SR-20080513-1C~~
~;,YOf City Council Report
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: May 13, 2008
Agenda Item: 0'°C'
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Planning & Community Development
Subject: Statement of Official Action Denying Appeals of Landmarks Commission
Denial of Landmark Applications for the Ficus Trees on Second and
Fourth Streets
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council approve the attached Statement of Official Action
denying Appeals 08APP-001 and 08APP-002 and upholding the decision of the
Landmarks Commission to deny the applications to designate the Ficus trees on
Second and Fourth Streets between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard as City
Landmarks.
Executive Summary and Discussion
This staff report transmits for City Council certification the Statement of Official Action
for Appeals 08APP-001 and 08APP-002. After holding a public hearing, the City
Council denied both appeals and upheld the Landmarks Commission's denial of the
Landmarks Designation applications filed for the Ficus trees on Second and Fourth
Streets between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard based oh the findings
contained in the attached Statement of Official Action.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The recommendation presented in this report does not have any budget or fiscal impact.
Prepared by: Roxanne Tanemori, AICP, Associate Planner
to Council:
Jzt1een'Fogarty~ ~ `°" P.~~iiont Ewell
Director, Plan g & Com ity Ci y Manager
Development
Attachment: Statement of Official Action
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ity of
CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL ACTION
PROJECT
CASE NUMBER: Appeals 08APP-001 and 08APP-002
LOCATION: East and West -Sides of Second and Fourth Streets
between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard
APPLICANT:. Jerry Rubin and Treesavers
APPELLANT: Jerry Rubin and Treesavers
PROPERTY OWNER: City of Santa Monica
CASE PLANNER: Roxanne Tanemori, AICP, Associate Planner
REQUEST: Appeals 08APP-001 and 08APP-002 of Landmarks
Commission denial of Landmark Designation applications
for the Ficus Trees on Second and Fourth Streets
between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.
CEQA STATUS: The project is statutorily exempt from the provisions of the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to
Section 15270 of the State Guidelines in that CEQA does
not apply to projects that are disapproved.
l;l I Y (;UUN(:IL At;11VN
February 19. 2008 Date
X
Appeal upheld and Landmarks Commission denial reversed
based upon the findings below:
Appeal denied and Landmarks Commission upheld based on
the following findings:
Other.
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EFFECTIVE DATE OF ACTION: February 79, 2008
The City Council, having held a public hearing on February 19, 2008, finds that the
subject Ficus trees located on the east and west sides of Second and Fourth Streets
between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard do not, in whole or in part, meet any
of the six criteria for Landmark designation enumerated in SMMC 9.36.100(a).
Therefore, the City Council hereby denies both appeals and upholds the Landmarks
Commission's denial of the Landmark Designation applications based on the following
findings:
(1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic,
political or architectural history of the City.
Ficus trees are part of the broad history of tree planting in Santa Monica. Yet, based
on existing available research and a site survey, the rows. of Ficus street trees on
Second and Fourth Streets between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard do
not individually exemplify, symbolize, or manifest the City's larger Master Street Tree
Planting Program initiated beginning in 1956. Specifically, the subject Ficus trees are
not individually eligible under this criterion as they are a highly common street tree
type as the second most prevalent tree in Santa Monica and are a typical example of
the thousands of Ficus street trees planted in Santa Monica during- the postwar
years. Based on field surveys done for the 2000 City of Santa Monica Community
Forest Management Plan, the subject trees on both streets represent less than 5%
of the total number of approximately 3,100-Ficus trees ih the City. Furthermore,
collectively, the subject trees are not good representative examples of their type to
distinguish them from the thousands of Ficus planted throughout the City of Santa
Monica in conjunction with the broader Master Street Tree Planting Program, a tree
planting and maintenance effort that preceded the planting of the subject Ficus trees
and continues today through implementation of the City of Santa Monica Community
Forest Management Plan. This is due in part to having undergone extensive root
and canopy pruning over the years, a maintenance method required in part because
of -their placement in a confined grow space which has limited their ability to
optimally develop in a manner that promotes the stability of their root system and
limbs, while minimizing adjacent hardscape displacement.
The rows of Ficus trees along Second and Fourth Streets were planted in
conjunction with the redevelopment of the Central Business District during the
1960s, which included a tree planting -effort for the Commercial Business District,
initiated by the Chamber of Commerce beautification committee in 1961 and
completed by the City in 1964-1967, as part of the Santa Monica's Citywide Master
Street Tree Planting Program. By that time, the Central Business District had already
attained its significance as the City's oldest shopping destination decades prior to
the planting of the trees. Although the rows of Ficus street trees along Second and
Fourth Streets were planted during the time period of the 1960s downtown
redevelopment, these trees are features of the streetscape and do not individually
exemplify, symbolize or manifest the history of the redevelopment of the Central
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Business District, which is primarily embodied in the redeveloped Third Street Mall
and is also represented by a group of other 1950s-1960s commercial infill
development and infrastructure improvements in the downtown area. The Chamber
of Commerce beautification committee's program to plant trees downtown was also
part of a larger effort to encourage the beautification of the broader Central Business
District which also included extensive remodeling of` storefronts and new
construction. Therefore, the subject trees are not eligible under this criterion.
(2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.
Although the rows of Ficus trees contribute to the streetscape and pedestrian
experience on Second and Fourth Streets between Colorado Avenue and Wilshire
Boulevard, street trees of this type are too common in the City to meet this criterion.
Characteristically, street trees throughout Santa Monica have generally been planted
in uniform rows; with one species of tree per block and/or street. Based on field work
conducted-for the 2000 City of Santa Monica Community Forest Management Plan,
there are approximately 28,000 street trees in the City, of which over 3,100 are Ficus
trees. Furthermore, there are other better,examples of Ficus trees in Santa Monica.
Due to their location on busy commercial streets in close proximity to buildings as
well as vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the root systems of the trees have been
constricted by sidewalks and roadways. For functional and safety reasons, the trees
have not achieved their aesthetic potential. This is due in part to having undergone
extensive root and canopy pruning over the years, a maintenance method required
in part because of their placement in a confined grow space which has limited their
ability to optimally develop in a manner that promotes the stability of their root
system and limbs, while minimizing adjacent hardscape displacement. Although the
rows of trees were planted during the 1960s redevelopment of the Central Business
District and are associated with broad history of tree planting in Santa Monica, the
individual trees and tree rows are not aesthetically or artistically distinctive or
noteworthy in comparison with other better examples of street trees of this type in
Santa Monica found, in particular, north of Wilshire Boulevard and on Pearl Street.
Therefore, the subject trees are not eligible under this criterion.
(3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or
national history.
The planting of approximately 60 of the existing 153 Ficus trees in the broader
dowhtown area was initiated in part by the efforts of Jacqueline Girion and the
Chamber of Commerce's women's beautification committee. Ms. Girion and. the
beautification committee were involved in obtaining the support of the City Council,
including Councilmember CIo Hoover, and local merchants for the planting. of nearly
60 Ficus trees in the broader downtown area. While the volunteer work of Mrs.
Girion and the efforts Chamber of Commerce's beautification committee during the
1960s redevelopment of the downtown. area are important and also an example of a
wide variety of volunteer efforts that are -part of the larger tradition of activism that
contributes to Santa Monica's character, with respect to application of the Landmark
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designation criteria, the subject Ficus trees do not meet this criterion because they
are not associated with a historic personage or correlated with important events in
local, state, or national history. In addition, the planting of the subject Ficus trees is
not commonly associated with the contributions Councilmember Clo Hoover made to
the City of Santa Monica. Furthermore, there is no evidence of a connection
between the Ficus trees on Second Street and Ms. Girion. Therefore, the subject
trees are not eligible under this criterion.
(4) It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a
period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or
craftsmanship, or, is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or
historical type valuable to such a study.
The Ficus trees on Second and Fourth Streets are associated with the urban
redevelopment projects of the 1950s and 1960s. Specifically, the Ficus trees were
one of the predominant street tree types used in Santa Monica and throughout
Southern California during this period. Based on field work conducted for the 2000
City of Santa Monica Community Forest Management Plan, there are over 3,100
Ficus trees in the. City making it the second most prominent species of trees in Santa
Monica. In addition, there are other better examples of Ficus street trees existing
within the City. The Ficus trees on Second and Fourth Streets are not unique or rare
examples of individual specimens or tree rows from the 1960s, they are not planted
in a unique pattern or design, and do not embody distinct characteristics valuable in
Modern historic landscape design. While the trees contribute to the character of the
downtown streetscape, they do not give the streets an identity or unique
characteristic that is particularly outstanding or distinctive in comparison to the other
streets in Santa Monica where unified rows of trees are planted as part of the
streetscapes in which they grow. Therefore, the subject trees are not eligible under
this criterion.
(5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable
builder, designer or architect.
The Ficus trees were planted during a .period of redevelopment of Santa Monica's
Central Business District. The plan for the redevelopment was produced by Victor
Gruen, and the design of the 3rd Street mall was created by Charles Luckman.. Both
Victor Gruen and Charles Luckman were prominent master architects. However,
based on current research, the individual rows of Ficus street trees along Second
and Fourth Streets are not related to the work or products of Gruen or Luckman.
Therefore, the subject Ficus street trees are not eligible under this criterion.
(6) It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and
familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City.
Application of this criterion does not indicate that the subject Ficus street trees are
an established familiar visual feature in that application of this criterion has been
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consistently applied to important visual monuments in the City such as Santa
Monica's Civic Auditorium due to its grand scale and unique design and presence
that commands attention as one travels south along Main Street. The subject trees
are comprised of single rows of regularly spaced Ficus trees planted along Second
and Fourth Streets which are not readily distinguishable from other Ficus trees in the
City that are presently abundant and ubiquitous in Santa Monica. Furthermore, the
subject Ficus trees are not planted in a unique location or configuration; they are
rows of trees such as those on numerous other streets in Santa Monica. Finally, the
subject trees do they possess singular physical characteristics of their type as there
are better examples of Ficus street trees existing in the City. Therefore, the subject
trees are not eligible under this criterion.
Each and all of the findings and determinations are based on the competent and
substantial evidence, both oral and written, contained in the entire record relating to the
Project. All summaries of information contained herein or in the findings are based on
the substantial evidence in the record. The absence of any particular fact from any
such summary is not an indication that a particular finding is not based in part on that
fact.
VOTE
Ayes: Bloom, Genser, Holbrook, Shriver, Mayor Katz
Nays: McKeown
Abstain:
Absent: O'Connor
NOTICE
If this is a final decision not subject to further appeal under Article 9 of the Santa Monica
Municipal Code, the time within which judicial review of this decision must be sought is
governed by Code of Civil Procedures Section 1094.6, which provision has been
adopted by the City pursuant to Municipal Code Section 1.16.010.
I hereby certify that this Statement. of Official Action accurately reflects the final
rmina`tio`n~of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica.
MARIA M. STEWART, ity Clerk Date
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