Sometimes, it might feel like City Council members or local government staff aren’t paying attention to the concerns of residents. They might be too busy or have strict rules that make it difficult to communicate […]
Last week’s SMa.r.t. article described the collision of two new State mandates: the first requiring the construction of 9000 new units in Santa Monica (corresponding to about a 20% population increase in the next 8 […]
SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) Last week’s column was Part 1. If you did not have the opportunity to read Part 1 then, you can find it here. Part 2 The city’s […]
Last year the City Council started a process to reframe the murals in City Hall. Many people do not even know these WPA murals exist because perhaps they have never been to City Hall or […]
On January17, 2015 SMa.r.t. posted a prophetic article in the Daily Press written by Ron Goldman FAIA advocating maintaining a low rise (3-4 stories) development standard along the major boulevards. He also included a sketch […]
(part 3 of 3 articles) Every City faces periodic interruptions to its normal life. Some interruptions in our City are minor and predictable such as gridlock on Lincoln Blvd every afternoon. Because of their relatively […]
Recent early-morning tremors off the Malibu coast, and the huge and terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria have made us take another look at Santa Monica’s earthquake-retrofit program for vulnerable buildings. This program, started in […]
Six years go we discussed, in these pages, the city’s then-renewed earthquake-retrofit rules. At the time we argued that the anticipated volume of building permit applications would create a serious challenge for the city’s staff. […]
Santa Monica – a progressive city 20 years ago, a chaotic city today! A city that is struggling for its identity and life is a titanic struggle for the heart and soul of our city. […]
The picture shown above is the future of Santa Monica. Large tall buildings along the Boulevards and Avenues plus Downtown and in the Bergamot Area will be massed to completely shade adjacent low-rise smaller homes […]
Brentwood-Based Program Needs Help Delivering Meals During the Holidays Meals on Wheels West Los Angeles is urgently seeking additional volunteers to...
Read moreYIMBY Law Challenges Governor’s Order Allowing Cities to Restrict SB 9 Housing in High Fire Hazard Zones The housing advocacy...
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