Politics & Government

Lionsgate Project Gets Green Light From City Council

The project is the first one with an approved Development Agreement following last year's passage of the LUCE.

The took a major step forward on Tuesday night when the unanimously approved the Development Agreement and final Environmental Impact Report for the project. The DA is the first one to be approved following last year's passage of the .

The four-story, 191,982 square-foot creative arts/entertainment production facility will be located at 2834 Colorado Ave., near Stewart St. A office is currently situated at 2700 Colorado Ave., but the proposed project would serve as the entertainment company's new headquarters. It would also feature a three-level underground-parking garage with 640 parking spaces and a community café; and lead to widened sidewalks and an extension of Pennsylvania Ave. across Stewart St.

The passage of the DA—which required that the project be consistent with the LUCE—appeared likely from the onset of the lengthy discussion, which began around 7:50 p.m. and eventually ended shortly after 10:30 p.m. Only four of the council's seven members were present at the meeting, and none of them raised major concerns that would have potentially derailed the project. They emphasized to critics that, regardless of what the council were to decide, it is inevitable that some type of new project will be built at the site.

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The Lionsgate development has been in the works for years. The council considered a float-up of the project—initially proposed as a five-story, 151,600 square-foot structure—in April 2008. Per the request of the council and the Planning Commission, which approved the DA in June, the project was scaled down in size, and various architectural stepbacks were integrated. The commission also requested that the building have a more aesthetically appealing, less-corporate feel.

In presenting the staff report at the beginning of the discussion, Paul Foley—who is the City Planning Division's principal planner—emphasized the potential community benefits of the Lionsgate project. He said the café would feature meeting space available for free use to the community; internships that would benefit students; and a local-hiring program for the construction of the project. He added that adjacent businesses and residents would be able to share the new parking spaces, that there would be assistance for small business forced to relocate, and that trip-reduction measures have been put in place.

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However, Foley noted, two street segments and nine area intersections will be "significantly and unavoidably impacted" by the project, leading to more traffic. Also, there will be air emissions due to its construction.

Following Foley's presentation, 25 individuals spoke before the council regarding the issue; the speakers were roughly split between those in favor and those opposed. Proponents of the project argued that it will honor the LUCE, while detractors argued the opposite.

Supporters—many of whom are Lionsgate employees—said the project would improve the quality of the neighborhood and provide jobs that would boost the Santa Monica economy. Opponents expressed concerns about likely traffic issues and possible threats to the mobile-home complex, which is 200 feet away from 2834 Colorado Ave.

The first speaker was Jack Walter, who owns the property and reiterated numerous times that he has ensured that the project—which was originally intended to be completed this year—will be consistent with the LUCE. He said that, because of his efforts to adhere to the LUCE, now the project won't be finished until 2015 (the same year the is scheduled to open nearby).

"When visitors step off the train, they will be greeted by a vibrant … community that will be the envy of the Southland," he said.

Planning Commission Member Hank Koning said the Lionsgate project "substantially conforms" to the LUCE and would "preserve residential neighborhoods [and] locate new development where it can stimulate the neighborhood," which features numerous creative-arts spaces.

Koning also addressed an issue that was a source of some confusion during the evening: He said the LUCE's "50/50" goal—that there is to be as much housing construction as office-space construction—was an area-wide goal and not tied to each individual development project in Santa Monica. Multiple critics of the project said the opposite, but later in the evening, Mayor re-emphasized that the intention of the LUCE was for the 50/50 goal to be area-wide and not project-specific.

Saying the project "is still a little lacking" in terms of its architectural elements, Koning suggested that the Planning Commission perhaps review the adjusted plans before they go to the Architectural Review Board. Later in the meeting, Mayor Pro Tempore raised similar concerns, after which Walter said he is willing to work with the PC and ARB to modify the plans, and is "open" to changes in the design.

Long-time community activist Jerry Rubin commended Walter on his consistent engagement with Santa Monica residents.

"I've never seen anybody go to so many community meetings, public meetings, listen intently and meet with people to work out these obvious challenges," he said.

The project's detractors, to the contrary, said they had not been heard during the process, and that the city had not properly informed Village Trailer Park residents of hearings and the status of the EIR.

Numerous critics said that, if the project were to go through, it would lead to the eviction of the VTP residents, most of whom are retired and elderly. (Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, who was not in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, raised similar concerns in a recent letter to the editor on Santa Monica Patch.) They also pointed to the VTP's various historical and environmental features, including 100-year-old trees and a space where they say hawks were recently born.

But City Attorney Marsha Moutrie instructed city council members not to address the VTP issue, saying it was not directly related to the Lionsgate project DA. Moutrie also said it was "not appropriate" to talk about a potential VTP closure without it being on the meeting agenda and without giving notice to the public.

The majority of critics also said the Lionsgate project should be considered contiguously with the two other proposed projects that would be located nearby: the and the .

"Passing one project will probably lead directly to passing all three, so therefore, let's look at the Village Trailer Park," said June Griffin, who lives at the park.

"There's no area-wide master plan," which is called for in the LUCE,  resident Ruth Antleer said. "We lack the infrastructure to handle such massive influxes [of traffic]."

But Davis said it was unrealistic to consider the projects contiguously, as "they are in very different stages" of development.

Davis also pointed out that, were this version of the project not to be approved, transportation-demand management, the Pennsylvania extension and "other community-oriented aspects" might not be included in whatever would inevitably be built at Stewart and Colorado.

"Something will be built there," City Councilwoman Pam O'Connor agreed.

"We know the property will be redeveloped in some way, shape or form," City Councilman Bob Holbrook said.

Santa Monica resident Hector Ramirez expressed support for the Lionsgate project, saying it will "replace decrepit buildings" and bring jobs to the city. Bloom agreed, declaring that the project will help make the area "one of the most vibrant places in our city."

Former Santa Monica Mayor Paul Rosenstein disagreed, saying the proposed project is "out of scale with what would be useful in the neighborhood" and that a four-story building would "overwhelm" the area.

Later in the meeting, there was much discussion and some confusion about the aesthetic elements of the building; the current plan only features one of four facades. The council directed city staff to change the language of the agenda item so that the ARB would pay particular attention to the setbacks, streetscapes and overall compatibility of the project with the nearby Colorado Ave. residencies.

After that modification was made, the council unanimously passed the Lionsgate project DA. In addition the approval of the final EIR, the council also approved a resolution adopting the Mitigation Monitoring Program and Statement of Overriding Conditions for the project.

City Councilmen Bobby Shriver and Terry O'Day were also not in attendance.

Read more about the community concerns surrounding the Lionsgate project:


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