As the City of Santa Monica Planning Department worked to develop and refine guidelines for new buildings in the Downtown area over the past year, the Santa Monica Conservancy has been paying close attention to ensure that new development will not undermine the integrity of the historic structures that remain downtown. The Conservancy made clear directed statements before City Council and the Planning Commission as the process evolved which resulted in several possibilities for how to respect historic properties while redeveloping downtown.

What the Conservancy was not prepared for was the many other, very controversial aspects of what was proposed in the guidelines when a final version was actually published. For example: staff recommended that public process (your chance to have input) on new projects was practically eliminated, parking requirements reduced, streets narrowed and so on. It became so controversial among the general population that Council decided to postpone the discussion to allow time for further study of the many areas of concern brought up by residents.

The city is also planning to re-write the entire Land Use Element of the General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance which has not been done in over twenty years. The Downtown Guidelines will most likely be considered as part of that process to allow for more extensive public input into the final product.

Incentives for historic preservation will also now be considered along with the Zoning Ordinance and the Land Use Element. Included in the incentive package proposed by the Santa Monica Conservancy are many exemptions from requirements in the code that would be difficult to comply with and still retain the integrity of older structures.

When the Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance projects begin, there will be a lot of work for preservationists but we have made a great start in outlining just what we would like to see. It is a great opportunity to make huge strides in how city government treats historic structures.