May 18, 2026
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Freeze Development Until We Understand What is Happening in Downtown SM:

Editor’s Note: This is an open letter to the Santa Monica City Council regarding development.

Dear Pam (Mayor O’Connor) and Councilmembers:

I support the motion of Councilmembers McKeown, Vazquez, and Winterer that the City Council direct staff to bring forward only those Downtown Development Agreement applications where the proposed heights are within the maximum allowed for downtown in the 1984 Land Use Element. 

I believe that until the new Downtown Specific Plan is adopted, the City should only consider reasonable development that is within the existing limits.

In addition, all approved projects need to be evaluated as a whole for impact on City. No system would be built one piece at a time if it is to work!

Julia Mangir, Ph.D.

Santa Monica

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