearing, many Santa Monica residents, businesses and stakeholders, including the Santa Monica Conservancy, expressed their support and excitement for the Project and its many benefits.
Project Details
Our Project’s program has been developed to implement the LUCE, DCP and Coastal Act policies for the Project Site by providing a broad mix of uses in the heart of Downtown, the City’s economic engine.
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4 Hotel
The Project Site, with its prominent location along Ocean Avenue in the City’s Coastal Zone, is the perfect location for a new hotel. The City’s LUCE, DCP and Coastal policies all encourage hotels in the City’s Downtown. (LUCE Policy D 1.4, p. 2.6‐10; DCP Policy CCP2.3, p. 55; Local Coastal Program 1992 Land Use Plan (“1992 LUP”) Policy 70, p. 74.) In addition to visitor‐serving uses being a priority use in the City’s coastal zone, hotels both support economic sustainability and have low traffic impacts. (LUCE Policy E 6.3, p. 3.4‐21.) Hotel’s Rooftop Observation Deck
The Hotel Building is the tallest component of the Project and we’ve intentionally located a public observation deck on its roof with 360‐degree views. Access to the observation deck is through elevators directly accessible from the Project’s ground‐level paseos in order to invite pedestrians walking along Ocean Avenue or Santa Monica Boulevard to stop in and enjoy the views. We’ve agreed to a maximum entry fee of $1.00/person (with CPI adjustments) with all net proceeds going to the Santa Monica’s public school students via the SM Ed Foundation.
Hotel’s Height
At 130’, the Hotel Building is consistent with the DCP’s height limit for the Project site and is the only portion of the Project that is at 130’. As discussed above, the Project ensures the community benefits from the height by including a rooftop observation deck that will be open to the public. With the Project’s open space and varying building heights, the overall average height across the Project site is 48’‐1”. As shown in the below diagram, the Project’s varied building heights are consistent and compatible with the range of building heights along Ocean Avenue in Downtown Santa Monica.
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5 Housing
The Project provides 100 new apartments, including market‐rate, deed‐restricted affordable, and rent‐controlled units, located near transit and services, implementing key City policies and goals.1 Consistent with LUCE Policy D7.7 to "[e]ncourage residential units with a diversity of types, forms, [and] sizes,” apartments range in size from studios to three bedrooms. The apartments are disbursed above the ground floor in 4 buildings (three on the Second Street Parcel and one on the Ocean Avenue Parcel) providing residents with light and access to the Ocean breezes as well as to provide visual interest/articulation and views through the Project.
One of the key changes we made to the Project in response to feedback from the 2013 preliminary hearings and listening during the DCP process was to eliminate the residential condominiums (despite absorbing the economic hit of doing so), increase the number of residential apartments, diversify the unit types to include more family‐sized units, and substantially increase the affordable housing.
1 LUCE Policy LU3.2 calls for “additional housing opportunities on the transit rich commercial boulevards.” LUCE Policy LU4.3 encourages “mixed‐use development close to transit to provide housing opportunities for the community, support local businesses, and reduce reliance on automobiles.” (LUCE at p. 2.1‐13.) Item 12.A
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6 As explained in the DCP, a key priority for community benefits discussions in new development is the provision of “a range of housing options at varying affordability levels to accommodate the city’s diverse residents and workforce.” (DCP at p. 27.) In this regard, 36 of the apartments are deed‐restricted affordable and/or rent‐controlled. 25 apartments will be deed‐restricted for households ranging from 30% of Area Median Income to Moderate Income while 11 of the apartments will be rent‐controlled. The breakdown of the affordability levels is included below.
Rent Level # of Units
30% AMI 4
50% AMI 4
80% AMI 6
Moderate 11
Rent‐Controlled 11
Total 36
The Project includes the onsite replacement of 19 existing residential units located on the Project Site with 3 of the replacement units being deed‐restricted affordable to 80% AMI households and 5 of the replacement units being deed‐restricted to Moderate Income Households. Prior to commencement of construction for the Project, existing tenants will be offered temporary/interim housing, relocation assistance, and the opportunity to move back in to one of the replacement units with no increase in the rent (other than Rent Control Board’s allowed general adjustments) for the temporary/interim housing nor the replacement unit. If an existing tenant income‐qualifies for a deed‐restricted affordable unit, the rent for the replacement unit will be the lower of the deed‐restricted affordable rent or their existing rent (plus the Rent Control Board’s allowed general adjustments).
Historic Preservation
Rehabilitation, Repositioning, and Adaptive Reuse of Landmarks Inspired by the LUCE’s identification of historic preservation as a key community benefit and directive to integrate the preservation of historic buildings into land use and planning practices (Policy LU12.1), the Project includes rehabilitating, repositioning and adaptively reusing the two on‐site landmark buildings – a Queen Anne‐style Victorian building and a Spanish Colonial Revival style building – as featured components of a Cultural Uses Campus. If there are more than 11 existing units with tenants that both (a) want to move back into the Project and (b) do not income‐quality for a deed‐restricted affordable unit, then up to 5 of the Moderate units could be occupied by existing tenants and their rent would be the lower of (x) their existing rent (plus the Rent Control Board’s allowed general adjustments) or (y) the Moderate‐income rent.
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7 Consistent with strongly‐expressed guidance from the Landmarks Commission, both Landmarks will be given prominence in the forefront of the Project’s new Cultural Use Campus, with the Landmark buildings being the “dominant visual elements” and the new construction being clearly new and differentiated. (FEIR at p. 3.4‐39) Although the Landmarks would be repositioned, the Landmarks would both continue to front on (and be directly accessible from) Ocean Avenue facing Palisades Park, as has historically been the case. As confirmed in the Project’s EIR, the Landmarks’ “slight shift in locations would not substantially alter the historic setting or context of the buildings because they would continue to convey the same general history and streetscape of residential development along Ocean Avenue.” (FEIR at p. 3.4‐37) At the request of the Planning Commission, and to ensure public access and visibility to the Landmarks, we've committed in the proposed Development Agreement that no fences, walls or hedges will be provided in the setback/open space area between the Landmarks and Ocean Avenue.
As emphasized in the Staff Report, all work on the Cultural Uses Campus will be undertaken and performed in accordance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Item 12.A
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8 Treatment of Historic Properties and subject to the Landmarks Commission’s issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness. The Project’s historic preservation consultant Robert Chattel, AIA, has prepared a “Conformance Recommendations” memorandum that offers background information, provides an overview of concept‐level design (specifically focusing on the Landmark Buildings), and makes recommendations for future design development to ensure conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (“Secretary Standards”).
Although the Cultural Uses Campus design will continue to be refined through the Certificate of Appropriateness process, it is well established that the Project will include beneficial restoration of various character‐defining features of the two City Landmarks including previously removed and currently missing elements. For example:
As detailed in the EIR, “the proposed rehabilitation of the Queen Anne Landmark would preserve, repair (as necessary), and restore important exterior character‐ defining features as well as remove incompatible, non‐character‐defining elements and additions.” (FEIR at p. 3.4‐37.) Notably, “the original tower, which has been shortened and modified over the years, and its original widow walk would be restored to its full height and would be clad in wood siding as it was historically” and “the integral porch on the second floor of the front elevation, which has also been altered, would be restored to its full length, extending it in front of the window to the north.” (FEIR at pp. 3.4‐37‐38.)
The Spanish Colonial Revival Landmark’s front (Ocean Avenue) façade would be restored based on physical evidence and historical documentation to its period of significance (1926). This work would include reconstruction and restoration of the main entrance’s prior cast stone Churrigueresque inspired decorative surround with flanking spiral engaged columns and reconstruction of the decorative sconces that were once over each of the main front window openings at ground‐level. (FEIR, Appendix E at p. 96.)
We look forward to recapturing these elements with Chattel’s guidance and the Landmarks Commission’s required Certificate of Appropriateness. Moreover, as recommended by the Planning Commission, if we find evidence of additional character‐defining features during the course of the rehabilitation work, we will restore or document them as appropriate.
Rehabilitation of the two Landmarks would also include seismic and structural retrofitting, handicap accessibility improvements, fire‐life safety improvements, and upgrades to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. (FEIR at p.2‐32.) In deference to the low‐scale size of the two Landmarks, the Project limits the total above‐grade floor area on the northern three parcels of this valuable Ocean Avenue property to approximately 17,000 square feet, resulting in this northern portion of the site being Item 12.A
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9 substantially underdeveloped compared with the building height and floor area allowed by Code. In this regard, much of the new floor area will be subterranean to preserve the setting of the Landmarks consistent with the Secretary Standards.
Protection and Repositioning During Construction
The process for repositioning the Landmarks and protecting them through construction was studied extensively for the EIR. Gehry Partners, Robert Chattel, a general contractor, and structural engineer Thomas A. Sabol, PHD, SE, (principal with Englekirk Institutional) collaborated in developing the approach for the temporary relocation and protection of the Landmarks throughout the course of construction. In brief summary:
The Landmarks would be prepared to be temporarily relocated including thorough documentation of the Landmarks existing conditions, training for construction employees regarding the protection of the Landmarks, temporary removal and/or protection of all sensitive features, and stabilization of the Landmarks for their moves during temporary on‐site relocation (e.g. through shoring, lateral support, bracing and temporary restraints).
Temporary on‐site locations would be prepared during the staging process and the Landmarks would be detached from their current foundations and moved to the temporary locations with the Landmarks supported by a series of stabilized girders.
Experienced building movers will be utilized.
While in their temporary locations, permanent new foundations for the Landmarks would be constructed and then the Landmarks would be moved to their permanent locations in support of the Cultural Uses Campus and structurally secured. General excavation of the Project Site and the remainder of the Project’s construction would then occur under and around the newly shored Landmarks without placing them in jeopardy.
Chattel will assist in the implementation and oversight of these activities.
A depiction of the key elements of the basic steps in this carefully crafted preservation protection process is included below.
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10 Enhancing Public Access to the Landmarks
In addition to embracing these Landmarks and incorporating them into a prominent part of the Project from a design perspective, we are excited to take these historic buildings that are currently in private use (occupied by private office, medical and spa uses) and make them accessible to and utilized by the general public as part of the Cultural Uses Campus for the appreciation and enjoyment of Santa Monicans and visitors. An interpretive educational exhibit (e.g. signage, display and/or plaques) will be included in the Cultural Uses Campus to assist the public in understanding the historical, cultural, and architectural significance of both the Queen Anne style Landmark building and the Spanish Colonial Revival style Landmark structure. This exhibit will be submitted for review and approval by the Landmarks Commission.
Overall, we feel that the extraordinary effort to rehabilitate the Landmarks as part of the Cultural Uses Campus and open them up to the public will make a valuable and long‐lasting contribution to the City’s social and cultural fabric far more meaningful than is the case today.
Cultural Use ‐ Museum
Seeing the need and opportunity for a cultural use Downtown, a key element we asked Frank Gehry to incorporate into the Project is the cultural facility/museum use. LUCE policies identify cultural uses as a priority, seeking to “[s]upport and enhance cultural development within and around mixed‐use activity centers” and, “[e]ncourage land uses that provide accessibility for residents of all ages to arts and cultural programming in…new developments.” (LUCE Policy CE5.4 at p. 3.5‐11; LUCE Policy CE4.2 at p. 3.5‐10.) The DCP expressly identifies a Item 12.A
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11 cultural institution as a preferred community benefit for the Project. (DCP at p. 30; DEIR at p. 2‐
15.)
Gehry Partners has amazing experience designing museums around the world, and with that vast knowledge his firm has designed the Cultural Uses Campus to attract and exhibit works of local, international, established and emerging artists, including architects, and implement world‐class exhibitions and programs. Cherished pieces from the Frank Gehry’s archives will be shown at one or more permanent or rotating exhibit(s), and the location, adjacent to a Gehry‐designed hotel will provide perfect synergy, often lacking in traditional architecture exhibitions.
A key focus will be on education – exposing youth to the challenges and possibilities of design and how architecture is a way to solve problems, challenge the imagination, and work collaboratively. In this regard, we’ve committed to offer each of the public elementary, middle, and high schools in Santa Monica and Santa Monica College an annual field trip opportunity with transportation provided at no charge. We’ll also be offering field trip opportunities to a non‐profit organization in Santa Monica that provides after school programming for underrepresented youth no less than 4 times per year. In addition, all students/youth will have discounted entry year‐round.
The museum will include high quality, diverse educational and community programming. To ensure access to the museum by all Santa Monica residents, there will one day a month with entry is free for Santa Monica residents and Santa Monica residents will have discounted entry year‐round.
Mobility/Circulation and the Pedestrian Experience
During the Project’s 2018 preliminary hearings, the interconnected set of open spaces, separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and emphasis on the pedestrian experience were mentioned by many City decisionmakers and community members as important and positive aspects. Notably, our Project will provide an uninterrupted pedestrian experience (closing the existing curb cuts) along both Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard per the LUCE’s priority for the “pedestrian environment above all other modes” in the Downtown. (LUCE, p.
4.0‐18.)
First Court Alley Revisions
First Court alley is proposed to be re‐routed through the Project Site to Second Street to allow the southern portion of First Court alley to become a “Pedestrian Mall” for the public’s enjoyment and to enhance public engagement with and through the Project. As a result, Item 12.A
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12 vehicular access to the Project will be provided from First Court alley with egress to Second Street.
This creative circulation solution is encouraged in the LUCE and DCP circulation strategies including LUCE Policy B4.14 to “discourage north‐south alley access to Santa Monica Boulevard and explore alternative routing” and Policy D9.6 is to “improve the aesthetic appearance of the alleys, and where appropriate incorporate the alleys into the pedestrian system.” (LUCE, pp.
2.4‐17, 2.6‐15.)
First Court
Second Street
Ocean Avenue
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13 The cost of the Pedestrian Mall improvements, maintenance, as well as the re‐routing of First Court alley will all be borne by the Project.
Publicly‐Accessible Open Space
One of our key strategies to engage the public is to include ground‐level open space that invites pedestrians into the Project, including the Cultural Uses Campus. The strategic connection of the Ocean Avenue Paseo to the First Court Pedestrian Mall/Santa Monica Boulevard Paseo signals to pedestrians that they are welcome to stroll through the Project and up to the rooftop observation deck. These open spaces will be activated by the restaurant, retail, and cultural uses in the Project. The City should embrace this highly pedestrian‐oriented design approach.
Sustainability
In addition to our Project being a transit‐oriented, infill development with a mix of employment and residential opportunities located in walking distance to high‐quality transit, we’re proud of the cutting‐edge sustainability elements we’ve been able to include in the Project.
The Project will be designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, and we’ve committed to dual‐plumb the Project and use the City’s new upgraded recycled water system for all County‐approved uses including for toilet‐flushing, any cooling tower, and landscaping.
Because the City’s recycled water line is currently located in Palisades Park, we’ve also committing to paying for it to be extended to our site. The Project will also include onsite storage of rainwater and reuse of such water.
Our Project will also achieve water neutrality by including onsite water efficiencies such as low flow fixtures, drought tolerant landscaping, and offsetting any remaining net new water demand through payment of in‐lieu fees to the City for retrofitting of fixtures in other buildings/sites.
The Project will include rooftop solar panels, sustainable design features to reduce power demand, and substantial EV charging infrastructure. At the request of the Planning Commission, we've agreed to annually assess the demand for EV chargers and continue to add EV chargers to meet demand. In addition, we’ve committed to use 100% Green Power from the Clean Power Alliance, which consists of power generated from solar and wind (https://cleanpoweralliance.org/power‐sources/).
The Project will also have an aggressive transportation demand management (“TDM”) plan with a 2.2 average vehicle ridership target. The proposed TDM measures include a variety of physical and programmatic measures to reduce single‐occupancy vehicle trips to the Project Item 12.A
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14 including transportation allowances for employees and residents, guaranteed ride home program, substantial bicycle parking, and showers and lockers for employees using active forms of transportation.
Economic and Fiscal Benefits
The Project ‐‐ most notably its hotel component ‐‐ will contribute to the economic health of the City by providing meaningful economic and fiscal benefits to the City and substantial additional revenue to the school district. As explained in the LUCE and documented by Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, hotels are a particularly desirably land use because overnight visitors spend more money than day‐time visitors2 and have significantly less traffic impacts. (LUCE Policy E6.1, p. 3.4‐21.) In addition to the direct Transient Occupancy Tax (“TOT”) that is generated from the hotel, visitors produce significant other tax revenue through retail sales and other spending in the city. (LUCE at p. 3.4‐8.) Economic Impacts
As documented by the City’s financial consultant HR&A Advisors, Inc., the Project’s economic impacts are significant:
Approx. $258.3 million is the estimated total economic output (direct and indirect sales and spending) from construction
Approx. $72.8 million/yr is the estimated ongoing, annual total economic output ($59.8 million/yr net)
Fiscal Impacts
The Project will also provide considerable tax revenues to the City’s general fund of approximately $5.2 million/yr on an ongoing basis after Project stabilization ($3.4 million/yr net). These recurring revenues consist of property tax, sales and use tax, hotel TOT, business license tax, utility user’s tax, and parking facilities tax.
HR&A’s analysis did not estimate other tax revenues such as for City special funds (e.g., special assessments) or tax revenues to Santa Monica‐Malibu Unified School District and Santa Monica College. However, our financial consultant’s CBRE estimated that the Project would generate approximately $26.5 million to Santa Monica‐Malibu Unified School District over a 30‐year period.
2 In 2021, the daily average spend per person staying in a hotel/motel was $273.71 vs. $49.99 for daytime visitors. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, the daily average spend per person staying in a hotel/motel was $413.19 vs. $87.15 for daytime visitors.
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15 Employment
As the LUCE acknowledges: “local employment . . . serves as the foundation for [a community’s] long term economic growth and stability” and locating new employment near transit reduces vehicle trips while creating a healthy job base. (LUCE at pp. 3.1‐7 and 3.4‐7.) The Project will provide a wide range of new employment with a full‐service hotel, restaurants, retail and cultural use facility. The Project also provides significant new construction‐related employment opportunities. The hotel and construction employment will be labor friendly. To ensure that our local community benefits from these opportunities and prioritize outreach to underserved communities, the Project’s community benefits package includes local hiring programs for construction workers and permanent jobs, internships at the hotel, and equal opportunity subcontracting. This will benefit members of the community by providing new local employment opportunities and further reduce VMT.
Project Feasibility
As documented by the City’s consultant HR&A Advisors, Inc, the Project’s tremendous community benefits package and commitment to iconic design results in the Project projecting a lower than reasonable investment return for a development project of this type (7.7% vs. reasonable return of 13‐15%). This is the case even if the assumption of a subsidy for the Cultural facilities/museum use, which HR&A believes may be overly conservative3, is entirely removed (return increases to 12% vs. reasonable return of 13‐15%).
We also wanted to highlight that neither our model nor HR&A’s account for the more than 81,500 square feet of developable area that we are not building (primarily by prioritizing the low‐scale museum use and preservation of the landmarks on the northern 3 lots along Ocean Avenue) and the associated lost opportunity with that additional square footage over the Life of the Project.
Overall, we’ve proposed a Project that includes inherent benefits for the community (historic preservation, Cultural facilities/museum, revenue‐generating union hotel, housing, 3 HR&A’s report indicates that our Project proforma assumes a subsidy for the Cultural facility/museum use but that it may be possible for the museum operator to find other revenue streams (e.g. donors) to support the museum use and/or for us to seek a property tax exemption for the Cultural facility/museum. While we agree these may both be possible, we haven’t explored with enough confidence to know if we can offset the assumed subsidy and the ultimate responsibility for attracting and retaining an operator for the Cultural facility/museum and keeping it open is on us. Moreover, our model already assumes some level of fundraising in support of the Cultural Uses Campus as the subsidy we’ve assumed only assumes $20/sf typical operating expenses for the building only and does not include the additional operational costs associated with a museum (e.g., salaries, programming, etc.).
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16 iconic architecture) and we respectfully ask that you not add exactions that would further erode at the Project’s feasibility/viability and increase the risk that the Project never gets built.
Environmental Impact Report
As recommended by City Staff, we ask that you both (a) confirm that the Project qualifies for an exemption from CEQA review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15182 (Projects Pursuant to a Specific Plan) and (b) certify of the Project’s Final EIR, which the City elected to prepare to promote fully informed decision‐making despite that the Project qualifies for a CEQA exemption. The EIR is very thorough and comprehensive and clearly meets and exceeds the legal requirements for EIRs. The EIR demonstrates that the Project would provide numerous environmental and community benefits, while causing very few potentially significant and unavoidable environmental impacts.
The EIR also analyzes five alternatives to the Project, a reasonable range per the requirements of State CEQA Guidelines § 15126.6. With the exception of the No Project Alternative, none of remaining alternatives would eliminate the significant and unavoidable impacts identified in the DEIR. Notably, all of the reduced density alternatives (Alternatives 2, 3, and 4) would require either the reduction of residential units or the reduction/elimination of hotel rooms, or both, inconsistent with the City’s and Coastal Act’s goals and policies encouraging the development of housing and visitor‐serving uses in the City’s Downtown. 1992 LUP Amendment
As explained in the Staff Report and EIR, our Project is consistent with the LUCE, DCP, the Draft Coastal Land Use Plan adopted by the City Council in 2018 (“Draft LUP”), and the Coastal Act. Because the City does not have a fully‐certified Local Coastal Plan (“LCP”), which consists of a certified LUP and a certified Implementation Plan, the Coastal Commission reviews projects for consistency with the Coastal Act directly and neither the Draft LUP not the City’s outdated 1992 Coastal Land Use Plan (based on the 1984 LUCE and 1988 Zoning Ordinance) are binding on the Coastal Commission. Despite the City adopting the Draft LUP to replace the 1992 LUP, the Coastal Commission appears to still recognize the 1992 LUP as relevant guidance in reviewing Coastal Development Permits. Thus, we have proposed an amendment to the City’s 1992 LUP to update it to be consistent with the DCP and Draft LUP policies with respect to the Project Site.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we are extremely proud of our Project, the abundant benefits it will bring to the residents of Santa Monica and broader community, and to have earned the unanimous (7‐0) recommendation of approval from the Planning Commission and City Staff. It advances Item 12.A
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17 the City’s goals and policies, will bring a hotel, housing, shops/restaurants, and a cultural use in a dramatic new Gehry Partners design while incorporating the site’s Landmarks and elevating their prominence and access for the public. We started on this project in 2007 and first submitted in 2013, and after 9 years of listening, revising, and refining our Project through the City’s formal review process, we respectfully ask for your approval of our Project.
Sincerely,
Jeff Worthe
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From: Diane Drake <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, July 9, 2022 8:13 AM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Item #12 - OAP
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and City Council Members, I’m writing to ask you to please vote in favor of the proposed Frank Gehry development at the corner of Ocean Ave and Santa Monica Blvd.
We are fortunate to have an artist of Gehry’s caliber bringing this sort of world‐class development to our City. It reflects well on Santa Monica’s leadership in architecture for a sustainable future, and will add to the beauty and distinction of the city.
As a project neighbor, (I live at 1045 Ocean Ave), I look forward to having a new walkable destination for dining, shopping, cultural enrichment (the architecture and art museum), all crowned by the sweeping 360‐degree‐observation‐ deck views of our bay and mountains. It will be a most welcome addition to the neighborhood.
Again, please vote yes. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Diane Drake
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From: Daniel Galamba <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, July 9, 2022 1:30 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Oscar de la Torre; Daniel Galamba
Subject: July 14, 2022 City Council Meeting Item 12.A.-Please reject the Ocean Avenue Project Development Agreement
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
I urge you to reject this Ocean Avenue Project Development Agreement for many of the same reasons that the Development Agreement for the Miramar Hotel expansion should have been rejected. These include:
This project is way too large and not in character for our City of Santa Monica. It is up to 12 stories 130 feet high. The character of our city should limit this project to 3 stories 35 feet high, more in line with Santa Barbara and Manhattan Beach.
This project will create more traffic, congestion and gridlock in the downtown area that already suffers from these maladies. We need less gridlock, not more.
The 64 market rate apartments will encourage developers to destroy existing low and moderate income rent controlled housing in the area and replace them with luxury housing that only rich people can afford and are not under rent control as happened in Westwood and West Los Angeles in the 1980's and has also been happening here in Santa Monica.
We're already lost about 9,000 rent‐controlled units here in Santa Monica since the Ellis Act was enacted and we need to preserve our existing rent‐controlled housing. Otherwise, we will end up being a bi‐furcated city with the rich at the top, the poor at the bottom in public housing and not much in between. I don't want this for our City of Santa Monica. I want Santa Monica to be a place where people of various economic levels can live.
The Fess Parker resort in Santa Barbara is very pleasant and nice. This shows that the hotels don't need to be big and ugly.
It should be noted that 3 of the 4 City Council members who voted for the Miramar Project were voted out of office.
The vast majority of the people in Santa Monica don't want these monster hotel projects. They want to preserve the low‐rise beachfront character of our city, again more in line with Santa Barbara and Manhattan Beach rather than New York City.
In summary I am requesting that you limit this project to no more than 3 stories 35 feet high and building on no more than 50% of the lot above ground. This is in keeping with the character of our community and really is to the benefit of both the developer and our City of Sant Monica. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr Daniel Galamba
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From: Kelli Haas <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2022 1:26 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems; David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White Subject: July 14 Agenda Item 12 - Support for Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
City of Santa Monica Councilmembers ‐
Our family strongly supports Item 12, the Ocean Avenue Project. We have lived in Santa Monica in the Wilmont neighborhood since relocating here from Houston in 2003. Over the years, Santa Monica has truly become our adopted home and we feel very connected to the community here. We are active in the PTA, our children’s athletic teams, local school communities and our children have only known Santa Monica as their home.
The Ocean Avenue Project is the perfect addition to the Downtown Santa Monica area. Downtown feels like it lacks the community inclusiveness that the other pockets of Santa Monica have – Montana Ave, Main Street, Ocean Park Blvd. To be honest, we do not venture into downtown often because it feels as though it caters to tourists instead of those who live here. We would love for the area to be better activated for families like us. The museum will be a highlight for us, and we love that we’ll be able to use the observation deck for ourselves and our visitors – there isn’t any other vantage point like that for our community to enjoy those views!
Please vote to support the Ocean Avenue Project. It will make the Santa Monica that our family loves that much better.
Sincerely,
Kelli and Bryan Haas
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From: Erik Huberman <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2022 4:34 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Yes on the Ocean Avenue Project- Item 12
EXTERNAL
Honorable Councilmembers,
I am writing to share my support for the proposed Ocean Avenue Project. I grew up in Santa Monica and came back to the City to make Santa Monica my home in 2008. As a longtime resident, I have a vested interest in the development of our vibrant City.
There are many aspects of the project that I appreciate. First, I am impressed with the world class design by Pritzker Prize‐winning architect Frank Gehry. I feel fortunate that Gehry is sharing his architectural prowess with our City, which will undoubtedly add a new level of class to our downtown community.
Additionally, I believe the fiscal and economic benefits of the project will help revive Santa Monia. We have all seen the economic toll that the pandemic had on Santa Monica, particularly in the downtown area. The proposed new hotel, coupled with shops and outdoor dining, will reinvigorate Ocean Avenue.
I encourage you to approve this project so the residents of Santa Monica can enjoy all of the benefits this new development has to offer.
Sincerely,
Erik Huberman
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. Erik Huberman | CEO 1714 16th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
hawkemedia.com
T: 310.451.7295
M: 805.443.3501
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. image.png
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Albin Gielicz
July 11, 2022
City Council Members:
Thank you for scheduling a special meeting to consider this unique project. I endorse the Ocean Avenue Project, and respectfully ask that you approve it on July 14.
I am involved in my community. I have served on the Recreation and Parks Commission for more than 8 years. I currently serve as Chair of Santa Monica Travel & Tourism.
However, I’m submitting this letter as a 18 year resident of Santa Monica. As a community member who appreciates the many opportunities the City provides for engagement, I participated in the LUCE and DCP workshops that have shaped the way we approach planning, and have watched with great interest the evolution of various project plans in the downtown community.
The OAP, like the other successful large site projects envisioned for the Downtown Santa Monica neighborhood, has delivered on design and a public-facing character. The OAP project offers a generous package of community benefits to help meet our city’s priorities. • Transportation and pedestrian improvements will be immediately obvious to frequent visitors to Downtown. The elimination of curb cuts on Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue will greatly enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety. Widened sidewalks with connections to the site’s programmed interior will invite visitors to explore the corner and provide the foot traffic that restaurants and retailers depend on. The applicant’s “as much juice as we need” approach to fitting out electric vehicle parking spaces as set forth in their application reflects the applicant’s future-friendliness.
• Affordable housing, dispersed throughout the 100-unit apartment structures, will be comprised of 25 units of deed-restricted apartments and 11 replacement rent-controlled apartments (for current residents of the Belle Vue building who wish to return to the location after construction). The applicant’s generous move out/move in program for the current tenants set forth in the DA is unique in the history of our city.
• Publicly accessible open space truly defines the proposed project. 12,000 square feet of sustainably landscaped paseos and courtyards will be incorporated into the project on the ground level, making the site visually and physically porous and inviting to pedestrians and community members visiting on bicycles or micromobility devices. The ground level pedestrian experience is open and connected site wide. The vacation of a portion of First Court will allow the City to create a Pedestrian Mall connected to Santa Monica Boulevard. I trust that the applicant will make provisions to keep these spaces safe. • High above the street level, the 5,000 square foot publicly accessible observation deck will cap the hotel building, providing dramatic views of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Beyond the awe factor, the observation deck presents a unique teaching opportunity. The 360-degree view can’t help but impress upon people that our city is Item 12.A
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surrounded by natural wonders, and that we have a special responsibility to protect them. I would recommend that the developer commission attractive but unobtrusive interpretive signage for each of the directions to orient visitors and provide brief geographic, historical, marine, and climate-related information about what they’re looking at. • As more young households go to work in our city, the project’s childcare initiatives take on new value. Childcare is key to our economic recovery and to the peace of mind of parents who are invested in their children’s future in Santa Monica.
• Economic Equity/Opportunity fund will help ensure that our continuing economic recovery moves forward inclusively.
• Funding for parks and open space will provide resources for desperately needed improvements to the community’s shared spaces. This obligation reflects the City’s long-term vision in its approach to larger development projects.
• An emphasis on culture will differentiate this project from the other large site projects (which will contribute their own signature features to our cityscape). The audacious sculptural element on the corner more than fulfills the City’s public art requirement. It announces the intention of the campus loudly and clearly – you are entering a vibrant art space, from the pavement to the observation deck. The significant museum element will help visitors learn about and appreciate the built environment, and may inspire new generations of architects, artists, and engineers.
Finally, I would like to comment on the design. The applicant selected a world-renowned Pritzker Award winning architect, Frank Gehry, who brings energy and a singular sense of place to every project.
Gehry’s impressive staff of designers, model makers, draftspeople and engineering experts are evident in every inch of this project, from the materials to the textures. I would like to add that we Santa Monicans enjoy an embarrassment of riches as far as architecture is concerned. So many fine local architects, like Gehry, understand our unique community and go the extra mile to design for its future.
Please approve the Ocean Avenue Project.
Sincerely,
Albin Gielicz
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From: Judy Abdo <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2022 10:20 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: FW: Email to CC
EXTERNAL
City Council Members,
I am commenting on Item 12, the Ocean Avenue Project. I am a former Councilmember and Mayor of Santa Monica, and I currently serve on the MWD Board of Directors representing Santa Monica. I am also a steering committee member of Climate Action Santa Monica. My remarks are made as a 48‐year resident of Ocean Park, not on behalf of any organization.
The community has waited for this proposed project for many years. Since it was first introduced to the public, the world has undergone dramatic changes. We are still feeling the shockwaves of the COVID‐19 economic downturn. The issues of climate change and water conservation have also come to the fore in a way we could not have anticipated when the project was introduced.
So I am happy to see a major project emerge that responds so conscientiously and unhesitatingly to these stressors.
First, the direct fiscal impact and total economic impact of the project will be significant, and will provide a boost to City coffers and local merchants and services. A generous, 30‐year commitment to Santa Monica schools will boost our public education system and help it maintain its excellent national ranking. New union hotel jobs, union construction jobs, a local hire program for construction and operations, and a hotel internship for students at Santa Monica high schools and Santa Monica College will enrich our community in so many ways.
Second, the applicant’s commitment to achieving LEED Platinum certification reflects this community’s values and our expectations. Water neutrality, rooftop solar infrastructure and 100% Green Power through the Clean Power Alliance for those energy needs not met by solar are also solid responses to our values and local and State laws. It is also wonderful to know that all residential and retail guests will have access to EV charging stations in the garage. Drought tolerant landscaping and participation in the Marine Debris Reduction Program will contribute to the project’s modest environmental footprint.
I would also like to comment on the architecture and site planning. The famed architect, Frank Gehry, has designed an energetic, upbeat campus, skillfully bringing together a wide variety of components — mixed‐use housing, walkable open spaces, a hotel, eye catching public art, a museum, and adaptively reused historical structures — into a single, exciting site. This is place‐making at its best, and Mr. Gehry’s entire team deserves our applause for their creativity and ingenuity.
I urge you to vote yes on the project. Thank you very much for your work.
Judy Abdo
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July 11, 2022
Re: Item 12
Dear City Council:
Santa Monica Forward supports the Ocean Avenue Project and urges you to follow Staff’s recommendation on July 14 to approve.
The proposed project is consistent with current Downtown planning requirements. It is a significant project, located on a prominent corner in downtown Santa Monica, a hub of resident and visitor activity year-round. The applicant and architect have responded to the urban/coastal interface with a project that encompasses a wide range of elements: the adaptive reuse of historic structures, an improved pedestrian experience (which includes an internal walk street/paseo), a unique cultural component, a substantial housing commitment, the city’s only public observation deck, an important cultural component, and a truly significant hotel.
The project is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, whose work is celebrated across the region and around the world. Gehry is a long-time resident of Santa Monica and is considered a “hometown architect” with an understanding of the community’s unique identity.
Forward calls out four key aspects of the plan that align with our guiding principles:
1 - New and replacement housing
Santa Monica Forward applauds the project’s strong housing program, which will bring 100 newly constructed apartments to the project site. This component includes:
● 20 deed-restricted affordable apartments
● 16 replacement rent-controlled apartments
● 64 market-rate apartments
2 - Union workforce, local hire, local internship program The project applicant proposes a robust employment program that will provide good-paying jobs during construction and operation and will train students to sustain Santa Monica’s vital hospitality industry:
● The creation of new union hotel jobs for the 120-room hotel ● New union construction jobs
● A local hire program for construction and permanent jobs Item 12.A
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● A hotel internship program for students at Santa Monica high schools and Santa Monica College
3 - Economic benefits
As Santa Monica emerges from the devastating pandemic-related recession, we look forward to the project’s meaningful investment in our city’s economic future. ● The project’s direct fiscal impact will amount to an estimated $5.6 million annually, with $229.6 million estimated over the first 25 years of operations ● Its total economic impact will be substantial – approximately $134.4 million annually; $3.94 billion over the first 25 years of operations
● $29.5 million to the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District over the first 30 years of operations
4 – Sustainability and transit
The project, which seeks LEED Platinum designation, represents a solid commitment to sustainability.
● The project will achieve water neutrality through the inclusion of dual plumbing/use of recycled water and use of low flow fixtures
● Solar infrastructure is integrated into the rooftop design ● It will operate on 100% Green Power purchased from Clean Power Alliance/SCE, for any power not generated on-site
● EV charging stations and infrastructure
● It will provide 231 bicycle parking spaces; this number is 81% of the number of vehicle parking spaces provided on site
● Transportation allowances for employees and residents ● The project is located in a transit-rich neighborhood with multiple public transportation choices, bike rental facilities and shared mobility options, all within a short walk of the site
Santa Monica Forward asks Councilmembers for a positive vote on Thursday night and looks forward to final approval and completion of this exceptional project.
Sincerely,
Abby Arnold and Carl Hansen
Co-chairs, Santa Monica Forward
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From: Emily McCarron <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2022 12:37 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori
Subject: Item 12 – Ocean Ave Project
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich and City Council Members,
My name is Emily McCarron. I live in the mid-city area and am a frequent visitor to the downtown neighborhood.
I enthusiastically support this project.
The Ocean Avenue Project is a lot more than a hotel building designed by one of the world’s most respected architects. It is an entire urban campus that brings together housing, culture, historic buildings, places to eat and shop, and spaces to walk. Most of all, it will bring people together. I think that is the secret sauce of Frank Gehry projects around the world.
The sculptural building that Mr. Gehry has designed for the corner is awe-inspiring. It’s as fun and confident as the people who live and work in Santa Monica. It reflects (no pun intended) our passion for creativity. It will be a fantastic Instagram/selfie location, much like the Pier sign just a couple of blocks away. We’re coming out of the awful pandemic, and anything that stresses the outdoor experience that we’re so proud of will boost our civic confidence and pride and draw Santa Monicans and visitors to our city to the downtown district.
The project’s website really gives a great sense of the pedestrian-friendliness of the project. As a non-driver, this is very important. The "paseos" inside of the campus open up a corner that is currently like a wall. The project will transform the surface parking lot – a space made for cars – into brand-new residential space.
Strolling between those incredible structures will almost be like walking through an open air museum. Even the apartment buildings will be works of art!
The sidewalks will be widened. Although this is not the “sexy” part of the project, it is really important, because the intersection of Ocean and Santa Monica gets a lot of foot traffic, including families with strollers. There is nothing worse for pedestrians than waiting for the walk sign in a crowd of people who are all impatient to get across Ocean Avenue to get to the park. If you’ve ever stood in that “people jam” you know what I mean. On a crowded weekend, you might even see individuals step off the curb onto Santa Monica just to get some breathing room or to be first in line to cross. With this project, we have a chance to have a more accommodating, safe and beautiful pedestrian environment.
I have a lot more praise for the project. There are many more aspects of this plan that capture the imagination and bring tangible benefits to our city. I look forward to the hearing next week. But I thank you in advance for considering a YES vote on the Ocean Avenue Project.
With gratitude,
Emily McCarron
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From: Katie Savage <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 10:22 AM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project Letter of Support
EXTERNAL
City of Santa Monica Councilmembers ‐
I am writing to you today to express my support for the Ocean Avenue Project. My husband and I are long‐time Santa Monica residents who live in the Wilmont neighborhood with our two children. My husband is the pastor at Santa Monica Nazarene Chruch, and I am a local high school teacher. We have an 8th grader and 5th grader who attend the local public schools (elementary & middle) and are active in many different communities in Santa Monica – local PTAs, faith‐based organizations, Little League, etc. We care very much about our City, both in its current state and in the legacy we are leaving behind for our children.
We feel incredibly lucky to have a Frank Gehry design being proposed in Santa Monica. The iconic architecture on this corner of Downtown is a much‐needed facelift to a collection of rundown buildings and a surface parking lot. Based on the renderings, we can tell it will look amazing from many vantage points and will be a welcome change from some other projects we have seen going up all over town.
In particular, we are excited about this project because of our 8th grader’s affinity for Frank Gehry’s architecture. In 5th grade, our students at Franklin Elementary are required to do projects on “Famous Californians” and our son selected Frank Gehry, who has chosen Santa Monica as his “adopted” hometown. He studied Mr. Gehry’s projects, prepared a report on his life and achievements, and we visited the places we could in order to see his projects in real life (his two homes in Santa Monica and of course the Walt Disney Concert Hall). It was wonderful to see our son so inspired by Mr.
Gehry, and we are excited to see another iconic design come to life right here where he lives.
In addition to the architecture, we feel lucky to have a museum being proposed on this site, especially for our kids – we certainly don’t have enough museums and often have to leave Santa Monica in order to expose our kids to the cultural arts. We’ve learned that Mr. Gehry’s own archives will be displayed as a permanent collection and we know it will become a gem of our community – a “must see” part of any Santa Monican family’s weekend activities.
Please approve this project without delay! We recently learned that it has been in planning for more than 9 years ‐ it would be a real shame to lose an opportunity to have our skyline improved by an architect of this notoriety. Thank you for your time.
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2 Katie & Scott Savage
Wilmont neighborhood residents
‐‐
katie savage
www.katie‐savage.com
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^ los angeles county museum of art
5905 wilshire boulevard
los angeles california 90036
Michael govan
ceo/wallis annenberg director
t 323 857 6001
f 323 857 6148
July 12, 2022
Santa Monica Councilmembers
Santa Monica City Hall
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, California, 90401
RE: Agenda Item 12, Ocean Avenue Project
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I am writing to express my strong support for the Frank Gehry-designed Ocean Avenue Project in Santa Monica.
I have worked with Frank Gehry for decades on several projects, including the redesign of the Modern Art collection at LACMA that reopened just last year, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
That is why I am excited to see what Frank and Jeff Worthe have created for this very important stretch of Santa Monica along Ocean Avenue. As the Los Angeles region, and Santa Monica in particular, becomes the focus of the world’s attention in the coming years, this stunning architecture near the iconic Santa Monica Pier will be shown off to the rest of the world.
The design of these buildings represents Frank Gehry and his vision for the future of his adopted hometown, where he maintains his influential home that changed the world’s thinking of what defined a single-family home. The hotel, residential buildings and museum will undoubtedly serve as a testament to his creativity and genius for generations to come.
The addition of the museum makes it even more important that this project is approved. At a time when some cultural institutions are scaling back, a new museum, with a focus on architecture and the arts, should be celebrated. Not only does the new museum building add to the list of iconic Frank Gehrydesigned museums, but it also incorporates two historic landmarked buildings that tie the future of architecture with its local past. Santa Monica has been the center of a great deal of artistic innovation over the last century. A museum will help promote the specific artistic importance of Santa Monica – and I look forward to attending the opening of the museum when it opens in a few years! For these reasons, I urge you to approve the Ocean Avenue Project.
Thank you,
Michael Govan
CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
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July 12, 2022
City Council
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Re: Agenda Item 12, Ocean Avenue Project - SUPPORT
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
On behalf of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, we write to support the Ocean Avenue Project. The project has been through an extensive, yearslong process and it is time that Santa Monica reaps the extensive community and economic benefits that this development will bring.
This project will provide much needed housing in our downtown, including affordable units, rent-controlled units and market-rate units.
The new housing, coupled with the 120-room hotel and new dining and retail options, will reinvigorate this corridor along Ocean Avenue.
In addition, it is an honor that Santa Monicans will receive this worldclass design by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Frank Gehry. Not only will Gehry’s design be a work of art in and of itself, but the Cultural Uses Campus will offer exclusive archives from Gehry’s career. This will provide significant educational opportunities for students from Santa Monica’s public schools and youth-serving non-profits.
Most importantly, the Chamber of Commerce believes that the Ocean Avenue Project will help revive the City through the project’s financial contributions and employment opportunities. The past two years of the pandemic have created a hardship for many in our community and we believe this project’s local hiring program, coupled with key investments in local initiatives, will jumpstart our economic recovery.
The Chamber is proud to support the Ocean Avenue Project and urges the City Council to approve it.
Sincerely,
Warmly,
Judy Kruger Greg Morena
President/CEO 2022-23 Board Chair
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From: Marilyn Strong on behalf of Larry Ruvo
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project - Support Item 12
Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 1:04:02 PM
EXTERNAL
Dear City of Santa Monica City Council Members,
I am very pleased to provide my wholehearted support for the Worthe / Gehry Partners Ocean Avenue Project. Not only am I a Santa Monica property owner on Ocean Avenue, but I have personally worked with Gehry Partners on their project in Las Vegas, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. I am extremely familiar with the world-renowned quality and detail that evolves with each and every Gehry project.
What I believe is important for this project is not only its world-class design and emphasis on historic preservation – which honors both our past and future - but that it also has a dynamic focus on many environmental sustainability initiatives including 100% Green Power, rooftop solar infrastructure, EV charging stations and drought tolerant landscaping among other items. It is so important to encourage sustainable designs for the future of our city, and from a Pritzker-Prize winning architect no less.
The Ocean Avenue Project, particularly in this location, will deliver a much-needed boost to our local community by providing millions of dollars of economic benefits per year. Even with these important economic benefits, Gehry Partners managed to design a beautiful project which includes special components of publicly accessible open space, both at the ground level and on an observation deck with panoramic views of our city.
I believe the residents of Santa Monica will welcome and benefit greatly by the addition of The Ocean Avenue Project to our community.
Warm regards,
Larry Ruvo
Ocean Avenue Property Owner
LR/ms
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From: Leslie Lambert <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 3:29 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete
Subject: Item 12A
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Vice Mayor McCowan and Councilmembers:
I strongly encourage you to take all necessary actions necessary to adopt the Development Agreement for the Ocean Avenue Project. This project has evolved over the past ten years and now provides the City the opportunity for new affordable and rent controlled replacement housing, a hotel with union wages and benefits and TOT revenues, the preservation of two local landmarks, and a cultural facility that will be a local treasure and an attraction to visitors from outside our region.
The Cultural Uses Campus and Museum will feature the following:
35,500 square feet of museum space (roughly the size of the Hammer in Westwood) Curated works of significant local, international, established and emerging artists and architects Annual field trip opportunities for students from all educational facilities in Santa Monica, including covering their cost of transportation
Monthly "free day" for all Santa Monica residents
Discounted entry fee for all Santa Monica residents and all students/youth At least four times a year, field trip opportunities for youth‐serving nonprofit organizations Required Programming Plan demonstrating the Developer's commitment to youth education and creating opportunities for higher education students for research and education Showcase for exclusive pieces from the archives of Frank Gehry, an internationally recognized architect and Santa Monica resident. This archives exhibition, located within a project designed by Mr. Gehry, will offer inspiration to aspiring and established urban designers and architects from our region as well those from all over our country and the world.
As a forty‐three year resident of Santa Monica and one who has spent eighteen years on City boards and commissions, I can honestly say that I have never seen a project that offers such a significant contribution to the arts and urban design. It is an opportunity that must not be lost.
Please adopt staff's recommendation on Item 12A. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Leslie Lambert
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From: Talia Tinari <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 4:28 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Support for Item 12, July 14th Agenda-Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing in support of the Frank Gehry Ocean Avenue Project. A design by a world‐renowned architect, one of L.A.'s own, would both historically restore and elevate that portion of Ocean Avenue.
Marrying several elements; hotel, retail, housing, preservation of historical buildings and cultural attractions in a sustainable, LEED Platinum building reflects in purpose and in practice what Santa Monica strives to be; a forward thinking city committed to sustainability.
Respectfully,
Talia Tinari
Wilmont Neighborhood Resident
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From: Nicole Blaine <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 4:40 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: July 14 Agenda Item 12 - Support for Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
City of Santa Monica Councilmembers ‐
Our family is in 100% support of the Ocean Avenue Project. Both my husband and I were raised in Santa Monica, and in turn now have two children going through the same schools we attended (Franklin, Lincoln and Samohi). My husband is a high school theater teacher, and we are lifelong supporters of the arts and huge fans of Santa Monica’s public schools.
Additionally, we are the owners of a small business, a comedy club called The Crow, located at Bergamot Station.
Needless to say, we are very invested in Santa Monica and believe this project will greatly benefit the community.
We have seen so many projects come and go in this town, and lots of dull and uninspiring architecture. If there is going to be a large‐scale development on this special corner of our Downtown area, we feel lucky to have such a fantastic design that complements our City’s history (with preservation of the landmarks) and inspires its future, with a building that is likely to become a landmark 55 years from now!
It's no secret that our public schools require extra funding to give our children even basic access to the arts, and this project proposes an immediate cash infusion along with a 55‐year pledge to donate to the Santa Monica Education Foundation from net income from the publicly accessible observation deck. Who else is stepping up to the plate to offer this to our children? Please don’t let this opportunity pass us by.
With the pandemic, we witnessed how quickly our social services for our children dried up when we lost our revenue from tourism. The SMC pool closed. Our libraries closed. Our after‐school programs at our schools shut down. Many of these services have yet to return. Our children have suffered the most from these closures, and we are mindful that hotel revenue is an important and vital part of this City’s economic engine. Given the reality that developments like this are an asset to our City’s vitality, we think the hotel being proposed is beautiful and sensitively fits into our City’s skyline.
Bravo, Mr. Gehry!
Please approve this project and provide our kids with more exposure to the arts, beautiful architecture, and future funding streams for more arts education in our public schools.
Sincerely,
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2 Nicole & Mickey Blaine
Wilmont neighborhood residents
‐‐
Nicole Blaine
owner ∙ bossmamma
∙ The Crow ∙
a new comedy club elevating comedy culture To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
Follow The Crow on Insta: @crowcomedy
Email me about The Crow: [email protected]
.
Ring the bells that still ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
-Leonard Cohen
∙
Shameless self‐promotion is found below. (Sorry / Not Sorry) Check out my new stand‐up special now streaming
on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and more by going
to my website: www.NicoleBlaine.com
Follow me on Insta @nicblaine
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. ∙
Why you still scrolling? Go to a live comedy show!
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July 12, 2022
Dear City Planning Commission,
Abundant Housing LA is a pro-housing, nonprofit advocacy organization working to help solve Southern California’s housing crisis. Our organization supports more housing at all levels of affordability, which are needed in order to make housing more affordable, improve access to jobs and transit, promote greater environmental sustainability, and advance racial and economic equity.
Abundant Housing LA supports the Ocean Avenue project and urges you to vote affirmatively on item Agenda Item 12, Ocean Avenue Hotel Project, 13DEV‐004, 20ENT‐0303, 18ENT‐0385 tonight.
Rental housing is a significant component of the project. Twenty-five of the 100 units will be affordable at various levels of affordability and will be dispersed among market-rate units across the three mixed-use residential buildings on the site.
Good housing does not exist in a vacuum. The location of the Ocean Avenue Project residential component is particularly favorable. The site is a short walk or bicycle ride from transit, including the Expo Line and numerous Blue Bus stops. It is located 2-½ blocks from the Third Street farmer’s market, close to grocery stores and restaurants at all price points, and other retail. Its proximity to Palisades Park, the Pier and the beach will afford residents recreational opportunities that are free or low-cost. Finally, it is within walking distance of jobs in our hospitality, service, tech, and government sectors.
AHLA urges you to follow Staff’s recommendation and vote yes on this important project.
Best Regards,
Leonora Camner
Leonora Camner Jaime Del Rio Tami Kagan-Abrams
AHLA Executive Director AHLA Field Organizer AHLA Project Director Item 12.A
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RE: Support for Item 12 Ocean Avenue Project
City of Santa Monica City Council,
We are writing to the City Council in support of Item 12 on the July 14th City Council Agenda. We believe that the Ocean Avenue Project is a great fit for downtown Santa Monica and the project is particularly timely.
The Ocean Avenue Project will offer many valuable community benefits, especially for a young family like ours. The museum will add a family-friendly attraction that will be great for children of all ages.
Additionally, we appreciate the thoughtfulness of the layout of the project, providing a lot of publiclyaccessible open space on both the ground level and the observation deck. This will be a great place for us to meet up with other families on the weekend.
On a personal note, this project is particularly meaningful to our family as it is designed by Frank Gehry.
Gehry also designed the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health which is dedicated to my grandfather, Lou Ruvo, who was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. The unparalleled visions that Frank Gehry brings to life are spectacular and we believe the Ocean Avenue Project will be yet another celebrated design.
We urge you to swiftly approve the Ocean Avenue Project. Thank you! Sincerely,
Lauren Ruvo & Matt Carroll
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Dear City Council Members,
Abundant Housing LA is a pro-housing, nonprofit advocacy organization working to help solve Southern California’s housing crisis. Our organization supports more housing at all levels of affordability, which are needed in order to make housing more affordable, improve access to jobs and transit, promote greater environmental sustainability, and advance racial and economic equity.
Abundant Housing LA supports the Ocean Avenue project and urges you to vote affirmatively on item Agenda Item 12, Ocean Avenue Hotel Project, 13DEV‐004, 20ENT‐0303, 18ENT‐0385 on July 14.
Rental housing is a significant component of the project. Twenty-five of the 100 units will be affordable at various levels of affordability and will be dispersed among market-rate units across the three mixed-use residential buildings on the site.
Good housing does not exist in a vacuum. The location of the Ocean Avenue Project residential component is particularly favorable. The site is a short walk or bicycle ride from transit, including the Expo Line and numerous Blue Bus stops. It is located 2-½ blocks from the Third Street farmer’s market, close to grocery stores and restaurants at all price points, and other retail. Its proximity to Palisades Park, the Pier and the beach will afford residents recreational opportunities that are free or low-cost. Finally, it is within walking distance of jobs in our hospitality, service, tech, and government sectors.
AHLA urges you to follow Staff’s recommendation and vote yes on this important project.
Best Regards,
Leonora Camner
Leonora Camner Jaime Del Rio Tami Kagan-Abrams
AHLA Executive Director AHLA Field Organizer AHLA Project Director Item 12.A
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From: Elena Christopoulos <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 5:55 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Item 12 - Ocean Ave Project - APPROVE
Importance: High
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers,
I submit these comments as a 15‐year resident of the vibrant Downtown Santa Monica neighborhood. I ask you to approve the Ocean Avenue Project.
The project has been in process for nearly a decade. During that time, the community meeting and float‐ups demonstrated that there is significant support for the project among my neighbors, friends and fellow residents and those who live and work downtown.
There are countless reasons for that support. Among them: the pedestrian‐friendly campus environment that the project will provide on a high‐value corner site, generous community benefits, significant hotel revenue, plentiful rental housing (affordable, replacement rent control and market rate), a museum that will engage residents and visitors alike in the processes of creating a beautiful built environment, LEED Platinum certification, a bold and iconic public art element, and of course, outstanding planning and design by one of the world’s most prominent architects, Frank Gehry.
The Ocean Avenue Project campus – which we all hope will be completed in time for the Los Angeles Olympics – is a short walk from my residence. I speak for scores of Downtowners who will be frequent visitors to the shops, restaurants, museum, and the publicly accessible observation deck, which will provide an inspiring overview of the LA Basin and the natural environment that surrounds us. Just as important, the completed project will without a doubt provide an experience to tourists and visitors unlike any other in the greater LA area.
The project has my wholehearted support as well as the support of the Downtown residents and I urge you to support Staff’s recommendations to approve the Development Agreement and certify the EIR.
Thank you for your consideration,
Elena Christopoulos
Commissioner, City of Santa Monica
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From: Camilla Chan <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 11:30 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: July 14 Agenda Item 12 - Support for Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
City of Santa Monica Councilmembers,
Our family would like to provide our emphatic support for the Ocean Avenue Project. We’ve lived in Santa Monica – both in Mid‐City and now in Sunset Park – for many years and have children who have attended elementary school in Santa Monica. Over the years we have seen many development projects proposed in the area, none as great as the Ocean Avenue Project. This project has multiple facets that will bring great value to the community.
Initially, our interests were piqued by the high‐level design that Frank Gehry’s architecture brings to the community. We were then delighted to learn that the project would also include a museum of Frank Gehry’s modern architecture, allowing our children to view inspired work from the archives of Frank Gehry. To top it all off, we are aware that regular school tours will be offered at the museum, with special pricing for local students.
The Ocean Avenue Project also emphasizes education through its partnership with the Santa Monica Education Foundation (SMEF). The rooftop of the Ocean Avenue Project’s hotel will be a publicly accessible observation deck with 360‐degree views. This feature will attract locals and visitors alike, with 100% of the entry fee proceeds going to the SMEF. Our family has seen first‐hand the positive work that the SMEF does for our public school children and this steady revenue stream will allow the SMEF to continue its valuable work.
Our family is looking forward to this project and consider it a great benefit to our community, especially for Santa Monica’s school‐aged children. We’d like to urge the Council to approve the Ocean Avenue Project and hopefully in a few years our family will be able to walk through it ourselves.
Sincerely,
Matthew & Camilla Benham
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From: Malissa Shriver <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 12:40 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support for Ocean Avenue Project-Agenda Item 12
EXTERNAL
Hello,
As a long time resident of Santa Monica, as both a former renter and a current homeowner, and as a parent and President of a local non profit, I strongly support this magnificent architectural development. I particularly appreciate the cultural amenities included in the plan, the opportunities it will afford our students, as well as showcasing our beautiful city and our legendary local artist Frank Gehry at his best. I can’t think of another project that has undergone such an arduous, years long process of careful iteration, attending to our community’s strict standards and has arrived at this aspirational moment, fully realized with such a multitude of assets. Something beautiful and smart, representing the best of us all.
Malissa Shriver
President
Turnaround Arts Ca
310‐729‐4100
Turnaroundartsca.org
Twitter @MalissaShriver
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From: Frances Anderton <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 11:48 AM
To: Frances Anderton
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems; David White; David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori Subject: Support for Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica Councilmembers:
My name is Frances Anderton and I have covered architecture and design on radio and in print in Los Angeles for three decades. I’m also a Santa Monica resident and I happen to live in an apartment building co-designed by Frank Gehry very early in his career. I have also taught with his design partners in a 2011 studio at USC.
I am writing now to express my support for his Ocean Avenue Project.
Having a legacy building by this celebrated architect would surely be an asset to Santa Monica, especially one that brings public benefits like an art museum, viewing terrace and some affordable housing. Furthermore, it is fitting that Gehry should cap his amazing career right here in the city where he lives, opened his office, schooled his son Alejandro (at Samohi), and spent many hours over many decades holding court at Fromins.
But there are other reasons for supporting this scheme. I find that Gehry makes inviting public spaces and buildings both cultural and commercial that are characterful and comfortable to be in. Such character is displayed here in the varied roofline, the landscaped walkways and the palette of ice-cream colors and undulating walls that will likely sparkle in the Santa Monica sun.
So, if this project has met all your planning directives and community requirements, especially the affordable housing component, I hope you will support its realization.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Frances
Frances Anderton
francesanderton.com
Mobile: 310‐429‐8158
IG: dna_designandarchitecture
LinkedIn: Frances Anderton
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From: Cris Gutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 2:09 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Support for 7/14/22 Agenda Item 12A: Ocean Avenue Project
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich and City Council Members:
As a Santa Monica resident, with pride and enthusiasm, I write to support you in establishing a development agreement for the Ocean Avenue Project, including staff’s recommendations.
Designed by celebrated architect and fellow Santa Monican Frank Gehry, the Ocean Avenue Project actually will represent a civic commitment of us all, through your vote, to build in our city and community an aesthetic exemplar of sustainability housed in architectural artistry that embraces the ocean, sky and natural world, a campus where communal potential can be refreshed and newly realized.
The multi-use campus of the Ocean Avenue Project enables diverse people to mingle in a beautiful place as residents, neighbors, families, students, workers, friends, artists, shoppers, visitors, etc. The architecture embeds a museum space, a sophisticated, respectful model of Victorian home-reuse, weaving into paseos, swirling public art and elegant hotel heights, which include an expansive observation platform offering a 360-degree vista. From there, one can imagine the views where beauty abounds in the wonder of Nature and human possibility.
Building upon decades of Santa Monica’s sustainability and climate policies, ordinances and initiatives, this city and community have worked hard to set a high standard for development projects. Having the LEED Platinum v. 4 standard apply to the entire Ocean Avenue Project is meaningful. Of particular note, given California’s long-standing drought and our local water conservation/self-sufficiency goals, the Ocean Avenue Project will extend the purple pipes system beyond the project site as one of many community benefits provided.
The Ocean Avenue Project clealry adds to Santa Monica’s stature as an environmental leader, now bringing forth architectural achievements meant to inspire as communities aspire. For each of us, increasingly profound for the young, seeing development projects with sustainability and resiliency as core principles of exquisite designs instills confidence in who we are now and in our future.
Athens has the Parthenon; Florence, the Duomo. Santa Monica can have the Gehry.
It’s time for our City Council to approve the Ocean Avenue Project and establish the development agreement for it to be a reality.
With respect,
Christine “Cris” Gutierrez
Santa Monica resident
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From: Cindy Mahamitra <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 12:46 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project- Suppport Item 12
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers,
As a parent with a child in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, my husband and I are steadfast supporters of the Santa Monica Education Foundation. We have been donating to the Ed Foundation for years because we believe in equity. The Ed Foundation is an organization in our community that provides equal access and opportunity for all students in our public schools.
When we heard the Ocean Avenue Project might direct the proceeds of its observation deck to the Ed Foundation, we were thrilled. This organization has not only benefitted my child, but all children in our community.
Having the proceeds go to the Ed Foundation ensures a continuous stream of funding for our public-school children. We urge you to vote to ensure these proceeds go to the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
Thank you,
Cindy Mahamitra
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From: Ryan Chin <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 3:13 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project - Support Item 12
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to strongly recommend that the proceeds of the Ocean Avenue Project’s Observation Deck be directed to the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
My 14 year old son is a product of SMMUSD, recently graduating from Lincoln Middle School and soon to start his freshman year at SAMO High School. My wife and I are also active donors to the Ed Foundation, and I currently serve on the SMMUSD Financial Oversight Committee.
We believe the Ed Foundation is fiscally prudent and has a track record of responsibly managing donations. We can’t think of a better organization to be the steward of these proceeds. By directing the proceeds to the Ed Foundation, you will be helping to supplement the cost of providing a quality education at our Santa Monica public schools and ensuring these funds are available to help our students in perpetuity.
Sincerely,
Ryan Chin
917‐838‐6141
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Michael White, AIA
Architect
810 California Avenue, #6
Santa Monica CA
90403
July 13, 2022
Santa Monica Planning Commission
1685 Main Street #212
Santa Monica, CA
90401
RE: July 14th Agenda Item #12, Ocean Avenue Project – Yes on the Ocean Avenue Project – Item 12 Dear Santa Monica Planning Commission,
As a resident and homeowner in Santa Monica, I wanted to write you in support of The Ocean Avenue Project. My family and I live in the neighborhood, in close proximity to The Ocean Avenue site, and are looking forward to having such a great new addition to our community.
Also, as a practicing architect, I am impressed with the sensitive and artistic way Frank Gehry has designed this building. We are lucky to have such an amazing new addition to our city.
This project has my complete support!
Sincerely,
Michael White
Santa Monica Home Owner / Resident
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From: Jack Walter <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:33 PM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project, July 14th Agenda Item 12
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
I have watched this project and attended community meetings for it since it received its Development Agreement in 2013, over the years it has gotten better.
The cost to build this cutting-edge architecture is challenging and comes at a premium, the developer and their team are some the strongest in Southern California and will execute seamlessly.
This signature architecture will a be published and know around the world, it is in Santa Monica, facing the Pacific.
A salute to such boldness.
It is an honor to support it.
Best regards,
Jack Walter
13DEV-0004 Development Agreement; 18ENT-0385 (Environmental Impact Report); 20ENT0303 (Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan Amendment) for 101 Santa Monica Boulevard, 129 Santa Monica Boulevard, 1327 Ocean Avenue, 1333 Ocean Avenue, and 1337 Ocean Avenue
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From: Pantipa Sarai <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:31 PM
To: Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: "Yes on the Ocean Avenue Project – Item 12" or "Ocean Avenue Project- Support Item 12.”
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers,
I am writing to support the proceeds from the Gehry Observation Deck going to the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
Parents and community members have a unique way to support the children in our Santa Monica public schools, and that is through the Santa Monica Education Foundation. The Ed Foundation raises money to fund essential staff and programs at all 12 Santa Monica public schools, ensuring equal access to instructional aides, art programs, STEM programs, and more. I can't say enough about the impact that the SM Education Foundation has on our children at our K-12 schools.
With the Ed Foundation as the beneficiary of the observation deck’s proceeds, the City Council is making a strong statement in support of public education. What better way to ensure the health and wellbeing of our community’s children than ensuring that their education is the best it can be? Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Pantipa Sarai
1105 Bay St. #A, Santa Monica, CA 90405
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MILTON S. F. CURRY
3818 Roderick Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
E [email protected]
July 13, 2022
Santa Monica City Councilmembers
Santa Monica City Hall
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, California, 90401
RE: Support of Item 6-A, Ocean Avenue Project
City of Santa Monica Planning Commissioners,
I currently serve as the Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California School of Architecture, where I served as Dean from 2017-2022. I am writing this letter as an individual, not in my professional role as professor.
I would like to express support of the Ocean Avenue Project. The Ocean Avenue Project, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Frank Gehry, will enable Santa Monica to continue on a sustainable path of densifying its core and adding cultural and public amenities sorely needed in the city today.
The density of the project, along with the mixed-use nature of the programming, will add to the already existing urban fabric of Santa Monica; while enhancing pedestrian-centered activity. Frank Gehry’s Santa Monica Place once was the innovative upstart in a city that has now grown and matured substantially. Like what Santa Monica Place Third Street promenade has become, the Ocean Avenue Project has an opportunity to achieve in transforming existing land into a dynamic hub of activity.
The addition of a major cultural institution - the museum component at a scale of over 40,000 gsf - will put Santa Monica on the map as one of many locations in Los Angeles that are cultural destinations. The museum component will attract design professionals, curators, workers and others whose interest in art and architecture will be catalytic towards building a like-minded community in Santa Monica as other communities have done so in Southern California (including Orange County and San Diego - both with new museums - among others).
For these reasons, I urge your careful consideration and approval of this important project.
Sincerely,
Milton S. F. Curry
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From: Matthew Covington
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project - Item #12 - Support SM Ed Foundation Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:59:05 PM
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I recently heard that the proceeds of the Ocean Avenue Project’s Observation Deck may go to the Santa Monica Education Foundation. My wife and I are delighted to learn of this potential benefit to support all of the students in Santa Monica.
For many years, the Ed Foundation has been funding programs that are essential to our children’s education. Not only has our child been positively impacted by these programs (instructional assistants, arts programs, STEM programs), but ALL children in our district have benefitted from them. The Ed Foundation firmly believes that all children, no matter their personal or family circumstances, deserve to have the best education possible.
When people donate to the Ed Foundation, they know that they are supporting an organization that supports our children’s education. The Ed Foundation has a stellar reputation in our community and I know that they are the best beneficiary of the observation deck proceeds. We hope you will support this potential benefit to the Ed Foundation. Our children will be the beneficiaries for years to come.
Sincerely yours,
Matthew D. Covington
2501 Pearl Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Zachary Gaidzik
July 8, 2022
Re: Item 12 – Ocean Avenue Project
City Councilmembers:
I am writing to express my support for the Ocean Avenue Project. Please consider Staff’s recommendation to approve the project on Thursday night.
I am a lifelong resident of Santa Monica currently serving as West/Metro Field Deputy for Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
I am a member of the Ocean Park Association board. I am a former member of Climate Action Santa Monica Steering Committee. However, the opinions I express in this letter are mine only.
This project has been in the works for several years and has undergone an evolution that has made a fantastic concept into a truly great project.
This is a future-focused project composed of many disparate parts ingeniously woven into a whole. In that way, it is a project unlike any other in Santa Monica. What for years has been referred to as “the Frank Gehry Hotel project” turns out to be much more than world-class lodging in an amazing building. It is a campus that includes 100 units of rental housing (25 of which will be deed-restricted affordable), and a unique museum that will inform and inspire visitors about architecture and the built environment. Restaurants, broad walkways, adaptively reused historic buildings (that will remind us of Ocean Avenue’s past), and a incredible public art component round out the many elements that are arranged into a single, harmonious, exciting unit. But in my opinion, the best feature is the public viewing deck from which visitors, residents and children will take in a spectacular 360-degree view of Santa Monica Bay from Palos Verdes to Point Dume, and around to the Santa Monica Mountains – the foundations of our priceless natural environment that we are all working so hard to protect.
The economic benefits generated from the project will benefit our community for decades to come. An estimated $3.94 billion boost to the local economy and tax revenues of nearly $3 billion are projected to be generated by the project in its first 25 years of operations.
The project’s sustainability program more than responds to City and State requirements. The applicant will certainly receive the LEED Platinum rating it is seeking.
Finally, as a product of SMMUSD, I am pleased that our school system will also receive a significant boost, both through direct funding and through programs that will offer training in one of the city’s most successful economic sectors – hospitality. Education will to a huge extent determine the success of the city’s future economy.
I’m proud to support the Ocean Avenue Project. I hope you will consider the outstanding design and the wide range of benefits that the project offers and vote yes. Thanks to City Staff for its work on this complex proposal, and to you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Zachary Gaidzik
Santa Monica
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From: Pam O"Connor
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; [email protected]; councilmtgitems
Cc: Roxanne Tanemori; David Martin
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 11:34:37 PM
EXTERNAL
July 13, 2022
Item #12
City Council,
I am writing to express my strong support for the Ocean Avenue Project. I urge you to follow your Staff’s recommendations and approve this extraordinary project.
I served on City Council from 1994 to 2018. During that time, Council adopted the ambitious and comprehensive 2010 LUCE, as well as the Downtown Community Plan (DCP).
The DCP was years in the making. What was finally brought to Council was the product of an enormous effort by the City Manager’s office, the Planning Director and staff, the Planning Commission, the Downtown Community Plan team, all related departments, expert planning consultants, community groups, and most importantly, hundreds of community members who showed up time and time again at workshops. Although at times seemingly a contentious process, it energized the community in new ways. A vibrant new stakeholder group -- downtown residents – emerged and the process renewed interest across the city in the future of Downtown Santa Monica.
The City employed information technology in new ways, gathering input on the plan on its website.
The effort resulted in an extraordinary, 304-page document, which set forth parameters for “large sites” like the one you are considering tomorrow night. This will be the last of those large sites to be planned.
The Ocean Avenue Project fulfills and exceeds the requirements set forth in the DCP. And it does so with flair and imagination.
I'm sure you have heard from many community members about the pedestrian friendliness of the proposed project, its proximity to public transportation, 100 units of housing – including affordable and replacement rent-controlled units -- the meaningful cultural elements, the revenue-generating hotel, the adaptive reuse of landmarked structures, the publicly-accessible sky deck, the energetic design, and even a museum that celebrates the built environment. What might have been a crazy quilt in the hands of a less-skilled designer has become, under the visionary guidance of master architect Frank Gehry and his talented team, a triumph of site planning, a genuinely new place on an old site.
The Ocean Avenue Project is an uncommon expression of the DCP’s objectives. Please approve the project which will become an instant icon and will serve our community for decades.
Sincerely,
Pam O’Connor
Former Mayor and Councilmember
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From: Colby Goff
To: Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Ocean Avenue Project, July 14th Agenda Item 12 – Support Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 9:35:56 PM
EXTERNAL
Dear Council Members and City Leaders,
I am writing to voice my enthusiastic support for the Frank Gehry project on Ocean Avenue. I have lived in Santa Monica for more than 20 years, we are raising our kids here, we own several businesses in the City and we are incredibly proud to be a part of the community.This project is an endeavor we should optimistically rally around as it will become an iconic local fixture that residents and visitors seek out.The project’s incorporation of the two on-site landmarks into a new museum makes this project uniquely Santa Monica.The public access to views of the ocean and the Santa Monica skyline will benefit residents, employees and visitors.
I hope you will support this project. We are excited to see this completed, and equally excited for the positive momentum it will bring at a time when the City feels like it's struggling on many fronts.Thank you for your consideration.
Colby Goff
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From: Robert TeSelle
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: Yes on Ocean Avenue Project - Item 12
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 6:43:59 PM
Dear City Council Members,
We were delighted to hear that the proceeds from the Ocean Avenue Project’s Observation Deck may be directed to the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
We are long-time residents of Santa Monica whose children attended SMMUSD schools, and whose grandchildren now attend SMMUSD schools. One of our children is also a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary. We wholeheartedly endorse a decision to direct the proceeds to the Education Foundation.
We have been donors to the Ed Foundation for many years because we believe in what the organization does. The Santa Monica Education Foundation is the only organization in our community that ensures that ALL students, no matter what school they attend, will have access to an enriched, quality education. The impact that Ed Foundation programs have on students’ education is immeasurable. The Ed Foundation’s support for the arts, STEM, instructional aides, and social-emotional programs makes all students’ experiences richer. We are confident that the proceeds from the observation deck will be used well in the hands of the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Joyce Abbott and Robert TeSelle
507 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90402
[email protected]
[email protected]
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July 12, 2022
To: Santa Monica City Council
Re: SM City Council July 14 - Agenda Item 12A - Ocean Ave Project – SUPPORT Dear Mayor Himmelrich and City Council Members,
Inclusive Santa Monica is writing in strong support of City Staff’s recommendation to approve the Ocean Avenue Project.
Inclusive Santa Monica (ISM) is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to an inclusive and equitable Santa Monica. This project’s significant commitments to affordable housing, union jobs and environmental sustainability align with our vision for a more equitable Santa Monica.
The project includes 20 deed-restricted affordable apartments, 16 replacement rent-controlled apartments, and 64 market rate units. Our city and state are in the midst of a severe housing shortage, and projects like this are just what our community needs.
The hotel would create quality union jobs, include a local hire program, and bring millions of dollars in annual revenue to our city. All of which would support our community as we weather the impacts of the current economic uncertainty.
Lastly, the project is also beautifully designed, seeks a LEED Platinum designation, and would achieve water neutrality. What is there not to love?
We appreciate your careful consideration and once again urge you to vote in accordance with the staff recommendation to approve the Ocean Avenue Project.
Sincerely,
Inclusive Santa Monica Steering Committee
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Jeremy Stutes <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2022 11:42 AM
To: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; [email protected]; councilmtgitems
Cc: David Martin; Roxanne Tanemori; David White
Subject: OAP support - hearing protocols
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich and Council Members,
I am a mass transit advocate and have been engaged in community development matters in Santa Monica for more than a dozen years. The issues affecting Santa Monica, especially the revitalization of the Downtown district, are hugely important to me and my fellow transportation advocates.
I am also a trained COVID compliance officer. I feel compelled to comment that I know several community members, some former city decision‐makers and civic leaders, who are unable to attend tonight's hearing because of the risk of exposure to the BA.5 variant. I am one of those people.
I commend you on your recent decision to reinstate phone‐in testimony and create a hybrid engagement process. But it is unfortunate that, as you are aware, the county will likely raise the COVID level status to "high" imminently, and tonight's hearing on this important project must be heard on an in‐person basis only.
I just want to add that I have had the good fortune of experiencing the project models and talking with the applicant, and am in full support of OAP.
I wish you good health, and urge you to approve the project without reservation.
Best regards,
Jeremy Stutes
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