RPG Is Expected to Present a Timeframe for Council Consideration by 2025
The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is poised for a potential rebirth following a unanimous vote by the Santa Monica City Council to enter negotiations with Revitalization Partners Group, LLC (RPG) to restore and operate the historic venue.
RPG is a consortium of experts in live entertainment, real estate development, finance, historic preservation, and public-private partnerships. The group includes Geyser Holdings, The Make Good Group, The Azoff Company, Oak View Group, and Live Nation.
Geyser Holdings, affiliated with the JH Snyder Company, has over 20 years of experience in estate acquisition, financing, and investment banking. The Make Good Group consults on sustainability and social responsibility, with clients like the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Mariners. Tim Sexton, a principal at The Make Good Group, has a history with the Civic Auditorium as a production manager.
The Azoff Company is led by the former Chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, while the Oak View Group, under a public-private partnership with Seattle, invested over $850 million to develop Amazon’s Climate Pledge Arena. Live Nation, a Fortune 500 company, manages ticket sales for live entertainment internationally.
The city-owned auditorium, which closed in 2011 due to seismic issues, was once a leading entertainment venue, hosting concerts, Academy Award shows, community festivals, and trade shows. In 2023, the city designated the site as “surplus” through the Surplus Land Act, certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
In December 2023, the city issued a request for Letters of Interest to redevelop the venue. Four firms submitted proposals, and in May, the City Council directed staff to negotiate with RPG.
RPG will conduct studies on historic preservation, seismic and structural engineering, ADA compliance, and acoustics to evaluate remediation, construction costs, and other considerations. The firm has agreed to pay the city an initial $350,000 to cover staff, consultant, and legal costs.
RPG is expected to present a comprehensive project scope and timeframe for council consideration by early 2025.
