SR-307-002-04-01 (2)
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JUI/ Z 5 1985
C!ED:EDU:CPD
CITY COUNCIL MEETING: June 25, 1985
Santa MonIca, CalIfornIa
TO:
Mayor and CIty CouncIl
FROM:
CIty Staff
SUBJECT: RecoIllmendatlon to Approve a Work Program for the Re-
development of the CIVIC Center SIte
INTRODUCTION
ThIS report presents a work program for development of the CIVIC
Center sIte and a summary of maJor Issues WhICh wIll be con-
s Idered throughou t the developnlent process.
Background informa-
tlon IS pr:ovlded on the CIVIC AudItorIum faCIlIty and specIfIc
SIte char:acterlstICS.
A prelImInary analYSIS of the current
CIVIC AudItorIum facIlIty and a dISCUSSIon of possIble alterna-
tI ve re-uses for the Sl te are also presented.
A task tIITIellne
follows outlInIng specIfIC staff responsIbIlIty and program func-
tlon.
It IS reconm~nded that CIty CounCIl approve the work pro-
gram and dIrect staff to proceed wIth ImplementatIon of the CIVIC
Center development program.
BACKGROUND
T. SIte CharacterIstIcs
The CIVIC Center SIte IS bounded by MaIn Street, Plea Boulevard,
Fourth Street, and the southernnlost edge of the County Admlnls-
tratlon faelll ty. Eaeh street prOVIdes dIrect access from the
SIte to Downtown, the nearby beach area and the adJacent Santa
MonIca Freeway.
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Of the entIre 113.9 acre sIte, the CIVIC AudItorIum bUIldIng OCCU-
pIes about 48,2013 square feet of land area (1.1 acres) and IS
surrounded by approxImately 112,131313 square feet of landscapIng
and loadIng dock area (2.6 acres). The remalnlng 312,51313 square
feet (7.2 acres) lS devoted to surface parkIng of approxl.lnately
9013 spaces.
ThIS parkIng IS used prImarIly for CIVIC AudItorIum functIons and
for employee and VI SI tor parkIng to the County Courthouse and
CIty Hall. The parkIng area has been recently reconfIgured by the
CIty to Increase the number of parkIng spaces and to Improve ac-
cess and Internal cIrculatIon. In return for havIng paId for one-
half the cost of landscapIng and restrlplng the parkIng area, Los
Angeles County has receIved a three year COllllllI tment by the CIty
to contInue provIdIng parkIng to users of the County Courthouse.
Overall, the SIte IS sItuated In the center of an area whlch,
accordIng
changes In
the Rand
to the Land Use Element,
the near future. To the
IS susceptIble to land-use
lm:nedlate west of the sIte,
Corporatlon has lnltlated dlScussIons wIth prIvate
developers about possIble optIons for the dISposItIon and re-
development of ItS fifteen (15) acre SIte. To the east, the Santa
Monlca - Mallbu UnIfled School DIstrIct has executed a long-term
ground lease wIth a prIvate developer for the redevelopment of
ItS 2.4 acre AdmInIstratIon BUIldlng SIte. As a result, the
CIVIC Center land area IS unIquely sItuated to eIther asslst In
ImprovIng the ImmedIate Image of the area or, over the long-term,
In takIng advantage from any "spIll-over" benefIts to be derIved
from future prIvate redevelopment of the adJacent parcels.
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II. CIVIC AudItorIum FaCIlIty
The Santa MonIca CIVIC AudItorIum opened In June 1958 and was
fInanced through a bond Issue of $2,895,0'0'0' approved by the
CIty'S voters In 1955. At the tIme of Its openIng, the AudItorI-
um was conSIdered to be a "state of the art" faCIlIty WIth a hy-
draUlIcally operated floor that could shIft from a level pOSItIon
SUItable to exhIbIt space to a sloped pOSItIon for theatrIcal
events.
Today, the AudItorIum can acconllllodate up to about 3,0'0'0' seats
WIth the specifIC number of seats dependent upon the denSIty of
the foldIng chaIr arrangement. The maXImum capaCIty for events
WIthout seatIng IS 3,50'0' persons.
The eXIstIng stage IS conSIdered excellent by present day stan-
dards and IS SUItable for most types of concert and play produc-
tIons. The house acoustICS, however, are not adequate. Unam-
plIfled sound does not proJect to all seats. Due to the acoustIC
problems, the AudItorIum currently IS most SUIted to amplIfIed
concerts, exhIbIts, and trade shows.
The SIze of the AudItorIum, however, creates a problem WIth
respect to today's market. The eXIstIng SIze of the AudItorIum
IS smaller than tYPIcal concert hall faCIlItIes In the Los An-
geles regIon. SInce concert promoters have largely fIxed costs
and rely on volume tIcket sales to make a profIt, the CIVIC Au-
dItorIum IS a less appealIng venue to promoters of concerts. On
the other hand, the eXIstIng AudItorIum IS larger than deSIrable
for most legItImate theater productIons WhICh reqUIre a smaller
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theater house wIth closer VIew lInes to the stage. In both In-
stances, the present CIVIC AudItorIum facilIty IS not competItIve
In the eXisting market.
DISCUSSION
As IndIcated preVIously, the CIVIC Center site IS unIquely
sItuated In the center of an area that is actIvely beIng redevel-
oped privately Into alternative land uses. LikeWIse, prevIous
studIes IndIcate that the eXIstIng CIVIC Auditorium faCIlIty IS
no longer compet I tI 'Ie in today I s market and In order to be com-
petitive, maJor deCISIons as to ItS future use and the amount of
capital Investment to be conmltted must be made. Moreover, It IS
qUite clear that the current CIVIC AudItorium operatIon IS not
capable of generatIng suffICient revenues to cover any such fu-
ture capital costs for ImprovIng the faCility or for makIng major
Improvements to the SIte.
During the adoptIon of the Land Use Element, CIty CouncIl dISCUS-
SIons Included the need to reVIew the future development of the
CIVIC Center area and adJacent properties within the scope of a
"specifIC plan". Such an approach would take Into conSIderation
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each property owner's development proposals and attempt to pro-
vIde a unIfYIng approach to promote the coordInated redevelopnlent
of the entIre area. At thIS time, It IS necessary for the CIty to
begIn assessing Its varIOUS development optIons for the faCIlIty
and the SIte ID order to actIvely participate In such a process.
Once thIS has been completed, the Cl ty WIll be better able to
assess the need for a more detaIled speCIfIC plan.
Whether the CIty WIshes to make a maJor capItal Investment In the
eXIstIng CIVIC AudItorIum faCIlIty or whether It WIshes to con-
SIder the redevelopment of the SIte, It IS necessary to establIsh
a base of InformatIon and a process by WhICh to make these decl-
slons.
The follOWIng work program presents a method for achlev-
Ing these tasks.
The work prograITI calls for the evaluatIon of
development alternatIves for the re-use of the facilIty and over-
all SIte, the actIve SOlICItatIon of publIC Involvement, and the
opportunIty for reVIew of alternatIves by the various Boards and
CorrmllSSlons prIor to formal CounCIl actIon.
the work program are presented below.
The maJor aspects of
I. AlternatIve Use AnalYSIS
PreVIOUS studIes for the re-use of the eXIstIng AudItorIum struc-
ture have not addressed the potentIal market demand for the
varIOUS alternatIves or the method for fInanCIng Improvements.
In addItIon, no SIITIIlar analYSIS regardIng the pOSSIble re-
development of the CIVIC Center Sl te and surroundIng areas has
been prepared.
It 15 recommended that prIor to any further CIty
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action on AudI torIum re-use or overall CIVIC Center SI te re-
development, a base of InformatIon about approprIate uses be es-
tablIshed to determIne crIterIa for deCISIon-makIng by the CIty
CounCIl.
A. PotentIal Re-use of the EXIstIn9 FaCIlIty
PreVIOUS analySIS by City Staff of the facility's structural
lImItatIons on ItS operatIon have YIelded varIOUS results.
These
studIes IndIcate that the bUIldIng IS In sound structural COndI-
tIon and can be rehabIlItated for a number of publIC assembly
uses.
The bUIldIng can be made to retaIn Its dual role as an
exhIbIt hall and theater, but ITIlprOvements would have to be TIlade
to upgrade the bUIldIng, increase the adJacent lobby space and to
shorten and slItIplIfy the converSIon tIme and correspondIng ex-
pense from one type of use to another.
ThIS type of ImprOVeTIlent
to the bUIldIng IS estImated to cost about $6 mIllIon.
The bUIldIng can also be modIfIed to focus Its functIon on eIther
contInued exhIbIt hall/meetIng space/conference faCIlIty use or
theater use only. The eXIsting space fleXIbIlIty would not be
maIntaIned, however.
For theater use, the structure would have
to contaIn fIxed seating and two (2) balconIes would have to be
added to the InterIor to prOVIde inlproved SIght lInes and addI-
tIonal seatIng capaCIty for up to 3131313 persons. The roof would
have to be raIsed to accommodate the second balcony and the walls
of the structure would have to be buttressed to Improve the
bUIldIng's resistance to ground shakIng during an earthquake.
The cost for thIS type of Improvement IS estImated at about $13
mIllIon. For exhIbIt hall/meetIng room/conference faCIlIty use,
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the structure would have to be gutted and new Interior floors and
faCIlitIes would have to be added.
to cost about $5.7 IDllllon.
ThIS Improvement IS estImated
B. PotentIal Re-use of the EXIstIng SIte
The current CIVIC Center SIte also presents the unIque opportunI-
ty to redevelop the entIre SI te Into a range of possIble new
uses. DependIng on the trade-offs the CIty would be WIll ing to
make, the entIre SIte could be dedIcated to eIther a total new
publIC or private use or to a new combInatIon of publIC and prl-
vate uses.
WIth respect to potentIal uses for the CIVIC Center SIte Itself,
the CIty'S eXIstIng zonIng permIts commercIal and admInIstratIve
uses WhICh allows for general offIce and government related use.
Under the CIty'S Land Use Element, the Intent IS to try and re-
taIn the maJor concentratIon of government faclli tIes west of
Fourth Street and to conSIder other uses In the area Including
cultural and publIc recreatIonal faCIlItIes
and VIsItor serVIng
uses such as hotels and commercIal recreational uses.
The Sl te confIguratIon lends Itself to prOVIdIng a mIxed-use
development WhICh could support a ml X of theatre, meetIng and
conference facII i tIes, overnIght accommodatIons or commerclal/
retaIl uses. The SIte could also be dedIcated to a concentratIon
of "CIVIC" uses such as museum, theatre, lIbrary and publIC meet-
Ing space. Any of these potentIal re-use alternatives, however,
WIll have to be evaluated relatIve to eXIstIng land use, enVIron-
mental, fIscal and market condItIons.
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C. Land Use and Environmental Considerations
In consIdering any potential re-use of the facility or site, the
Land Use Element and Interim ZonIng Ordinance require that cer-
taIn urban desIgn and property development standards be met. In
partIcular, development In the area IS to be governed by addi-
tional urban design principles, yet to be established, but which
must consider, among other uses, publiC view corridors and usable
publiC open space. With respect to the City's Interim Zoning Or-
dinance, the maximum allowable development Intensity for the site
IS 3.13 FAR, 4 stories (56').
With a site specific plan, the a1-
lowable height IS permItted up to 6 stories (84') If the proposed
proJect IS determined to be compatible With the goals and obJec-
tives of the Land Use Element.
These standards plus those constraints Imposed by the phySical
Ihmtatlons of the Site, eXisting traffiC conditions, and other
related environmental constraints will need to be considered In
analyzIng re-use alternatives for the faCility and the site.
Specific attention will need to be given to proposed adjacent
land uses, In particular the Rand and Santa Monlca-Mallbu Unified
School District parcels, and their possible Impact on any pro-
posed re-use of the Audltorlunl faCility or the CIVIC Center site.
A dialogue With these owners will need to be maintained through-
out the planning process. Depending on the outcome of the analy-
SIS, thiS may require the establishment of more specIfIc develop-
ment standards and property requirements than are currently
available In the Land Use Element and the elimination of certain
alternatives from further consideration.
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D. Market ConditIons and MunicIpal EconomIc Constralnt~
Staff, with the assistance of an economic consultant, will an-
alyze the market demand and fiscal potential for alternatIve uses
for the site. The analysIs Will need to Include alternative forms
of fInancing which nllnlmlze the anlount of public Investment re-
qUired. The market study Will Include a review of the demand for
various uses such as COITnnerclal and admInistratIve offices, meet-
Ing and assembly space, cultural and theatre uses, hotel, and
other public and private land uses that may be found suitable for
the SIte. The analysIs Will conSIder speCifIc market area data
Including an Inventory of eXIstIng and proposed faCilItIes and
land uses, rental, vacancy and absorption rates, and the Impact
on muniCIpal costs and revenues. The goal will be to determine
what IS currently pOSSIble In the nlarket, ItS land-use ImplIca-
tions, related costs, and how It may be fInanced. ThIS should
aSSIst the publIC, the varIOUS CIty boards and commISSions, and
ultimately the City CouncIL In selectIng an appropriate re-use
alternative for the AuditorIum faCilIty and CIVIC Center site.
D. PublIC ReView Process
The work program Will Involve the publiC throughout the plannIng
process prior to the CouncIL's selection of a developnlent alter-
native for Implenlentatlon. FollOWing the gathering of prelimi-
nary data and a review by CIty Council, several publiC workshops
Will be conducted to present research findings and Initial
development options to local reSidents, the bUSiness communIty
and other interested parties. After the publiC workshops are
completed, the City CouncIL WIll once again have an opportunIty
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to reVIew development optIons and provIde further dIrectIon to
CIty staff. Thereafter staff wlll proceed to present the alterna-
tlves to the PlannIng COlTlmlSSlOn and the Archltectural Revlew
Board for theIr reVlew and fInal recollilTlendatlons to the CIty
Councll. Each board or commISSIon wlll be requested to respond
specIfIcally to Its assIgned area of responsiblllty.
II. EnVlronmental Rev1ew Process
Prlor to the formal approval of a speclflc development alterna-
tIve, the Clty, as the lead agency, must evaluate and, to the
extent feas1ble, lTl1 tlgate any slgnlflcant adverse envIronmental
effects from the plan pursuant to the Callfornla Envlronmental
Qual1ty Act (CEQA). To ass1st 1n the selectIon and subsequent
1mplementat1on phase, an ln1tlal asseSSlllent of envIronmental IS-
sues wIll be conducted for each proposed developulent alternat1ve.
Th1S reVlew w1ll Ident1fy enV1ronmental factors WhICh w1ll need
to be analyzed 1n select1ng a fInal development alternat1ve for
1mplementat1on. Once conceptual approval IS granted to a speCIfIc
development alternat1ve, a
detaIled envlronulental reVlew of the
proposed alternatlve w1ll be conducted. Upon adoptIon of a final
envIronmental Impact report and development al ternat1 ve for the
SIte, staff wlll proceed to Implement the proJect.
III. Task TImel1ne
Overall proJect lllanagement responsIbilIty for the Implementation
of the work program w1ll rest WIth the Commun1ty and Econom1c
Development Department, prInCIpally the Econom1c Development 01-
V1Slon w1th aSs1stance fz:olTl the Plannlng DIV1S1on.
Other C1 ty
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departments, such as the General ServIces Department, wIll also
aSSIst throughout the process.
The need for consultant serVIces WIll be lImIted to supplementIng
eXIstIng CIty staff resources.
Consultant serVIces WIll be used
In reVIeWIng land-use and market constraInts and In evaluatIng
the environmental Impact of the recommended alternatIve and
speCIfIC development proposals once that portIon of the work pro-
gram IS Implemented.
The attached table outlInes responSIbilitIes and a
prelImInary
tImeframe for completIon of major tasks to be performed as part
of thIS work program. The table shows the maJ or steps for the
development and llnplementatlon of the work program. The fIrst
serIes of steps result In the preparatIon of baselIne InformatIon
to aSSIst in gUIdIng the publIC reVIew and the fInal selectIon
process. The floal selectIon of a development plan is expected to
be completed WIthIn twelve months from the selectIon of a consul-
tan t tealll.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
The estImated cost of profeSSIonal serVIces needed for Implemen-
tatIon of the work program IS estImated to be $45,000. Funds for
thIS purpose are currently avaIlable In General Fund account nUlll-
ber 01-200-266-000-506. Staff IS requestIng that these funds be
transfered to account number 01-720-266-000-902 as a part of the
CIty'S FY 1984-85 capItal budget.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that CIty CouncIl approve the CIVIC Center Work
Program as presented In the body of thIS report and to authorIze
the transfer of $45,1300 from account number 01-2013-266-131313-506 to
account number 01-720-266-131313-9132.
Prepared by: Peggy Curran, ActIng DIrector, C/ED
Ernesto R. Flores, Manager, EDD
ChrIstopher Rudd, AssOcIate Planner, CPD
ccadd2
Attachments:
A. CIVIC Center Developnlent TImellne
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ATTACHMENT A
CIVIC CENTER DEVELOPMENT
TASK TIMELINE
EstlIuated
Task Resl?onslbIlty CompletIon
l. Approval of Work Plan City CouncIl Month 1
2. Develop Scope of Servlces EDD/CPD Month 2
and retaIn market and
land-use consultants
3. Complete use analysIs Consultant/ Month 5
and return for Councll Clty CounCIl
reVIew
4. Conduct publIC and CIty EDD/CPD/ Month B
CouncIl reVIew of optIons Consultant
5. RecommendatIons Report EDD/CPD/ Month 9
and begIn preparing Consultant
draft EIR
6. Approval of Selected CIty CouncIl Month 13
Development Plan & fInal
EIR
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