Planning Commission Turns Down Target Store

By Jorge Casuso

The Planning Commission Monday night voted 5 to 2 to oppose a proposed Target department store in the heart of downtown, saying that the 162,480 square foot development would create gridlock and discourage pedestrian activity.

Target officials immediately said that they would appeal the decision to the City Council.

The vote by the anti-growth commission capped the first phase of a lengthy process that has pitted supporters, who want more affordable shopping in an increasingly upscale city, and opponents, who fear the store will only add to the downtown area's parking and traffic woes.

"This would be a traffic nightmare," said Commission Chair Kelly Olsen. "The picture that's painted (in the Environmental Impact Report) is very bleak and it's painted with pretty rosy colors. No amount of synchronization (of traffic lights) solves congestion. It's about traffic, traffic, traffic. My interpretation is that it's sure-fire gridlock."

"It fundamentally comes down to the whole traffic question," said Commissioner Jay Johnson, who was voting on his first major project since joining the commission earlier this month. "The intersections are overburdened now."

Commissioners who opposed the project also noted that if approved, a retailer other than Target could occupy the three-story structure slated for the corner of Fifth Street and Santa Monica Boulevard.

"Any other department store could come in here," said Commissioner Julie Lopez Dad. "We really can't base our decision on whether we like Target or we like its merchandise. What we're doing is allowing, enabling any department store coming here. How members of the community feel about this doesn't make the decision for us."

Dad also echoed other commissioners' concerns that the proposed structure wasn't "pedestrian friendly."

"One building of this length is not what pedestrian orientation means," Dad said. "By its nature, it is not pedestrian oriented."

Commissioner Geraldine Moyle said she worried that a large department store would be bad for downtown businesses.

"Because Target is auto intensive, this kind of use within two blocks of the Third Street Promenade would be detrimental to the economic health of the downtown as a commercial unit," Moyle said. "Target needs Santa Monica more than Santa Monica needs Target."

But Commissioners Anthony Loui and Darrell Clarke disagreed, arguing that the proposed store would add a much-needed affordable shopping venue and contribute to the vitality of downtown.

"Target is the sort of store that will meet the needs not currently served in Santa Monica," Clarke said. "It is a place for everyday people who aren't rich. We have a commitment to diversity and Target is the economic model of how affordable shopping is done now."

Clarke argued that the dearth of affordable shopping venues increased traffic, as well as pollution, by forcing Santa Monicans to drive outside the city to shop.

"Are we going to solve the traffic problem by telling people it's better to drive 10 miles than two miles?" Clarke said. "If you put it somewhere else, everybody will have to get in their car to get there. What's the best place to put a Target? It's downtown."

Loui, who voted not to oppose the project despite "pretty significant" traffic and parking impacts, argued that the proposed store would take pressure off the Promenade.

"The Promenade has a tendency to be over-focused," said Loui, the only architect and city planner on the commission. "We're forgetting about the rest of the downtown area. I would be interested in a diversity of places that would enable downtown to sustain itself and grow.

"I think some development is needed in that area," said Loui, who advocated scaling down the proposed store. "It could become a catalyst to take the heat out of the Promenade."

Loui said that he was surprised during a recent visit to the Target stores in Pasadena and the City of Commerce that many shoppers arrived by public transportation.

"I was taken aback," said Loui. "I was quite amazed."