City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 14, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Christopher Dishlip, Director of Public Works, Architecture Services Division Subject: Award Agreement with Omgivning for Design Services for the Reimagining Camera Obscura
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities) and 15331 (Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Omgivning, Inc. for design services for the Public Works Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section
2.24.250(g) and is for a total amount to exceed $613,838, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
On May 26, 2026, City Council approved an agreement with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) for the use of the Camera Obscura building, located at 1450 Ocean Avenue, for public activation leading up to and during the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Staff seeks approval to enter into an agreement with Omgivning, Inc. for design services in an amount not to exceed $613,838 for the Reimagining Camera Obscura Project (Project) to design improvements aligned with the terms of the agreement with the FDFA. Staff is requesting authorization to enter into an agreement based on an exception to the competitive bidding process in accordance with Santa Monica Municipal Code Section
2.24.250(g). Pursuing a competitive bid would likely add six months to the project timeline, putting the City at risk of not meeting the agreed upon delivery deadline for the 2 of 6
Agreement with the FDFA.
Background
The project encompasses a reimagining of the Camera Obscura Building. Located in Palisades Park and built in 1955, the building was originally a Senior Recreation Center that also housed the City’s Camera Obscura — a pinhole camera capturing images from outside and showing them in a darkened room — and its viewing platform that remain in the building today. In 2007, the City of Santa Monica designated Palisades Park as a historic landmark, with the Camera Obscura and Senior Recreation Center identified as contributing elements.
The Camera Obscura building, now known as the Camera Obscura Art Lab, acted as the City’s community arts practice space, hosting artists-in-residence in the studio room three times a year. The Art Lab recently was relocated to Bergamot Station to make the building available for other public activations and eventually construction.
On May 26, 2026, City Council approved an agreement with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) for the use of the Camera Obscura building for public activation starting as soon as Summer 2027 leading up to and continuing through the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (Games). The Reimagining Camera Obscura Project (Project) would renovate the existing 5,000-square-foot community recreation space and add new outdoor amenities that strengthen the indoor/outdoor connection between the building and Palisades Park.
The FDFA’s vision is to transform the building into a vibrant public hub in advance of and during the Games. The space is envisioned as a place where Switzerland connects with local communities and international visitors through curated programming centered on sports, art, food, and culture. During activation, the Camera Obscura building would be open to the public free of charge. Occupancy and renovation of the building would revitalize the space, introducing a modernized design that respects its historical character. The Project aims to unlock the building’s currently unrealized potential by leveraging its prime oceanfront location and distinctive architecture to establish it as a 3 of 6
cultural destination. This vision aligns with the City of Santa Monica’s goals to maximize public activation of the building during the Games and beyond. All improvements would be made in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (SOIS) for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995) by Weeks and Grimmer.
Discussion
The collaborative investment in the renovation of the Camera Obscura building and its surroundings with the FDFA would return a beautified and improved asset to the Santa Monica community as a lasting legacy project that celebrates the historic moment of hosting the FDFA and their programs for the Games. In addition to the license fee of $300,000, with the possibility for an additional $200,000 if the FDFA elects to exercise Optional Expansion Area, the FDFA would partner with the City to provide representative elements of Swiss culture and a Swiss visual aesthetic on the inside of the Camera Obscura building.
Staff recommends executing an agreement for design services with Omgivning, Inc. as an exception to competitive bidding in an amount not to exceed $613,838. Under the Santa Monica Municipal Code (SMMC), services of this amount typically require a formal competitive bid process. However, pursuing a competitive bid would likely add six months to the project timeline, putting the City at risk of not meeting the June 2027 delivery deadline. The timing of the lease agreement with the FDFA, in relation to the upcoming Games, establishes a design, construction, and occupancy schedule that falls outside the City’s control. If the project delivery timeline is not aligned with the lease agreements, the City risks losing the lease with the FDFA and the associated collaborative investment in the building. Such a loss would result in reduced revenue for the City as well as diminished public benefit. Omgivning, Inc. and its consultant team bring valuable experience in hospitality, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation, and prior experience with the site, which would further reduce the time needed to analyze existing conditions and develop the design. After Design and a formal bidding process for construction services is complete, staff would return to Council in early 2027 with a recommendation to award a construction contract for the Project, with construction 4 of 6
completion anticipated in June 2027.
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Omgivning, Inc. to provide design services as an exception to competitive bidding per the Procurement Manager approved ECB #472 per Muni Code
2.24.250 (g).
g. Due to circumstances outside of the control of the City, would result in a substantial economic loss, substantially compromise a legal position, or substantially interfere with a required City operation.
Environmental Review
The award agreement is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 and Section 15331 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15301 exempts Class 1 (Existing Facilities) projects from CEQA, which include the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The award agreement would provide design services for renovation and similar improvements to the existing Camera Obscura building and would not expand the use of the building. Furthermore, Section 15331 (Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) of the CEQA Guidelines exempts projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation, or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards (SOIS) for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer. The Camera Obscura building has been identified as a contributing resource to Palisades Park, a designated City historic landmark. The agreement with Omgivning, Inc. for design services would ensure that all improvements to the Camera Obscura building would be done in accordance with the SOIS and in coordination with a professional architectural historian.
Therefore, the proposed improvements to the Camera Obscura would not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. The agreement is exempt from CEQA under Section 15301 and Section 15331 of the CEQA 5 of 6
Guidelines.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
05/26/26
(Attachment A)
Advancing Major Events: Authorization to Negotiate and Enter Into License Agreements for Upcoming Major Events, including a license agreement for the use of the Camera Obscura Building by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs during the LA28 Summer Olympic Games and a license agreement for the use of the Santa Monica Pier Deck and portions of Santa Monica Beach during the 2027 Superbowl Game; Adoption of Resolutions to Facilitate Upcoming Major Events and Community Events,
including the hosting of Club France at the Annenberg Beach House and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs at the Camera Obscura Building
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award a contract with Omgivning, Inc. for professional design services.
Contract Request
FY 2025-26
Request
Amount
FY 2026-27
Request Amount
Department/CIP
Account #
Total Contract
Amount
$300,000 01800004.523510 $300,000
$318,838 C0109280.689000 $313,838
Total $613,838
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 6 of 6
Prepared By: Amelia Feichtner, Capital Program Manager
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. May 26, 2026 Staff Report (web link)
B. Oaks_Initiative_Disclosure_Form
C. Levine_Act_Disclosure_Form_2025_2-26-25