SMa.r.t. Column: What Are They Thinking?
At the April 9 Santa Monica City Council meeting approval was given to order the staff to publish an RFP to developers for the demolition of Parking Lot #3 at 1318 Fourth Street and the […]
Our Cars Are Killing Us
Many science fiction stories involve humans battling for survival from the robots they themselves created. Unfortunately that future is already here. There are three ways cars kill us: quickly as in car crashes or collisions, […]
Micro Thinking Without Master Planning
Six new apartment projects, all with 100 percent micro units, have been proposed for Santa Monica’s downtown. The developer is claiming that a normal mix of unit types is “financially unsustainable” without his proposed higher […]
Tunneling for Mobility
Starting this year permits from the Santa Monica Planning Department will require a new additional fee called “Travel Demand Forecasting Model.” This has come not a moment too soon, as the model predicts that the […]
Our City’s Unique Charm…And our ability to share it.
Santa Monica is unique in many ways. Perhaps most significant is how we are perched, high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the west. On our north side, we have another attractive view […]
Thanks, Village of Field Warriors
That huge gust of wind you felt one rainy afternoon last week wasn’t a gust of wind at all. It was the collective sigh of relief from supporters when the Coastal Commission granted a Coastal […]
Open Space… Is There Any Left?
Yes there is. Small as it is, there is about 2.5 acres in the heart of downtown waiting to be designed as a public park/plaza. Well, maybe. Our city has designed and approved a Downtown […]
No Excuses: Stop the Crime Wave
My mother turned 91 last Saturday. Happy Birthday, Mom! She has walked the streets of Santa Monica her whole life and almost always lived in our Mid-City Neighborhood, between Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards. She’s […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Gridlocked Best Intentions
On any given evening (and especially weekends) pay a visit to north-bound 2nd Street between Broadway Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, and you’ll encounter a world-class clusterpuck. A cast-in-cement gridlock that often extends back along […]
Is Santa Monica’s Heart for Sale?
Note from SMa.r.t.: This article, in a longer form, was originally published four years ago but is still as pertinent as ever. The Plaza at Santa Monica asks a simple question: Is our downtown the […]
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