By Jennifer Eden
A culmination of years of studies, research and public input has resulted in Santa Monica City’s latest and possibly final version of, the Downtown Community Plan (DCP). The plan will dictate development guidelines for the area, and a Staff Report including recommendations for, and analysis of, the DCP was recently posted online with a Public Hearing scheduled Monday July 10, a follow up Council meeting Tuesday July 11, and the return of staff on direction, July 25.
Housing and office space appear to be the big winners, with City Planners predicting more than double the amount of current residential units to result, increasing the now downtown population by 73 percent. They also expect such an increase to have no impact on the already-grid-locked traffic situation.
“Traffic studies show we can accommodate this growth with no net-new-p.m. peak hour trips,” said the City’s Planning and Community Development Director David Martin. Martin explained that new downtown residents will take advantage of alternative mobility choices, echoing the City’s aim at having such residents live and work in Santa Monica and go nowhere during peak hours.
Adding large open spaces has been offset, with pocket parks and courtyards outweighing larger areas and plazas in an online survey in which 465 residents voted. All are being encouraged to attend City Hall Monday evening July 10, from 6.30 p.m.
