SR-05-13-2008-7ACity Council Meeting: May 13, 2008
Agenda Item:
To: -Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director of Planning and Community Development
Subject: Land Use Entitlements for the for the Civic. Center Residential Village
including: amendments to the Land Use and Circulation Element, Civic
Center Specific Plan, and Zoning Ordinance; and Development
Agreement 07-008
Recommended Action
This report recommends that the City Council:
1. Amend the Land Use and Circulation Element to allow neighborhood serving uses in
the Civic Center Area; (Exhibit D)
2. Amend the Civic Center Specific Plan CCSP related to the proposed housing
development (Exhibit D);
3. Introduce for first reading an Ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance to allow
neighborhood serving uses in the Civic Center Area (Exhibit F) and approving
Development-Agreement 07DA-008-The Civic Center Village Residential Project,
with conditions, requirements and mitigations proposed in the Development
Agreement (found at Exhibit G).
Executive Summary
The Proiect
Site A- Market rate condominiums and
ground floor retail
Site B-Affordable housing, sharing a
common parking garage with A.
Site C-Market rate condominiums on a
stand alone site south of the 1733 Ocean
Avenue
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The proposed Development Agreement for the Civic Center Village (Village) component
of the Civic Center Specific Plan (CCSP) reflects significant community and commission
input and previous City Council direction. The Village will provide the Civic Center area
with 324 residences, 160 affordable and 164 market-rate condominium units, 20,000
square feet of commercial. retail space, public open space and the continuation of
Olympic Drive from Main Street to Ocean Avenue. Public benefits of the proposed
project include:
• 160 Units of affordable housing - 50% of project residences
• LEED Silver Certified Building and Alternative Energy programs
• Affordable Artist Live Work Units and Public Art
• Child Care Contribution of $500,000 towards operating a future Civic Center Child
Care facility in addition to the required Child Care Linkage fee of $92,000
• Open Space, including apublicly-accessible pedestrian street and plaza (Living
Street and Olympic Plaza) and a protected children's play area
• Aggressive Sustainable Transportation Program including Transportation Demand
Management measures, shared parking, and $700,000.00 for transit enhancement
• Infrastructure improvements including Olympic Drive extension and streetscape
In addition to these public benefits the project provides a unique public/private financing
partnership that leverages the Redevelopment Agency-owned land in the Civic Center
to provide for important public benefits. A significant portion, if not all, of the affordable
housing component will be subsidized by the sales proceeds from the market-rate units
in the form of the land value payment from The Related Company to the
Redevelopment Agency. This mechanism reduces the Redevelopment Agency's
financial obligation for affordable housing costs, allowing for a broader range of future
public benefits.
Four community workshops and a' number of public hearings were held before Boards,
Commissions and the City Council during 2006 and 2007 to consider the design for the
Village. The community encouraged design adjustments to the CCSP when design
could enhance public benefits. Based on this input, in August, 2007, the City Council
authorized the developer-design team to explore the location of public open space,
alternative heights, setbacks, and building stepbacks rather than strictly adhering to the
development standards established in the approved 2005 CCSP. In December 2007,
the Council reviewed a revised .concept, and authorized staff to begin. negotiation a
Development Agreement. The current proposal is a refinement of the concept. which the
Council supported in December 2007.
The final design responds to input during the comprehensive pre-submittal review from
staff, the community workshops, the Housing and Recreation and Parks Commissions,
Planning Commission, Architectural Review Board, and City Council. Related made the
following design revisions to address comments received during. the design review
process:
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• Modifications to the site plan to increase open space and improve versatility of the
"Living Street" and Olympic Plaza.
• Site A reduction in mass adjacent to the park, and improved articulation.
• Redistribution in mass from Site A to Site C, providing increased height on the
southwest corner within the context of the adjacent 96 foot high Viceroy Hotel.
• Increased landscape area.
• Greater pedestrian orientation and articulation at the Ocean Avenue sidewalk on
Site C.
Subsequently, Site C was significantly redesigned with:
• Greater height adjacent to the Viceroy hotel to absorb the redistributed mass from
Site A with improved light and air circulation,
• Articulation at street level with pedestrian amenities including plaza and fountain
• Articulation to reduce massing from Ocean Avenue
• Improved views, providing greater opportunity for the market rate condominiums to
fully subsidize the affordable housing.
August 2007 Scheme for Site C
''--~
In November of 2007 staff brought forward the revised design proposal for Site C to a
community Design Update Workshop, where the hew design, noted in the diagram
above, met with support from the community members present, many who had
participated in earlier workshops. In December 2007, the Couhcil approved this
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Site A, early scheme massing
Site A, current proposal improved massing
and articulation ,
November 2007 Scheme for Site C
concept,. and authorized staff to negotiate a Development Agreement and draft CCSP
amendments that would permit the concept.
The Planning Commission reviewed the proposed project at their April 16 meeting and
made the following recommendations to City Council with unanimous support:
1. Market the project to Santa .Monica area employees to support the
Sustainable Transportation Program.
2. Review parking to ensure sufficient parking for restaurants.
3. Maximize alternative energy opportunities without creating a financial burden.
4. Revise Conditions to maximize permeability and mitigate urban run-off.
5. Consider ARB criteria to allow extra height up to 8 feet for solar panels.
6. Continue to try and negotiate a program that includes unbundled parking
without requiring it.
7. Allow closure of Living Street from 11pm to 6 am without physical or visual
barriers.
8. Write deed restriction term to be commensurate with land lease, (99 years).
All of these recommendations have been incorporated into the revised Development
Agreement and Conditions.
Contihuing Negotiation
Staff and the Developer (Related California) have been negotiating a development
agreement that includes a number of public benefits which support the City's
longstanding commitment to improvements to the Civic Center area. The proposed
project meets the intent and goals of the Civic Center Specific Plan by providing for a
vibrant residential community which includes 160 units of affordable housing ih the
City's civic core. The project provides an example of a complete neighborhood, with a
residential community, neighborhood serving retail, open space and public
transportation all within walking distance, as well as providing additional public benefits
that not only support the project and its future residents but which also reflect the City's
values and policies toward supporting affordable child care, artist housing, alternative
energy production and sustainable design and transportation.
As of the writing of the staff report, staff and the Related Company continue to refine the
details of the Sustainable Transportation measures, and the means and amount of
alternative energy provided via solar energy. Staff will report on any further
developments in negotiations oh these points at the May 13th City Council hearing.
Background
This project is located within the Civic Center Specific Plan area. The CCSP sets forth a
vision for the Village Special Use District as a mixed-use, urban neighborhood.
Providing housing in the Village District is an important objective of the CCSP in
addressing citywide housing needs and in transforming the Civic Center from a single-
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purpose district into a vibrant district with daytime and evening activity. The CCSP
identifies the Village District as an urban neighborhood to achieve desired housing in
the Civic Center, while maximizing the total area available for open space, including the
future site of Palisades Garden Walk across Olympic Drive.
Illustrations of the proposed design are provided In the ,Development Agreement
(Attachment G). The following is a summary of key dates in the history of the Civic
Center Specific Plan area:
CCSP History:
1993: CCSP originally adopted;
2000: City's Redevelopment Agency purchased 11.3 acres of property within the
Civic Center from the RAND Corporation;
2002: Conceptual update to CCSP approved; Village District reflected general
height limit of 56 feet, but included one vertical element on southern portion
next to Viceroy Hotel, with height limit of 120 feet;
2005: Update to the CCSP adopted; Village district vertical element on southern
portion of the site was reduced to a height limit of 56 feet, while maintaining
the original housing program of 325 residences.
Village project 2007
June-July: Joint meetings of the City Council and Redevelopment Agency held; City
Council authorized staff to begin Development Agreement negotiations and
approved design concept for the Village that includes a portion of the
building height on Site C not to exceed 96-feet, for the purpose of reducing
some of the massing on Site A per recommendations from Planning
Commission and the Architectural review Board, with remainder of building
not to exceed 65-feet.
November Design Update workshop to discuss project progress subsequent to the
Council authorization to begin DA negotiations, Community supported
revised Site C design and noted over all improvements while asking for
demonstration of how project meets proposed LUCE principles.
December: City Council reviewed updated design concept for the Village which included
revised massing on Site C building with heights varying from 65-96 feet, and
approved this design concept.
A full summary of the public participation of the Village. design process is included in
Attachment B:
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Discussion
Planning Commission Discussion
The Planning Commission considered the project at their April 16, 2008 Public Hearing.
The staff report and attachments may be viewed at:
http://www.smgov.net/planning/commission/agendas/pc2008/ps2008041609-A.pdf .
At the Planning Commission hearing, staff requested specific attention to four areas of
unresolved negotiations:
Transit Enhancement Fee- Staff proposed a $700,000 Transit Enhancement fee
to be used to support alternate modes of transportation resulting in additional
reduction of vehicle trips city-wide. Related proposed providing $350,000 in light.
of the overall project budget. Trip reduction strategies supported by these funds
would include but not be limited to:
• Subsidy to the Big Blue Bus (BBB). operations for the approximately 248
estimated daily bus rides generated by this project. (Projected estimates
show the City will provide a total of over $1.76 million in transit subsidy to
serve the project residents over the 20 year term of the DA- assuming 5
days a week of bus travel and an average yearly increase in BBB
operating costs of 3%, and current subsidy of one dollar per ride.)
• Fund potential future Civic Center transit enhancements such as a shuttle
to the downtown parking structures from the Civic Center Area,
• "Eco-passes" or free transit passes
• .Added bus routes
• An organized "children to school" program..
Prior to the meeting Related agreed to provide the full transit enhancement fee.
2. Unbundling of Parking Spaces;- Staff proposed additional trip reduction via
marketing parking spaces separately from condominiums (unbundling of parking
spaces). Related did not support this concept due to concerns about perceptions
of reduced market value for units without parking.
The Planning Commission was divided on the issues of "unbundled parking" and
recommended that staff and Related continue to pursue opportunities to allow
this progressive measure, while recognizing Related's concerns. The revised DA
language provides for the option of unbundled parking rather than a requirement,
and provides supportive measures to allow the future possibility such as leasing
options and opportunities for future re-consideration of parking operations.
3. Alternative Energy: Staff proposed provision of 200kW of alternative energy
provided with photovoltaics. Related has proposed to provide 100 KWh of
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photovoltaics, noting that the project budget has not included the cost of
alternative energy generation because the original fuel cell concept was to be
paid for by Sempra Energy. Related has concerns that the project budget will not
support the full 200 kW of photovoltaics.
The Planning Commission recognized the financial implications of additional
photovoltaic panels, but supported the concept of maximizing alternative energy
where financially feasible, suggesting the pursuit of a tax district or some other
mechanism to provide funding for alternative energy. The DA language has
been revised to reflect this, providing for a minimum of 200kW if financially
feasible, with the opportunity fora Minor Modification to no less than 100 kW with
the provision that infrastructure be provided to allow for a additional panels in the
future.
4. Pedestrian Access to the Living Street:- Staff proposed night-time pedestrian
access to the Living Street to support the concept of the Living Street as public
open space. The Developer requested .the right to close the Living Street to
public access between 11 pm and 6 am.
The Planning Commission supported Related's request to close the Living Street
between the hours of 11pm and 6 am with provision that no physical or visual
barrier be used to do so. The DA language has been revised to reflect this.
Building Design
Building Massing Envelope and Program: The project proposes six residential buildings
with approximately 324 residences, and approximately 20,000 square feet of
commercial retail located on Site A and Site C. The following describes units, height
and square footage per site:
Site A: Two condominium buildings, with ground floor retail on Ocean Avenue, Olympic
Drive and Main Street frontages with approximately 66 residences
Up to 65 feet high; measured form Ocean Avenue sidewalk
109, 346 gross square feet, (GSF) of residential, 9,930 GSF retail
180 subterranean parking spaces
Site B: Four affordable apartment buildings, with ground-floor live/work space;
Approximately 28 one-bedroom, 56 two-bedroom, and 66 three-bedroom
residences, plus 10 affordable units of live/work space intended for artists
Height - Up to 60 feet high measured form the Ocean Avenue sidewalk.
191, 549 GSF square feet
197 parking spaces
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Site C: One condominium building, with ground floor retail; and approximately 98 one-
bedroom and two-bedroom residences;
Up to 96 feet high;
159,288 GSF -residential, 7,400 GSF retail
237 total spaces;. 13 of those spaces at grade.
The following diagram shows the range of building heights and set backs
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o~emang
zi tT_+3 ko ovzrhang w 51E B
Design Review Process and Negotiation
Designing within the parameters set by City Council direction, the Related Company
development team participated in a thorough pre-submittal design review with City staff
involving the site plan, pedestrian orientation, vehicle access, building massing, and
design equity for rental housing.
Site Ptan: In response to early staff comments regarding maintaining the broad axes
which reflect the intent of the CCSP, the early concept plan was revised to provide:
• A clearer north-south. axis while accommodating the more predominant design
element of the east-west Living Street axis.
• The public plaza was enlarged to reflect the community comments and enhance
the relationship with the future Palisades Garden Walk across the street.
o The location of entrances and community uses on Site B were re-arranged to
provide for a greater sense of community space.
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North South Axis
Olympic Plaza
Site B Community
Building Articulation: The design teams spent considerable effort on refining the
massing for both Site A and C both before and after the pre-submittal process
Site A-To accommodate the desired housing program within the height limit, while
maintaining a sense of pedestrian scale and open space, the development-
design team and City staff have focused attention on articulation and design
detail to vary the overall massing of Site A along Olympic Drive. The designers
provided the buildings with stepbacks, balconies and off-set top floors to create
volumetric variation and maintain a pedestrian scale at street level. The final
design reduces the massing on Site A and transfers some of the condominium
square footage to Site C which was entirely re-envisioned during the process.
Site C- This site was redesigned several times, initially to provide a small public plaza
to improve pedestrian orientation on Ocean Avenue, and in its current design
with three building elements separated by open space, to provide greater light
and air both from the pedestrian perspective and from upper floor units.
Site C
Pedestrian orientation: The design teams paid particular attention to pedestrian access
throughout the site.
• The 20 foot wide required fire access was reconfigured to use Olympic Plaza so
that .the western portion of the Living Street could develop a lusher landscape
identity per the direction of City Council with additional trees and more generous
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planting areas.
• The interior elevation for Site A was refined to improve pedestrian orientation at
the ground floor and provide for a simpler layer of privacy screens.
• The architect redesigned the ground floor building height at Site A and Ocean
Avenue to allow for a greater floor to floor height to improve the base proportion
and create more flexible retail space.
• The ground floor of site C was redesigned at staff's request,. resulting in an
articulated store frorit system and a small public plaza with a fountain, and a
central lobby area that allows pass through to the surface commercial parking,
and anchor retail, on the north and south corners of the site.
Skybridge.• The skybridge was reduced in scale at staff's request and narrowed by 10
feet to improve the overall massing perception from the park and to increase the access
of light and air to the Site B affordable residences.
Landscaping: The landscaping throughout the site has been increased and made lusher
in response to the direction from staff, the City Council, and the Recreation and Parks
and Planning Commissions and the Architectural Review Board. Staff believes that the
landscape design could be further increased and enhanced to meet the stated intent to
provide an environment reminiscent of the bluffs and Santa Monica and Venice walk
streets. Condition #1 has been included to address this concern at ARB review.
Design equity among buildings: The design team responded to staff comments about
maintaining visual equity among affordable and market rate buildings by varying
materials and redesigning facades. A significant method for achieving visual equity is
the use of materials and finish quality which will be specified at the Architectural Review
Board review.
Access and Parkina:
Pedestrian Access: The design of the Living Street pedestrian walk street allows for
both a lively neighborhood street enhanced with artists studios which can open to the
street, and the more formal pedestrian promenade along the tree-lined Olympic Drive
extension. The key pedestrian experience of Site C is the Ocean Avenue sidewalk
which will provide a double row of trees in the center of the sidewalk as well as a small
public plaza with a water feature at the entrance to the building,
Parking and vehicle access for Sites A and 8: The Village is proposed to include two
subterranean parking garages. One garage is shared by Site A and Site B, with a total
of 377 parking spaces including residential parking for market rate units and affordable
units, and shared parking for commercial and required guest spaces. The CCSP allows
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for a parking analysis to be conducted to determine the appropriate parking. The
parking demand study provided by the applicant and completed in March 2008 shows
that existing similarly structured affordable projects in the downtown areas do not utilize
all the spaces built, thus the total number of spaces required by the Development
Agreement for the affordable housing component is 56 spaces less than the Zoning
Ordinance standard. If the Coastal Commission should require that the project be
parked to the current Zoning Ordinance standard, the Planning and Community
Development Director may make a minor modification to the Development Agreement
to allow for the additional 56 spaces to be built. Staff recommends that the City Council
support the number of parking spaces demonstrated by the demand study in keeping
with the. centrally located site with immediate access to non-single occupancy vehicle
alternate modes of transportation, and the expressed community values to support
sustainable development with multi-modal transportation.
Parking and vehicle access for Site C: Site C provides 13 at grade parking spaces
entered from Vincente Terrace and 237 spaces in a subterranean parking structure
entered from First Court Alley: This garage also provides shared parking between
commercial and guest spaces.
Public Benefits
In addition to addressing the goals of the CCSP and City policies which provide
affordable housing, the proposed design also addresses community values expressed
in the concurrent Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) update effort to provide
complete neighborhoods and reduce traffic by designing for pedestrian orientation and
alternate modes of transportation. The following public benefits reflect how the project
addresses the goals of the CCSP, City Policies, and the community goals which- have
been raised in the LUCE Update process.
• Affordable Housing: The proposed program achieves the CCSP goal of 160
affordable housing units. The proposed development promotes the City's long
standing policy of maintaining a diverse resident population by ensuring. a
significant amount of affordable housing is incorporated into this development,
including family housing and live-work housing suitable for artists. The diversity
of housing within this development provides the opportunity to use the value of
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the market-rate component to subsidize the cost of constructing the affordable
component, thereby minimizing or eliminating the need for additional housing
trust fund investment into the Village.
• Sustainable Design and Alternative Energy programs: The proposed
development will be a minimum of LEED Silver certified and will include
sustainable elements involving building design and materials, onsite energy
generation from photovoltaic systems and energy savings due to green energy
design, energy and water use reduction strategies, and recycling of construction
and consumer waste. The DA requires that the project exceed Title 24 energy
efficiency requirements by a 30% target and that it aim to provide 200 kilowatts of
power via alternative energy systems.
• Public open space: In the early community workshops the community requested
that the open space allocation be reconsidered to allow for a more publicly
accessible plaza and protected play area for children who are residents of the
project. The proposed project addresses this with the Living Street design, which
includes a central plaza with a strong connection to Olympic Drive and Palisades
Garden Walk and apedestrian-only walk street through the site from Main Street
to Ocean Avenue, integrating the public and private with pedestrian access and
landscaping to provide a wide range of interactive opportunities on the site. The
proposed plan programs a public plaza connecting the future Palisades Garden
Walk and an east-west walk-street, named the Living Street, as the public open
space and primary pedestrian access through the site.
The community and commissions input also indicated a preference that interior
portions of the site be designed as protected open space, for use by the families
occupying the adjacent housing. The proposed plan locates protected open
space in the interior of the Village site plan, and conceives this space as a series
of outdoor areas that take advantage of the sloping grade, oriented toward the
family housing as terraced gardens and protected play areas for families and
children.
• Public Art and Affordable Artist Live Work Units: The design team includes two
public artists. who participated in the community design meetings, and have
developed designs which contribute to the community experience. There are two
public art pieces onsite, located at major pedestrian entrances. Pulse, to be
located at the western entrance to the Living Street, allows participants to see
their pulse rate transferred to ripples on the surface of a pool as a metaphor for a
community "heart spring', and ECHO, located at the entrance to the Olympic
Plaza transfers sounds from waves at Santa Monica Pier to a light projection on
the underside of the skybridge over the Plaza entry. The Arts Commission
provided positive .feedback at their February 25, 2008 meeting and unanimous
support for the concepts. The concepts will be refined and return to the Arts
Commission for final approval prior to building permit issuance. In addition to the
onsite art pieces, the developer is making the required contribution of
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approximately $540,000 to be in compliance with the Developer Cultural Arts
ordinance.
The affordable housing component includes 10 units of live/work space for which
artists will receive priority. for occupancy. The live/work spaces are located on
the ground floor with large studio doors opening onto the Living Street to activate
the pedestrian space and allow for open studio tours and .visual arts business
opportunities.
• Child Care Fee: To comply with the Child Care Linkage Program ordinance, the
project will provide the required Child Care Linkage Fee of approximately
$92,000 for capital expenditures related to childcare. In anticipation of the
families with young children who will become residents of the project and will
utilize the future Civic Center Early Childhood Care Facility, the developer will
also contribute an additional $500,000 to be used for design, construction,
operation and /or maintenance related to the new facility.
• Sustainable Transportation Measures: In keeping with the community concerns
expressed in the LUCE update process, the project is designed to minimize
vehicle trips to and from the site. A minimum of 50% of the retail uses on site will
be neighborhood- serving, and the project utilizes shared parking between
commercial and residential guest uses. The project will participate in a
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program that has a performance
target to reduce trips auto trips anticipated by the EIR by 35%. The TDM
Program will be monitored on a bi-annual basis to determine if the identified
measures are achieving this goal and, if not, the TDM Program will be revised as
feasible in an effort to attain compliance. In addition to the TDM program, the
project has extensive provisions for bicycle use, including onsite storage for more
than 100 bicycles for residents and employees.
• Transit Enhancement Fee: The developer will contribute a $700,000 Transit
Enhancement fee for programs such as subsidies to the Big Blue Bus service
enhancements to the Civic Center area, school-based transportation programs,
and/or a potential Civic Center Shuttle to connect the Civic Center area„ with
downtown and Main Street and a free transit pass program.
• Infrastructure Improvements: The proposed project includes the extension of
Olympic Drive from Main Street to Ocean Avenue to match the alignment of the
existing section of Olympic Drive from Fourth Street to Main Street. Olympic
.Drive is an important element in dividing the current Civic Center "superblock"
and will reduce congestion at Ocean Avenue intersections; both providing
significantly improved local access to Interstate 10 and direct access to and from
the project site. These infrastructure improvements will include signalization at
the intersections of Olympic Drive with Main Street and Ocean Avenue; new
sidewalks, landscaping and irrigation as reflected. in the project plans.. Project.
infrastructure improvements will also include the creation of a new east-west
alley north of 1733 Ocean Avenue, improvements to First Court Alley and. the
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east-west alley south of 1733 Ocean Avenue, streetscape on Ocean Avenue and
Main Street, and monetary contribution towards the future Ocean Avenue median
depicted in the CCSP.
Provisions of the Development Agreement
In addition the public benefits and urban design of the project, the Development
Agreement includes a number of other provisions. The following is a summary of the
key negotiated provisions:
• Article 2.8 Alcoholic beverage permits: The DA authorizes up to 17,500 square
feet of interior alcohol serving uses (with up to 3,000 square feet of adjacent
outdoor dining area) which shall be subject to Conditional Use Permit approval.
• Article 2.12 (b) Building height measurement: The building height shall be
measured for existing grade on Ocean Avenue (54.9' above sea level for Sites A
and B and 50' for Site C) for the purposes of both the Fire and Planning and
Community Development Departments.
• Article 3.1 (b) Vesting Period: The right to develop shall be vested for five years
after the date of the approval. with permitted extensions of one year for Sites A
and B (total 6 years)and 2.5 years for Site C (7.5 years) to be granted by the
Director of Planning and Community Development
• Article 10 Term: The term of the Development Agreement shall be 20 years.
• Article 2.13 Infrastructure financing: The Development Agreement sets forth the
option, at the Developer's request, to consider establishing a tax district to
finance the infrastructure improvements in accordance with the Mello-Roos
Community Financing Act of 1982 or equivalent financing provisions as
permitted.
• Article 3.2 (a) Minor Modifications: The developer may make minor modifications
to this agreement with the approval of the Director of Planning and Community
Development without requiring a formal amendment process for the following:
o Revision of TDM measures
o Modifications to the number of parking spaces to comply with Coastal
Commission approval requirements
o Reduction of solar voltaic kilowatt hours to meet the design
requirements of the ARB, and or financial feasibility if necessary.
o Modifications required by new technical building requirements.
o Waiver or reduction of building inspection fees for Site B buildings.
o Reduction of up to 1 % of overall public open space.
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Amendments to the LUCE, CCSP and ZO
LUCE: The Land Use and Circulation Element will be amended to include the proposed
uses of affordable housing and neighborhood serving uses in the Civic Center Area.
CCSP: While the intent and goals of the CCSP are met by the project, certain specifics
of the CCSP standards need to be modified to allow for the design parameters of the
proposed project as informed by the community process. The key aspects of the CCSP
which must be amended are as follows:
Background -Amended to include the community and design processes
for the Village project.
The Vision and Open Space-Amended to include the Living Street and
Olympic Plaza as a replacement for the Village Green and mews.
Development Standards for the Village Special Use District-Amended to
include:
•A revised site plan which incorporates the Living Street and Olympic
Plaza and a relocation of the specific building
• Number of market rate units per site
• Location of neighborhood serving uses to be distributed throughout the
site
• Setbacks slightly modified to reduce the street frontage setback to
allow greater open space between buildings on the site interior.
• Stepbacks and height modified to allow for providing the required
number of units within an acceptable building profile
• Height modified to allow for 65 feet in height on Sites A and B on Site
C 68 feet in height stepping up to 96 feet high adjacent to the equally
high Viceroy hotel.
Zoning Ordinance: The Zoning Ordinance requires a technical amendment to include
the proposed uses of affordable housing and neighborhood serving uses in the Civic
Center Area and to allow as conditionally permitted uses to include public recreational
and visitor-serving uses such as hotels and commercial recreational uses, restaurants,
and private offices.
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Public Correspondence
Public correspondence is included in Exhibit A.
Previous Council Actions
The City Council has reviewed this specific project in broad concept form on two
occasions in 2007, as summarized in the "Background" section above and in
Attachment B
Previous Actions
Previous Board and Commission Actions are summarized in the Background section of
this report. Specific comments from these meetings are contained in Attachment C.
Environmental Analysis
An Addendum to the October 2004 CCSP EIR (certified in June 2005) was prepared for
consideration with the previous document: The proposed project was analyzed
pursuant to CEQA to determine if the changes to the project would result in any
additional significant impacts other that those analyzed the EIR. The key areas of
evaluation were Aesthetics, with particular attention to shade and shadow in relation the
changes in building envelope, and Traffic Circulation due to the shift from two vehicular
access points for sites A and B, one on Olympic Drive and one on Ocean Avenue, to
one access only from First Court Alley off of Ocean Avenue. The analysis showed that
there would be no additional significant impacts. The EIR Addendum is included in
Attachment F. The City Council is required to consider this addendum with the 2005
CCSP EIR prior to acting on the project.
Public Outreach
Notice of the proposed City Council hearing and ordinance language was published a
minimum of 10 days prior to the hearing in The Santa Monica Daily Press.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The project provides a unique public/private financing partnership that leverages the
Redevelopment Agency-owned land in the Civic Center to provide for public benefits.
This model allows the sale of the market-rate units to contribute to the land value
payment from The Related Company to the Redevelopment Agency to fund a significant
portion, if not all, of the cost of constructing the affordable housing component.
The project must have all entitlements including Coastal Commission approval in place
prior to the October 2008 Multifamily Housing Program funding deadline in order to
qualify for approximately $10 million dollars of assistance for the affordable housing
component. Extending the project's entitlement timeline beyond the funding application
deadline of October would likely result in failure to secure the MHP funding for the
affordable housing component, thereby requiring an additional City subsidy to make the
project financially feasible.
The proposed Development Agreement, with staff recommended amendments, will
have a positive fiscal impact on the City, in that the project will provide contributions of
$592,000 to child care and $700,000 to enhanced public transit and transit programs,
and an approximate $540,000 Developer Arts contribution towards capital funding for
arts and culture, and will provide 160 units of affordable housing subsidized by the
market rate development, therefore reducing the City's overall affordable. housing
obligation.
In addition, there will be long term energy cost savings for the future residents for the
buildings with alternative energy systems.
Alternative Actions
The City Council could take one of following alternative actions:
1. Disapprove the project, LUCE, CCSP and ZO amendments, or EIR addendum
based o revised findings:
2. Continue the item for additional information and discussion.
17
Conclusion
Based on broad community outreach, Board, Commission and City Council input to
date, the comprehensive design review and project analysis, Staff recommends that the
City Council consider Addendum to the 2005 CCSP EIR, approve the LUCE, CCSP and
ZO amendments, and the Civic Center Village Residential project with the following
findings and the requirements and conditions provided in the recommended
Development Agreement language.
Development Agreement Findings
The proposed Development Agreement is consistent with the objectives, policies,
general land uses and programs specified in the general plan and the Civic Center
Specific plan, in that the proposed project is consistent with the Civic Center Specific
Open Space Policies OS-12 to provide a network of pathways and promenades, OS-
13 to create continuity in the network of and bicycle pathways through the Civic
Center in that the proposed project will provide pedestrian access through the Civic
Center site, create a large public plaza at Olympic Drive and small public plaza on
Ocean Avenue, and will provide restaurants to serve residents, and will address
Land Use Element Objective 1.5.4 which aims to "encourage day and night with
pedestrian activity along the street frontages on Main Street and Ocean Avenue" by
incorporating restaurants in the project.
2. The proposed Development Agreement is compatible with the uses authorized in the
district in which the real property is located, in that the subject property is located in
the CCSP district which allows for the development of a residential village to include
a minimum of 324 units with a minimum of 160 affordable units within a setting which
will enhance and enliven the Civic Center Area and addresses the CCSP policies.
related to housing circulation and open space. The CCSP Development Standards
addressing the Village Special Use District, VD-1, location of residential units, VD-2
density of residential units, VD-3 and VD-5 development of 160 affordable units, and
VD-6, development of up to 20,000 square feet of commercial uses are all
specifically addressed in the proposed development.
3. The proposed Development Agreement, with staff recommended amendments, is in
conformity with the public necessity, public convenience, general welfare, and good
land use practices, in that it implements the vision established by the Civic Center
Specific Plan for the construction of a residential use in the CCSP district which will
include 160 units of affordable housing and provide additional public benefits
including: public art, 10 units of artist live/work space, alternative energy production
and sustainable building design and transportation measures as outlined in CCSP
Sustainability policies S-1, S-2 and S-4 to "Establish a compact and mixed-use
18
pattern of development that reduces dependence on the automobile and that
enhances viability of other transportation modes...that are less consumptive of non-
renewable resources" and S-10 "Employ green building practices...", as well as
contributions of $500,000 to child care and $700,000 to enhanced public transit.
4. The proposed Development Agreement, will not be detrimental to the health, safety
and general welfare, in that it allows the development of uses that are consistent
with the CCSP -land use designation, which allows for the development of a
residential Village and neighborhood serving uses as well as providing both
pedestrian and vehicular circulation through the former "superblock", and for which
the proposed sustainability measures of green building, public transit incentives and
improved circulation have the potential to enhance quality of life in Santa Monica.
5. The proposed Development Agreement will enhance the orderly development of the
property, in that the Development Agreement facilitates planning and development
by granting vested rights to the developer as permitted under the Development
Agreement Statutes.
6. The proposed Development Agreement, with staff recommended amendments, will
have a positive fiscal impact on the City, in that the project will provide contributions
of $500,000 to child care and $700,000 to enhanced public transit and transit
programs and will provide 160 units of affordable housing cross subsidized by the
market rate development which therefore reduces the City's affordable housing
obligation.
Prepared by: Sarah Lejeune, Senior Planner, AICP
Approved:
Development
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Exhibit G
Forwarded to Council:
Public Correspondence
Public Participation in Village Project
Boards and Commission's 2007 Actions
Draft LUCE, CCSP and ZO Amendments
EIR Addendum
Ordinance Approving Development Agreement
Draft Development Agreement (including renderings, project plans)
1g
Reference
Resolution Nos.
10286 (CCS) and
~ o2a~ ~ccs~.
Additional
attachments
available for review
in the City Clerk's
Office.