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By Lookout Staff
January 15 -- The year 2007 was one of developing stories,
not new beginnings. It was a year that saw major plans that will
shape Downtown for years to come finally move towards reality.
In 2007, an ambitious plan to add parking spaces Downtown finally
got underway after six years of planning. The proposed remodel of
Santa Monica Place scaled its final hurdles after three years of
debate, and a plan to change the way the Downtown is run got its
initial nod after a year at the drawing table.
Issues that had been in the headlines for years continued to grab
attention in 2007. The homeless continued to populate Downtown;
City officials added teeth to a one-year-old smoking ordinance,
and the Expo line continued its bumpy ride towards Santa Monica.
But 2007 also saw some new stories as well. Ficus trees became the
focus of a battle that pitted the City against activists, and a
skating rink with real ice turned Downtown into a real-life winter
wonderland.
Here, in no particular order, are The Lookout's choices
for the top stories that impacted the Downtown in 2007.
Bayside Takes Steps to Change How Downtown is Run
In a move that could drastically change the way the Downtown is
run for years to come, the City Council in April took steps to support
an aggressive management plan for the thriving district.
Under the proposed plan, property owners in the heart of the city
would agree to pay $1.8 million more each year in taxes to enhance
Downtown and keep it viable.
If approved by property owners and voted into law by the council,
the plan would boost the number of businesses taxed to bankroll
the improvements – which could include larger City clean-up
crews, permanent attendants at the public restrooms, homeless outreach
teams and “ambassadors” to help the public, especially
at the bustling Third Street Promenade.
Nearly a year in the making, the plan will not only dissolve the
current assessment district, which only taxes retailers, but it
would form a much larger one that would include restaurants, hotels,
offices and, perhaps, downtown residents.
If the law passes, it would mark the first major change in two decades
in how the Bayside District manages Santa Monica's roaring economic
engine.
Skating Rink Highlights Holiday Season Downtown
Renowned skating star Sasha Cohen delighted a crowd with a glittering
performance at the December 6 opening ceremony for Ice at Santa
Monica, the City’s first outdoor ice rink. The kickoff event
also featured U.S. Men’s Champion figure skater Evan Lysacek.
The rink was the brainchild of the Bayside District Corp. and was
sponsored by Starbucks Coffee Company. The City of Santa Monica
contributed the use of the real estate at 5th Street and Arizona
Avenue for the rink.
Ice at Santa Monica was a central component of Downtown’s
Winterlit celebration, which featured a special appearance by Santa
Claus, the Best Gift Ever program in partnership with Santa Monica
Place to benefit kids from the Police Activities League, Christmas
carolers, costumed characters, holiday stage performances and Chanukah
celebrations, among other events.
Perhaps the real stars, however, were the 30,000 kids and adults
who, throughout the holidays, filled the air with their whoops and
giggles as they skated in a Santa Monica winter wonderland of ice.
Ficus Tree Controversy Delays Streetscape Project
In what blossomed into an unexpected controversy, the fight over
the Downtown ficus trees could come down, at least for now, to whether
they once shaded environmental and political gatherings in the 1960s.
If the Landmarks Commission finds enough historical significance
in the gatherings to save the ficus and palms along 2nd and 4th
streets slated for removal, the saga would not end there. The City
– which plans to remove the trees to pave the way for an $8.2
million Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvement Project – plans
to appeal the decision.
And even if the City Council were to uphold an appeal, the battle
would then be taken up by the courts, where community activist Jerry
Rubin and a group of environmentalists calling themselves the Treesavers
plan to revive a lawsuit to halt the axe.
Smoking Ban Enforced
As the year wound to a close, the City modified the smoking ordinance
to hold restaurant owners liable if they facilitate patrons in smoking
at their establishments.
Despite an expansive outdoor smoking ordinance instituted in November
2006 that bans smoking in outdoor dining areas and within 20 feet
of entrances, exits and windows that can open, City officials worried
that restaurant patrons were still lighting up.
To stamp out the problem, the City Council approved an amendment
that holds restaurants and bars liable for patrons who smoke on
outdoor dining areas and patios. Fines for violating the no-smoking-outdoors
rule could range between $250 and $920. The former is a basic fine
that other cities levy, and the latter includes fees added by courts.
The amendment would be enforced by giving undercover City inspectors
the authority to issue tickets to business owners and managers.
Police officers could be involved in some situations.
Homeless Count Up
The Downtown area continued to claim the highest concentration of
homeless in Santa Monica, with nearly 100 more people counted on
the streets and in shelters this year than in 2005.
About one third of the homeless counted (376) on a January night
in Santa Monica lived on the streets or in shelters in the census
tract bordered by Wilshire, Pico and Lincoln boulevards down to
the water’s edge, according to the 2007 Greater Los Angeles
Homeless Count.
That represented an increase of 91 individuals from the 285 counted
in the Downtown area – including the beach and in the bluffs
– over the course of one night two years ago.
The census, conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
(LAHSA), projected that another 152 homeless individuals lived around
the Downtown, bringing the total number to 528, based in part on
telephone interviews with property owners.
Since the count was taken a year ago, the City has boosted its efforts
to reach out to Downtown’s homeless population, said City
officials, who attributed the increase in part to better counting
methods.
The increase in Downtown’s homeless population defied a general
decrease in the number of individuals who live in Santa Monica without
a home – 1,506 this year, down from 1,991 in 2005, or a 25
percent drop.
Bumpy Ride for Expo Line
Resembling more of a roller coaster ride than a train trip, plans
to bring light rail to Santa Monica saw a series of dizzying ups
and downs in 2007.
After the Expo light-rail received $315 million in September from
the California Transportation Commission to kick-start the stalled
project, it faced a $640 million shortfall some three months later.
The shortfall – due to optimistic construction estimates –
threatened to cut short the first leg of the Exposition line to
Culver City, until MTA officials announced the plan would move ahead.
Transportation officials remain confident the rail line –
which is expected to alleviate congestion on the traffic-snarled
Westside – will receive the funding to eventually reach Santa
Monica, where City officials have purchased the Sears building for
a possible terminal Downtown.
Civic Center Parking Structure Paves Way for Downtown Parking
Plan
After six years of planning, concrete steps were taken last year
to add 1,700 parking spaces Downtown over the next decade.
The kickoff for the ambitious $180 million plan was the grand opening
in March of the new $29 million Civic Center parking structure.
This created 882 parking spaces. These spaces were needed before
work on replacing three small Downtown parking structures could
begin.
Months earlier, the City purchased land on 5th Street Downtown,
laying the groundwork for a new parking structure to accommodate
the demand created when the surface lots at the Civic Center are
taken offline to make way for park space.
Planning officials note that the plan, which was approved by the
council five years ago, must strike a delicate balance – adding
enough parking in the bustling area to maintain the current ratio
of 2.1 spaces per 1,000 square feet of development, while not encouraging
additional motorists.
The plan also could give new meaning to the term “drive-in,”
after the City Council authorized the solicitation of proposals
to redevelop the site of Parking Structure 3, located at 1318-20
Fourth Street, for subterranean parking, ground-floor retail and
cinema development.
City officials hope the proposal will help the Downtown successfully
compete with a slew of state-of-the-art theaters cropping up in
surrounding communities.
Downtown Leasing Remains Strong
It became harder to find an office space Downtown last year, as
vacancies remained low and rental rates saw a substantial hike.
The tight market was driven by a strong economy, little new office
construction Downtown and the many amenities that make the area
attractive for tenants who hope to lure talented young workers in
the Internet and entertainment industries, local brokers said.
The market was so strong that some brokers worried rents had moved
too high for some tenants to survive economically.
“It’s getting to that crazy point,” said Eric
S. Broida of Broida Commercial Brokerage Group. “How will
this sustain itself? I’m counseling my landlords not to be
too greedy.”
Macerich Submits Modest Proposal for Mall Remodel
After three years in the works, Macerich Company will shut down
Santa Monica Place on January 31 to make way for a modest remodel
that will open up the 30-year-old indoor mall and connect it to
the Promenade.
The plan will remove large portions of the roof, create an open-air
dining area on the third floor, demolish a portion of Parking Structure
7 and create a stronger pedestrian orientation.
The proposed project will retain the two anchor department store
buildings – one of which has yet to be leased – and
maintain the existing building height of 56 feet, while reducing
leasable square footage by 10,234 square feet, according to the
proposal.
Macerich has agreed to improve the streetscape on Colorado Avenue
and the sidewalk paving on Second and Fourth Streets and upgrade
the elevators and staircases in the two City-owned parking structures
attached to the mall.
The proposal – which won final approvals from the California
Coastal Commission and the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board
late last year – is central to the vitality of Downtown, is
well-integrated with the existing urban fabric and increases available
open space and pedestrian walkways, City officials said.
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