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Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: November 24, 2009
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning and Community Development
Subject: Release of the Draft Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE)
Recommended Action
Staff study session concurrent with the release of the Draft Land Use and Circulation
Element (LUCE) will provide an overview of the document, given its comprehensive
nature, to inform City Council and the community and increase an understanding of its
contents in advance of the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report in early
January.
Executive Summary
This comprehensive Draft Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Attachment A, is
being released in advance of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that will
released in January 2010, to provide the community with the opportunity to become
familiar with the strategies, goals and policies of the LUCE. The Draft LUCE serves as
the proposed project for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) purposes. The
Draft LUCE has evolved through several years of community involvement and extensive
feedback, most recently on the Strategy Framework and several subsequent
workshops. During June and July, 2008, the City Council reviewed and endorsed the
principals of the LUCE Strategy Framework and directed staff to proceed with the
necessary environmental, economic and transportation analysis.
The Draft LUCE encompasses the community's vision for Santa Monica's future. It
reflects the community's ongoing dialogue concerning the desired look and feel of the
City over a 20 year horizon. Based on the goals and values of the community, the
LUCE provides along-term framework for decision making far into the future. The eight
framework elements that form the core of LUCE are: Neighborhood Conservation;
Integrated Land Use and Transportation; Proactive Congestion Management; Complete
Communities; Community Benefits; Quality Urban Character and Form; Preservation of
Historic Resources; and Managing Change/Measuring Success (Attachment B). The
LUCE provides flexibility for changes in the City's economy and land use, and
establishes criteria and measurements for periodically assessing how well the
community's goals are being met. It is designed to maintain the character of the City,
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conserve the neighborhoods, manage the transportation system and encourage
additional housing in a sustainable manner that ensures a high quality of living now and
in the future. This long-range planning document sets forth integrated land use,
transportation, urban design, sustainability, and housing goals, policies, and actions for
the City.
Background
In May 2008 the City of Santa Monica Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE)
Strategy Framework document was released. The document was the culmination of
over ayear-and-a-half of community dialogue and a dozen well-attended topical
community workshops. Following the release of the document, Planning Commission
and then City Council conducted a series of study sessions and 18 public hearings to
review the contents of the framework and provide direction for the development of a
draft and final LUCE. On July 22 and 24, 2008 City Council endorsed principles of the
LUCE Strategy Framework and directed staff to proceed with the environmental,
economic and transportation analysis. Additionally, .City Council provided specific
direction regarding a number of issues for refinement, including reduced heights along
the boulevards and districts, revised distribution of uses, revisions to the boundaries of
particular districts, and advancing policies to address affordable housing. Additionally,
Council requested detailed analysis of neighborhood conservation strategies, feasibility
of the Community Benefits approach and detailed transportation analysis.
A tremendous amount of additional LUCE-related planning and program development
has taken place since the release of the Strategy Framework. The integrated planning
process that has taken place since the release of the Strategy Framework has been
incorporated into this Draft LUCE document and is described below.
• Development of a Transportation Demand Model: A key LUCE theme is for the
City to manage the transportation system in ways that serve community goals by
proactively and effectively limiting the growth to auto traffic. Development of a
transportation demand model is critical to the LUCE goal of "No Net New PM Peak
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Hour Trips" by proactively managing and phasing change. On September 23, 2008
City Council directed staff to proceed with the development of a model that could be
used for both monitoring the ongoing performance of the transportation system and
for use as a forecasting tool in performing the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) evaluation of the draft LUCE, supplementing the standard evaluation
required by the City's adopted methodology. A comprehensive land use analysis,
including collection and verification of actual parcel-level data, has been completed
and inputted into the transportation demand model
• Expo Light Rail/ Downtown/ Civic Center Planning Actions Supporting the
LUCE Vision: Significant activity has been underway on the items that require
immediate action to take advantage of Exposition Light Rail timing. This work
capitalizes on the confluence of the Expo Light Rail station at Colorado Avenue and
4th Street with long-term planning for the Civic Center/Downtown; it sets the
framework for future enhancement of each district by emphasizing connectivity and
circulation, open space, and shared parking. An integrated framework for the
Downtown/Civic Center area was presented to the City Council on March 24, 2009
followed by a community workshop on May 11, 2009. Subsequently, actions have
focused on the development of a transit gateway and pedestrian connections,
exploration of freeway capping, a comprehensive parking study and a circulation
analysis. The concepts developed through this work have been incorporated into the
Draft LUCE document.
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• Neighborhood Conservation: A citywide community workshop was held on June 2,
2009, to discuss conservation tools and strategies for the City's distinctive
neighborhoods. The workshop encouraged neighborhood residents to identify the
special attributes of their neighborhoods and build understanding of the range of
methods and tools for addressing conservation priorities. This topic was discussed
with City Council at a July 14, 2009 meeting. The Draft LUCE incorporates
strategies and approaches that respond to the community's issues by outlining both
citywide and specific neighborhood goals, policies and actions that aim to preserve
the scale, character and quality of life of the existing neighborhoods.
• Community Benefits: The community's vision of desired community benefits has
evolved through an extensive participation process. On July 7, 2009., a workshop
was held to engage the community in a discussidn of community needs and
benefits. Participants responded to the questions "what makes a livable city?" and
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Freeway capping between Downtown and the Civic Center
"what serves the community's core needs." The Draft LUCE document has refined
the approach of a lower permitted ("by right") base development with tiers to
encourage the provision of various community needs for development that seeks to
build above the base height. Community Benefits include: affordable housing,
workforce housing, community physical improvements, arts and culture,
transportation demand management (TDM) and historic preservation. Economic
analysis of a range of development scenarios was conducted to confirm that the
community benefits concept is realistic and economically feasible.
• Environmental Review Process: Preparation of the LUCE Environmental Impact
Report (EIR) is underway, with a Notice of Preparation (NOP) distributed and a
community-wide scoping meeting held on May 18, 2009. The Draft EIR is anticipated
for release in early January 2010, followed by a proscribed circulation period for
public comment. After receiving and incorporating public comments into the Final
EIR, a series of public hearings will be scheduled in spring 2010, prior to certification
of the Final EIR and adoption of LUCE.
Discussion
The LUCE presents the community's vision for the City's future. The LUCE offers a way
to actively manage the City and its critical resources -land use, housing, transportation,
arts and cultural elements, economics, natural environment - in a holistic and
sustainable manner that promotes a great quality of life now and in the future. The
LUCE is an innovative framework where community values are given physical form.
Reshaping traditional planning approaches, the LUCE translates the community's desire
for preserving the City's unique character and identity into goals and policies for
carefully limiting and controlling growth. It is also through the mechanism of LUCE that
the City can translate longstanding sustainability goals into land use policy, primarily
through the integration of land use and transportation and congestion management
measures. The holistic planning approach unites environmental, land use, economic,
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transportation, social and cultural concerns into a single flexible framework for decision
making. Key aspects of the plan are summarized below.
The LUCE is a Conservation Plan: The LUCE provides both citywide and specific
neighborhood goals, policies and actions that aim to preserve the .quality of life of the
existing neighborhoods. The plan protects the residential areas from the intrusion of
incompatible new development through the introduction of neighborhood conservation
strategies to maintain their scale, quality and uniqueness. The Plan not only focuses on
conserving the City's residential neighborhoods but also local-serving commercial areas
such as Main Street and Montana Avenue and the City's open spaces, beach and
oceanfront. The LUCE proposes both incentives and restraints designed to redirect
residential investment pressure away from existing neighborhoods through the creation
of significant new housing opportunities in selected transit-accessible areas on the
boulevards and near the Expo light .rail stations. This strategy concurrently transitions
regional commercial growth into local-serving uses and housing. Only a limited amount
of land area is identified for change, with the goal of conserving the existing character
and scale of over 96% of the City. Several of the specific strategies included:
Aggressive neighborhood conservation strategies designed to give residents more
input over the type of changes occurring in their neighborhoods. The plan proposes
neighborhood conservation overlay districts, new demolition requirements and
development standards to address ground level open space, including courtyard-
type housing.
• New buildings on the boulevards will respect the existing neighborhoods by stepping
down, i.e. reducing building height and mass, adjacent to the neighborhoods.
• The plan calls for new buildings over a low "base" height to undergo discretionary
approval and provide benefit to the community.
Integrating Transportation and Land use: The plan strategically focuses new
development along the City's commercial transit corridors and near Expo light rail
stations in order to substantially reduce future work, shopping and residential trips. It
provides for enhancement of pedestrian and bicycle facilities and improved connectivity
among neighborhoods. The LUCE directs the future change towards the Downtown,
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Bergamot Transit Village and Mixed Use Creative Districts. Downtown is the hub of
citywide Big Blue Bus service and destination for multiple Metro Rapid lines, and will
soon be the terminus of the Expo Light Rail line. Bergamot Transit Village, Mixed Use
Creative and Memorial Park districts lie within close walking distance (1/4 mile or less)
of future Expo Stations, which will be hubs of additional bus service, and shuttles to
Santa Monica College, the hospitals, and other key destinations. As the industrial lands
hold some of the City's most underutilized land and largest parcels, change that occurs
there can be directed to create complete neighborhoods, having a far reaching positive
impact across the City, and meeting the State's climate change goals.
Expo Light Rail on Colorado Avenue
Congestion Management: The goal of "No Net New Evening Peak Period Trips" is the
basis for a range of strategies to address the challenging issue of future congestion. It
is one of the most urgent and difficult issues for the City to address. All along the
boulevards and in the districts, the LUCE incorporates Transportation Demand
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Management (TDM) strategies designed to reduce auto travel demand and incentivize
alternative modes of travel, such as transit, walking and biking. The LUCE strategy to
reduce regional-serving office and commercial will have substantial trip reduction
benefits. Additionally, the strategy of concentrating uses in strategically located activity
centers enable the creation of TDM districts where businesses can participate in shared
vanpooling and carpooling, incentives for transit use among employees and customers,
and other effective TDM strategies that will reduce resource consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions. Quality urban design that emphasizes pedestrian entries,
open and visible businesses, and gathering spaces complements the TDM districts as
they reorient the auto-focused boulevards toward complete streets. These strategies
should all work together to make the goal of no net new evening peak period trips
attainable.
Increased Housing -Affordable and Workforce: The overarching goal of the LUCE
housing policy is to create significant new additional affordable housing opportunities
where little or none currently exist. These new housing opportunities are to be
associated with transit in a manner that enhances sustainability, creates "complete
neighborhoods" and provides easy access to local services. LUCE incentivizes the
creation of new housing opportunities, especially affordable and workforce housing, in
selected transit accessible areas such as in Bergamot Transit Village, along the City's
boulevards and in activity centers. It establishes a "by right" base height of
development to 32 feet (or less in some parts of the City) and requires a discretionary
process for projects over the base, incorporating community benefits, particularly
affordable and workforce housing units.
Complete Communities: The LUCE promotes the creation of "complete
neighborhoods" that contain housing, jobs, shopping and services within walking
distance. New housing opportunities will be located in mixed-use buildings along the
boulevards and in the districts with neighborhood-serving uses such as grocery stores,
drug stores, and other daily needs. Local retail will be strengthened by access to
patrons from the boulevard and surrounding residential neighborhoods. The "complete
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neighborhoods" approach exemplifies sustainable living practices with open spaces,
green connections, quality pedestrian environments, enhanced bicycle facilities and
inviting gathering places. Attractive mixed-use centers located by transit will allow
residents to live near work. Welcoming sidewalks and bikeways .will connect
neighborhoods. A diverse mix of income levels and convenience services, ranging from
childcare to senior care, will be encouraged. Complete neighborhoods will reduce
vehicle trips and address congestion, air quality and the collective community's carbon
footprint over the next 20 years.
Complete Community Illustration
Sustainability: Recent state legislation (AB32 and SB375) addresses the need for
jurisdictions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and take an active role in
meeting regional Sustainability goals through integrated land use and transportation
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planning. Guidance has been provided for the ways in which a jurisdiction can plan and
work toward reducing the growth in vehicle travel, a major source of greenhouse gas
emissions. The LUCE strategically addresses climate change through its goals and
policies that focus development near transit, creating "complete neighborhoods" and
encouraging alternatives to auto travel. The plan address the social aspects of
sustainable development with goals and policies to significantly increase the amount of
affordable and workforce housing, improving the jobs to housing ratio and supporting
the creation of "complete neighborhoods." It supports a long-term sustainable
economy with a focus on green jobs and technology. The LUCE also acknowledges the
importance of a fiscally healthy city with a strong economy. Land use and
transportation recommendations support economically sound and sustainable growth in
the future. They specifically encourage the economic sectors which support community
services, the healthcare and creative arts industries, and businesses that contribute to
the City's uniqueness.
Phasing/ Rate of Change/ Measuring and Implementation: The LUCE embodies a
long-range view, looking to the next 20 years with an integrated vision for land use and
transportation rooted in sustainability and careful growth management so that the City
can move aggressively toward reducing our resource consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions and monitoring our progress towards achieving congestion reduction goals.
The LUCE provides for monitoring that not ohly includes the amount, rate, type, location
and quality of change, but also for periodic review of a range of trends and indicators
tied to crucial LUCE goals. As this new information and insight is gained, the City is
able to respond and adapt the-plan as necessary to advance the community's goals.
This approach recognizes that solutions require both oversight and fluidity to respond to
changing conditions. After adoption, the community has a central role in the Plan's
implementation. Residents will be actively engaged in:
• Development of a series of area plans
• Development of neighborhood conservation programs
• Review of proposed activity center development
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• Review of proposed community benefits for new development
• Development of historic preservation programs
• Early review of development applications
• Monitoring of the Plan's progress
The LUCE establishes a base height, above which public review is required, which will
increase the opportunity for the public to review and provide input to projects. This will
allow for community input at public hearings and meetings, including input earlier in the
process during the concept stage of design when input can be most meaningfully
incorporated into subsequent project revisions. Public input is critical in achieving the
quality improvements and design sensitive to local concerns and context.
Commission Action
The LUCE document was presented and discussed at the November 18, 2009 Planning
Commission meeting. Comments will be presented to City Council as part of the
presentation.
Environmental Analysis
The Draft EIR is anticipated to be released in early January, 2010, followed by a public
comment period. The Final EIR will include revisions and response to public comments,
and a Mitigation Monitoring Program (MMP) that will guide implementation and
monitoring of feasible mitigation measures proposed in the EIR. Prior to adoption of a
Final EIR and approval of a new Land Use and Circulation Element, the City will hold
public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The transmittal of the Draft LUCE does not have any direct budget or fiscal impact.
Prepared by: Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director, Planning and Community Development
Francie Stefan, Manager, Strategic Planning Division
roved: Forwarded to Council:
ileen Fogarty / L/mont Ew
Director, Plannin & Commu ' y qty Manager
Development
Attachment A: Santa Monica Draft Land Use & Circulation Element (Nov 2009)
Available in electronic form
Attachment B: Eight Framework Elements-the Core of LUCE Sustainable Planning
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Attachment B:
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