Some 326 Santa Monica residents signed an online petition supporting the public beach club proposed for the former Marion Davies Estate at 415 PCH within just 36 hours.

Friends of 415 intiated the online petition, available here, to educate residents about the visionary proposal and to give residents an opportunity to record their support.

The petition will be presented to the Santa Monica Planning Commission at their April 5th hearing on the project. It will also be presented to the City Council and to the Annenberg Foundation, whose generous grant of almost $30 million has made possible the one-of-a-kind public facility.

Friends of 415 was started by the Santa Monica Conservancy a week ago to lead community efforts in support the public beach club and historic renovation of 415 PCH. For more information go to www.friendsof415.org.

The petition reads:

I join Friends of 415, the Santa Monica Conservancy and other organizations in strongly supporting the proposal to open a one-of-a-kind public beach club and event facility for our community along Santa Monica’s coast. This may be our last chance to rehabilitate the historic Marion Davies Estate at 415 PCH and re-open it as a crown jewel of public facilities.

City officials should do everything in their power to ensure that this unique proposal, made possible by a nearly $30 million gift to the community, becomes a reality. It would be a travesty to allow this project to be thwarted. Santa Monica’s families, seniors, swimmers, volleyball players and other residents should be able to have the full use and enjoyment of the public beach club that the Annenberg Foundation’s generous grant makes possible.

I ask Santa Monica officials and other residents to join me in thanking the Annenberg Foundation for their visionary grant. Santa Monica should welcome such partnerships between the community and private foundations and do more to support this project and future ones like it.

The petition is available by clicking here.