March 19, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

OpEd: The Miramar Project Will Be a New Architectural Jewel

The Miramar Hotel has been a central part of Santa Monica’s history and an integral part of the community for the last 100 years. In order for the hotel to remain a community asset for the next 100 years, the time has come for a comprehensive reinvestment and revitalization. Given the significance of the Miramar site to the City, we recognize the immense responsibility of getting our plan right.

We have spent more than 10 years meeting and listening to thousands of our neighbors, local business owners, neighborhood associations, City staff and City decision makers to solicit input on our plans. We are grateful for the community engagement that has crafted a far superior plan (our fourth version) that we believe represents what makes Santa Monica the progressive City it is. This was most recently validated by the Planning Commission, which voted 6-1 to move the project forward to City Council with several thoughtful refinements to be considered as part of the Council’s review.

A key part of our vision is to preserve and honor the hotel’s rich history for future generations. That’s why we’ve made the 141-year old Moreton Bay Fig Tree and the 1924 Palisades Building, both local landmarks, central focuses of our design.

Our proposed plan implements the vision set forth in the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element for our site and is fully compliant with the Downtown Community Plan’s established height, density and open space standards, which were developed following an extensive, two-year public process.

Our design team, led by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, has created a world-class project that reflects the values and aspirations of today’s Santa Monica and will be a new architectural jewel for our Downtown. The plan removes the walls and fences that surround the hotel, opening the site – including the Fig Tree – to the community for the first time in decades. It includes 42 units of family-sized affordable housing on Second Street, directly across from the Miramar and one block from Palisades Park. It improves the parking and circulation around the site and enhances pedestrian and bicycle access, while creating compelling new publicly-accessible open space for the community, with outdoor dining, artwork and regular community programming.

The project will be built to the highest levels of sustainability (LEED Platinum) and a commitment to use 20% less water and 15% less energy than the existing hotel – an unprecedented approach to sustainability for new construction. We will continue to work with our partners at UNITE HERE Local 11 and provide more than 100 new union jobs. In total, the project is estimated to contribute over $100 million in project/community benefits.

The fiscal and economic benefits of the proposed project are critical in today’s environment. During construction, the project is estimated to create thousands of new constructions jobs. Over its first 25 years of operation, the new Miramar is forecasted to provide more than $444 million to the City’s General Fund to support City services like parks and libraries ($217 million more than the existing hotel) and a boost of more than $1 billion to the local economy.

We cannot express enough how proud we are of how our project has evolved over this ten-year public process. We are confident that the new Miramar Hotel will continue to be a vital community asset and contribute significantly to our City’s economic recovery. We look forward to, and are grateful for, the opportunity to present our project to the City Council.

Ellis O’Connor and Dustin Peterson
The Miramar Santa Monica

Related Posts

Time is Running Out To Give Public Input on Malibu’s Revised Housing Element

March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

City Asks Residents to Comment on Strategies for Addressing Housing Needs The City of Malibu has released an updated Revised...

Fatal Crash Claims Life of Woman on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu

March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Accident Victim Identified in Thursday Night Accident A woman tragically lost her life in a Thursday evening crash along the...

California Wildlife Center Responds to Distressed Marine Mammal at Little Dume Beach

March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Third Gray Whale Stranding of 2024 Prompts Concern in Malibu On the morning of Saturday, March 16, the California Wildlife...

Woman Drives Car In Ocean After High Speed Police Chase

March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Law enforcement officers pursued her along the I-110 and I-405 until she reached the vicinity of Venice Beach A woman...

Santa Monica Authorities Seek Public’s Help After Sexual Assault Incident

March 17, 2024

March 17, 2024

SMPD Urges Anyone With Information to Come Forward Authorities in Santa Monica are seeking information from the public after a...

SM.a.r.t Column: Can California ARBs Balance Affordable Housing with Community Character in the Face of New Housing Laws?

March 17, 2024

March 17, 2024

By suggestion, I attended the March 4th ARB (Architectural Review Board) meeting that addressed the Gelson Lincoln Boulevard Project.  After...

FBI Seeks Victims of Alleged Online Exploitation Scheme Allegedly Run by Resident of Santa Monica

March 17, 2024

March 17, 2024

Individuals Urged to Come Forward in Investigation of John Douglas Burch The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office is urging individuals to...

(Video) Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD Responds to News of Nex Benedict’s Cause of Death

March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, responds to the release of the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Ruling on Nex...

Venice Family Clinic Announces Inaugural HEART Gala to Celebrate Health and Art

March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

Event Honors Creative Community and Supporters of Vital Health Care Services Venice Family Clinic, a non-profit community health center dedicated...

“Love Lies Bleeding” is Ripped: Actress Katy O’Brian Talks Love, Sex, and Vulnerability

March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

Katy O’Brian is a Breakout Star Who Shines in Loving and Hilariously Violent Crime Film English film director Rose Glass’...

Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier Sold to SC Holdings, $10M Investment Planned

March 14, 2024

March 14, 2024

The Cultural Institution Set for Exciting Upgrades Santa Monica Amusements LLC (SMA), the operating group of Pacific Park on the...

Woman Returns $1K Worth of Stolen Items After Store Finds Her Social Media Account

March 14, 2024

March 14, 2024

For the Owner, the Incident Is Perhaps Indicative of an Environment at the Palisades Village Where Smaller Businesses Are More...

LAPD Identify Suspect Who Struck 6-Year-Old Girl Last Weekend

March 14, 2024

March 14, 2024

An Arrest Was Made Following “Another Incident” in Venice By Zach Armstrong  The Los Angeles Police have identified Ahsante Lamar...

SMC to Host Free Screening of West Coast Hip Hop Documentary

March 14, 2024

March 14, 2024

Free Presentation Includes Audience Q&A with Hip Hop Icons Santa Monica College (SMC) is set to host a complimentary screening...

IRS Launches Direct File Pilot of Free Filing Tool for Taxpayers in California, 11 Other States

March 14, 2024

March 14, 2024

Free, Convenient Online Tax Filing Option Now Available for Eligible Individuals The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the official launch...