July 13, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Hines Project At 1681 26th St Heads To Santa Monica City Council On Tuesday Night:

After years of float-ups, hearings, project designs, public review, and scoping, the Santa Monica City Council will finally have its first reading of a development agreement (DA) on Tuesday night proposing to significantly alter the cityscape at 1681 26th Street.

In anticipation of the issue potentially taking all night to deliberate, the council’s second agenda of 2014 features only one item other than the consent calendar: the proposed Hines DA to bring almost 800,000 square feet of creative, residential, retail, and other mixed-use space to the former Papermate site.

Specifically, Hines 26th Street LLC proposes Bergamot Village, a 765,095-square-foot mixed-use development featuring 473 rental units, 25 artist live/work units, 374,434 square feet of creative office space, 15,500 square feet of restaurant space, and 13,891 square feet of retail space.

According to City staff, 93 of the 473 residential units “would be deed-restricted at affordable and workforce rents, with the intention of creating a vibrant place where residents and employees can live, work, and play.”

“This project is one of the most significant land use decisions the City will make in the Bergamot Transit Village District because of the project’s location across from the future Expo Olympic/26th Street Station and the scale of the project creating opportunity to influence implementation of the Bergamot Area Plan,” City staff wrote in its report to council members.

According to City staff, the Hines DA is part of a larger plan to fulfill the goals of the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) and the vision of the Bergamot Area Plan.

Specifically, if the Hines DA is approved by the council and ultimately implemented, a new neighborhood would be created in the Bergamot State area.

“The proposed project … introduces a network of streets and open spaces, both large and small, that are critical in establishing the building blocks for a new neighborhood,” City staff stated in its report. “The location of the three new streets lay the foundation for building further connections into the remainder of the district, tying the area into the existing fabric of surrounding neighborhoods.”

The Hines DA comes to the council Jan. 28 almost two months after the Planning Commission narrowly recommended the project for approval. At the Dec. 4 Planning Commission meeting, four of the seven commissioners voted in favor of moving the project forward with certain qualifications. Specifically, 22 conditions were attached.

Among those conditions included the project reducing its early childhood initiatives contribution from $200,000 annually to $150,000 annually, ensuring five percent of all residential units be fully accessible to the physically disabled, providing community space and workout rooms for residents, marketing residential units to office workers in the area, and making a $2 million contribution directly toward the acquisition of a new open space area – other than Buffer Park – within a one-mile radius of the project site.

Other conditions included abiding by a “Net Zero Energy” requirement, working with agencies such as Westside Center for Independent Living to fill units, maintain an Average Vehicle Ridership target of 2.0 for two years after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued for the first creative office building, clarifying all parking is required to be subterranean, and increasing the project’s Transportation Management Organization (TMO) annual contribution from $15,000 to $150,000, among other requirements.

According to City staff, Hines agreed to most of the suggested conditions except for the reduced early childhood initiative annual contribution and allocation of funds toward an open space area other than Buffer Park.

The proposed project in front of the council next week is a significantly different version of the original DA submitted to City Hall in May 2010. Back then, Hines proposed a 957,521 square foot project featuring 344 residential units, 566,573 square feet of creative office space, and 83,712 square feet of retail space.

After a pair of city council float-ups in 2011, the scale and size of the project dramatically altered. When the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Review was released in January 2012, Hines altered its plans yet again and presented the Planning Commission with the most recent iterations. In September 2013, the Planning Commission began its formal deliberations of the project, with commissioners and the developer engaging in a back-and-forth before a 4-to-3 vote in December 2013 opened the door for the DA to be considered by the city council for final approval.

In the recent weeks leading up to the Jan. 28 council meeting, a handful of local groups have been vocal in either urging council members to oppose the proposed project or asking members of the community to attend Tuesday night’s meeting to express their respective viewpoints in a public forum.

Citing traffic concerns, the Santa Monicans For Renters’ Rights (SMRR) Steering Committee, for example, published an open letter urging the council to vote against the proposed project.

On its website, the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City stated the proposed Hines project is “massive,” “poorly designed,” and would “bring horrendous traffic” to the Bergamot Village area.

in News
<>Related Posts

County Health Leaders Decry Federal Policy Barring Undocumented from Programs

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

The officials argued the policy jeopardizes care for all residents, noting it could deter people—regardless of status—from seeking treatment  Leaders...

County Supervisors Move to Preserve Measure J Amid Charter Error

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

Measure J mandates that at least 10% of the county’s locally generated, unrestricted funds be allocated to community investments like...

LA Medical Center Seeks Help Identifying Unconscious Patient

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

He has been unconscious since admission, and staff have been unable to determine his identity Los Angeles General Medical Center,...

Mayor Bass Issues Directive to Protect Immigrant Communities

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

The order expands access to city resources for affected families and requests records from ICE, including details on arrests Mayor...

Downtown Santa Monica CEO Andrew Thomas to Step Down

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Thomas, who rejoined DTSM, Inc. in 2022, oversaw the introduction of a private security program, expanded homeless outreach, and boosted...

Conservancy to Tour Historic Miles Playhouse at State of the City Event

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Built in 1929, the Miles Playhouse serves as the centerpiece of Lincoln Park The Santa Monica Conservancy will offer 15-minute...

Sen. Ben Allen Highlights Challenges, Economic Gains for LA28 Olympics

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

The remarks came during the first informational hearing of the Senate’s Special Committee on International Sporting Events State Sen. Ben...

(Video) Summer Camp at School of Rock West LA Turns Kids Into Rockstars

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

To Sign Up Now, Go To Schoolofrock.com Summer Camp at School of Rock West LA Turns Kids Into Rockstars To...

L.A. Louver Marks David Hockney’s 88th with Exhibit

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Hockney, a British artist born in 1937, gained fame with the British Pop Art movement and later became known for...

Suspect Arrested in Shoe Retail Theft Spree Across LA County

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

During the search, police recovered two firearms and a significant quantity of merchandise The Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail...

Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica Pier Arson Incidents

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The suspect, matching video footage from an arcade, was taken into custody Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested a suspect...

SMPD Launch New Recruitment Website Amid High Vacancy Rates

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The site features multimedia content, including day-in-the-life videos and officer profiles, highlighting the impact of serving the community The Santa...

Father-Daughter Authors to Host Book Signing to Aid Fire-Affected Women

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Ten percent of proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Fund, a nonprofit initiative created...

Metro Reports Crime Drop, Higher Rider Satisfaction, and Progress on Major Projects

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The Authority said the drop in violent incidents—down to the lowest level since May 2019—coincided with more uniformed personnel and...

Santa Monica Joins Regional Lawsuit to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The motion to intervene seeks to ensure that Santa Monica and other plaintiff-intervenors can advocate for their residents’ rights in...