Public Airs Concerns About Civic Center Impacts

By Erica Williams

Jan. 22 -- Housing, traffic, beach access -- those were some of the key concerns residents raised Tuesday about the potential impacts of the new Civic Center project slated for the 16-acre site around City Hall.

The meeting at the Civic Auditorium marked the opening of a 30-day public comment period on the draft plan for the project. The public comments - which will be gathered through February 18 - will help consultants draft an Environment Impact Report (EIR), which should be completed by late spring.

City planners and members of the Civic Center Task Force heard from some 20 residents during the three-hour long meeting that opened with the first public unveiling of the complete design, which includes open spaces, a play field, housing and retail.

"One thing we want to make sure of is that everybody gets heard," Councilman Kevin McKeown, a task force member, said after the meeting. "The environmental study is a crucial part of the community understanding what we're doing here."

The traffic impacts of a proposed 325-unit housing development and retail outlets concerned many. Some wondered whether there had been enough long-term planning for increased congestion in the area. They also questioned whether proposed retail, recreational and transportation facilities would adequately support the planned community.

Mario Fonda-Bonardi said he was concerned that the plan didn't address some "macro issues," such as traffic associated with the McClure Tunnel, "that are going to squeeze our Civic Center in all different directions."

"How long is that tunnel going to keep functioning before it backs up to a point where people find it expedient to actually drive through Santa Monica to get around the bottleneck?" he asked, referring to the tunnel that leads from the 10 Freeway to PCH.

Another flaw, Fonda-Bonardi pointed out, was the location of the proposed Metro light rail project' end. He contends the terminus must be much closer to the beach "if we're ever going to relieve traffic on the I-10 so people from Downtown and beyond can come to the beach."

Fonda-Bonardi recommended 2nd Street as a possible last stop and suggested that the line even extend out to Malibu, since continued growth there would likely exacerbate Santa Monica's traffic problems.

Ken Strumpel, a member of Cycle Santa Monica, said he was delighted at the evolution of the 16-acre project, which has been in the works for two years. He commended staff and designers on the pedestrian-friendly flavor of the project.

But the plan, he said, also needs to make all the streets bicycle friendly. "The plan shows lots of bike routes but there are no more being added than what we have now from Main Street to 2nd Street," Strumpel said.

"I can see no reason why the majority of streets within this project shouldn't have striped bike lanes," he said, adding that a plan for affordable housing units in the project area "argues for excellent bicycle projects" that could help relieve traffic.

The biking activist also called for a good mix of retail, such as low-cost dining, that would cater to the needs of the low and very-low income residents who would occupy the project's affordable housing units.

"Residents need retail services close to home so they don't have to get in their car for every trip," he said.

"This neighborhood will be a bit of an island" without a grocery store or appropriate retail to serve it, Mark Harding agreed. "Families need family amenities," he said, and suggested that transit passes for low-income residents of the project would help keep people out of their cars and relieve congestion.

Xavier Gonzalez, a political coordinator for Local 1877 of the SEIU, said he has lived in the Pico neighborhood on and off for 20 yrs. He wondered, given the emphasis on retail development that typically generates low-wage jobs, about the kind of jobs being created for Santa Monica's poor and working class residents.

"How many folks that work in any of these jobs are going to be able to rent any of those apartments that are being provided," Gonzalez said. "Its good to see housing being built, but you have to make sure that (you generate) the sort of jobs that create the opportunities for people to afford that housing, whether it be low to moderate."

While the density of the housing on the site troubled some residents, most task force members were surprised and concerned about the 225 to 325-unit range design cited by consultant Boris Dramov of Roma Design during his 30-minute presentation of the plan.

McKeown was most adamant about maintaining the 325-unit commitment to housing on the site, noting that the City Council had approved the housing when it adopted the Specific Plan last year. Dramov and city planner Andy Agle explained that the 225-unit lower limit now in the plan is intended to provide "some flexibility" down the road.

But McKeown said he would have a very hard time supporting the project if the plan allowed for fewer than 300 units. The community and the City made "a very strong, very vocal commitment" to housing that had already been adjusted downwards, he said.

"What I don't want to do is to once again here begin to yield on that housing commitment," McKeown said. "That to me is a base commitment from which I will not back away."

Councilmember Ken Genser agreed. Although he understood that staff was trying to be helpful, Genser said, "unfortunately I think the floor just is too low and it makes us worry that people may then feel that they can satisfy that floor."

Dramov and Agle agreed that the site could accommodate the 325-unit commitment, but noted that the EIR would have to consider the impacts of exceeding the 56-foot height limit the plan now allows for.

Committee members also wanted the EIR to consider the option of more live-work spaces in the project, which many felt could significantly improve traffic in the area.

Asked about whether plans for a new Civic Center seemed a bit of a pipe dream in the face of crushing State and City budget deficits, McKeown pointed out that the City was working on a 15 to 20-year plan. Now was as a good time a time as any to think and plan ahead while things were at a lull, he said.

"We're not going to spend a dime right now other than on planning," McKeown said. "The key for the City right now is to be prepared for when the economy comes back that we have a plan in place and can use those resources effectively."

A major feature of the plan is to connect the new Civic Center complex to downtown and the Third Street Promenade by tearing down most of the privately owned Santa Monica Place, a proposition that would require consent and cooperation from the owner.

The plan also calls for linking Olympic Drive to Ocean Avenue and redeveloping the Sears site, while maintaining the historic building. That too, would require a major public-private partnership.

A complete draft of the plan is available for review on the City's Web site.