Letter: A Model for a More Livable Santa Monica

Editor:

I applaud the Fairmont Miramar Hotel for reaching out to the community in positive fashion. However, I would also strongly suggest that this becomes a “model project.”

That is to say that all developers seeking development agreements provide scale models of their proposal along with massing of adjacent buildings. This should even apply to development agreement proposals of 50 units or less which historically have negligible interior courtyards as open space.

This will also clearly show how high the central 21-story hotel and condo building is with its mechanical and decorative roof top structure relative to the adjacent 101 Wilshire office building and the Huntley Hotel.

I discussed this with the city's planning director David Martin a year ago who also felt this would be beneficial, but for whatever reason is not yet required.

Here’s hoping for a more transparent future in addition to a “model” for more liveable environments.

— Ron Goldman, FAIA, Santa Monica

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