March 28, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

710 Wilshire Boulevard Development: What Say You?:

For all its life, 710 Wilshire Boulevard, “the Santa Monica Professional Building,” has housed small businesses and professional offices. Now it is the subject of public debate in the City. The owner, Alex Gorby of Maxser and Co. Ltd., is proposing the retention and adaptive reuse of the landmark building and the building of a 285-room hotel, with ground floor retail and restaurant uses, to be located on the existing parking lot immediately to the south of the Santa Monica Professional Building.

A Spanish Colonial Revival style building and a City Historic Landmark, the 710 Wilshire building is easily recognizable and well liked. It was designed by Los Angeles architect Arthur E. Harvey who also designed the Embassy Hotel Apartments on 3rd Street. In 1928, the year 710 Wilshire was built, at six stories and 40,638 square feet, it was the largest building in the neighborhood.

If developed under the current proposal, the old and new buildings will total approximately four times the size of the existing, approximately 40,000 square feet. A development of the size proposed would not be allowed under current zoning. In materials submitted to the City in 2010, Maxser and Co. stated: “The alternative of building a smaller 135-room hotel consistent with current zoning is not economically viable.”

So, in order to apply for development rights over the current zoning, the 710 Wilshire Boulevard project opted to go the Development Agreement route through the City approval process. They are one of 14 major developments currently in the City’s Development Agreement queue. In the downtown area, the Development Agreement applicants include, among others, the Miramar Hotel and a Marriott Hotel.

A Development Agreement (DA) is a contract negotiated between the City and the developer. The City Council members are responsible for representing the interests of the City as they have the final say on the terms and conditions of the DA. The premise of a DA is that the benefits the City would achieve would justify the breaking of the City Zoning Code. Additionally, in a DA, deal points can be very broad.

In the case of 710 Wilshire, one deal point, the preservation of the Landmark Building, was not negotiable and is included. But there are other issues to be negotiated: the size, the height, the massing, the scale, the aesthetics of the proposed design, all are up for discussion. Parking, bicycles, transportation funding are on the table. Local hiring programs, student internships, and more – a list of conditions the City finds to be of sufficient importance and benefits to offset the additional benefits to the developer.

The City is addressing, but has yet to resolve, many of the issues listed above and the plan for review by a joint committee composed of members of the Landmarks Commission and the Architectural Review Board is a good idea.

Where the 710 Wilshire DA is weakest is on the terms of a living wage requirement. In fact, it’s downright off in its wage proposals and it includes a provision which gives the City Manager the authority to reduce the required wage standards, under certain conditions, instead of meeting of going through a public process at City Council.

I spoke with Elsa Mercado, who currently works at the Viceroy, and is a shop steward for the hotel union. Born in El Salvador, she lived in a beautiful area with mountains and rivers and was surrounded by her extended family. She and her many cousins were very close to each other and saw each other every day. She dreamed of becoming a nurse.

One day a man came to their house of one her cousins in El Salvador and asked for help changing a tire. After getting help with his tire, the man let them know he was an investigator for the government of the then- president of the country. Her cousin had organized against the president, as had Elsa Mercado. The man took her male cousin away for 15 days and no one knew where he was. Some agriculture students found him lying in a field where he had been badly beaten and they brought him home. Shortly after that, war broke out and their life was in danger. Finally, poverty, war and family problems made her decide to try for a better life in the United States. Elsa Mercado had dreams for herself and her three daughters.

For 13 years, Elsa Mercado lived in California without her daughters. At first she worked in factories where the wages were very low and the work very hard; places we would call sweatshops. When she got a chance to work at a hotel, she jumped at it. Of working at the Viceroy Hotel she said, “We have rights, we have a dignified wage, we have health care and other benefits, and we have the liberty of saying what is right and what is wrong.”

Now her daughters are here in California, all are working and, at the same time, one is studying to be a teacher, one is studying to be a lawyer, and one is studying to be a nurse.

Elsa Mercado said, “I believe my plan is to continue to work at my job and also to work for the union in the defense of people who work. We are asking for a dignified wage of $15/hour and rights and respect from all the hotels that will be opening in Santa Monica.”

Setting livable wages and requiring reasonable benefits is allowable in a Development Agreement. Santa Monicans made it clear that they support the concept of a dignified wage, that it is important, during the time the City discussed and passed the Living Wage Ordinance.

I join in asking the City Council members to require that the Development Agreement for 710 Wilshire include requirements, for as long as the hotel is in business of, in Elsa Mercado’s words, “a dignified wage and rights and respect.”

What Say You?

in News
Related Posts

 (Video) Philz Coffee Set to Close Westside Location Next Month

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

The Franchise Recently Made Headlines for Changing Headquarters @smmirrornews Philz is closing its Santa Monica shop #coffeeaddict #coffee #coffeeshop #losangeles...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

Famous Literary Critic and Palisadian Passes Away at 92

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

A Memoriam Post Stated She Overturned Views on T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Other Canonized Artists By Zach Armstrong...

Mixed-Use Development Set for Sloping Property along Chautauqua Boulevard

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

“Canyon Place” Is Set to Include Two Apartment Units and 1,415 Sq. Ft. of Office Space By Zach Armstrong A...

Over Five Miles of Venice Blvd. to Temporarily Close, Become Public Park in April

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

The Initiative, Which Started in 2010, Aims to Connect Communities and Promote Sustainable Transportation Options On Sunday, April 21 from...

(Video) Workers Strike at Luxury Hotel in Downtown Santa Monica

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Meanwhile, Unite Here Local 11 Recently Announced a Contract Was Ratified at 34 Hotels @smmirrornews Workers are striking at Proper...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Teen Kung Fu Coming to Pali Rec Center

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

This 8-week session, priced at $160, commences in April 2024 Palisades Recreation Center introduces Teen Kung Fu classes, fostering a...

After Securing $200K Grant, City Embarks on Action Plan for Older Adults, People with Disabilities and Caregivers

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The City Will Engage Experts, Nonprofit Partners, Commissioners, and Stakeholders to Spearhead the Planning Process The city of Santa Monica...

City Commences Phase 2 of Beach Restoration Project

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The Project Will Enlarge the Habitat for Significant Native Species, Including the Federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover Phase 2 of...

Caltrans Extends Closure on Topanga Canyon Boulevard Due to Mud and Rockslide

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

PCH Closure on March 26 Adds to Local Road Closures, Seek Alternative Routes The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has...

Animal Rights Groups Demand an End to Turtle Racing at Brennan’s Pub

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The Organization Says Its Tried to Contact the Westside Bar for Months By Zach Armstrong Among its numerous entertainment events...

SMC Unveils Spring 2024 Issue of Acclaimed Literary Journal, Author Readings Coming in April

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

The Issue Presents a Mix of New, Returning, and Debut Writers, Reflecting Diversity and Enduring Relationships Santa Monica College announced...