sr-051011-4aTo: Mayor and City Council
From: Eileen P. Fogarty, Planning and Community Development Director
Subject: Study Session on 4~h/5t" & Arizona Planning Workshops:
Update on visioning process for City-owned Site.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council review the summary of the visioning
process and provide input on the alternatives and criteria for analysis.
Executive Summary
The City has assembled .127,000 sq. ft. of property on Fourth and Fifth Streets, south of
Arizona Avenue, in Downtown Santa Monica. The site presents a unique opportunity to
extend the successful downtown urban core to the north and create community
amenities within complementary mix of uses and parking in a new downtown
development.
In December 2010, the City Council endorsed guiding principles for formulating a vision
for the site. In March 2011 two community workshops were held in which information
about adjacent services, land use trends, circulation and nearby potential development
projects provided the context for community discussion. The workshops used the
guiding principles outlined by City Council as the starting point for a discussion about
the future of this site. Community feedback from the workshops is now shaping the
development and review of program alternatives for discussion. Three alternatives are
being prepared, each with similar scenarios for open space and intensity of
development (F.A.R), but variable in land use, height and parking. The alternatives will
be refined based on continuing analyses. These refined alternatives will be presented
to the public in an upcoming workshop in June.
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Background
The City recently completed the
acquisition of 127,000 sq. ft. of
contiguous properties between Fourth
and Fifth Streets south of Arizona Avenue
with the intention of providing key
amenities to the Downtown within an
exciting new mixed-use development
project. The site is centrally located
within a 10 minute walk to the Civic
Center and future Palisades Garden
Walk, the Pier, the beach and the Expo
LRT Station. It is located in close
proximity to a diverse range of retail, residential and office uses in Downtown Santa
Monica.
At the December 14, 2010 meeting, the City Council endorsed the following Guiding
Principles for formulating a vision for the site:
• Re-use of the Site should exemplify the principles, policies, and
recommendations set forth in the LUCE.
• Re-use of the Site should provide a model of sustainable development.
• Re-use of the Site should help animate Fourth Street, Fifth Street, and Arizona
Avenue with pedestrian-oriented ground floor urban design.
• Key amenities should include a wide range of public benefits including open
space options and public parking.
• As a large portion of the Site was purchased as part of the Downtown Parking
Program, reuse of the Site should plan for incorporation of public parking spaces
into the integrated Downtown/Civic Center shared parking program, including
special consideration as an alternative replacement parking location to replace
those proposed for demolition elsewhere in the Downtown.
• In considering re-use of the Site, special consideration should be given to the
needs of tenants with long-term leases on the Site.
City Council instructed staff to initiate a series of community workshops to envision the
future use of the site, soliciting ideas and recommendations that could be translated into
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a program and parameters for the development of the site. The community process
includes two phases: 1) a "Listening" Phase, and 2) an "Alternatives" Phase.
Using the LUCE workshop model, the first of the "Listening Workshops" was hosted by
the Planning Commission on March 16~h, followed by an identical second workshop
hosted by Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (formerly Bayside Corporation) on March 24tH
Staff worked with Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. and the Odermatt Group, Urban Studio
and Nelson Nygaard to provide a comprehensive overview of the site context to serve
as a framework for envisioning the future site. Each workshop included a presentation
that discussed the history of the ~~~ ~~
Downtown, current context for first ~'~ ~~-'~
and second floor uses, key trends
in the area, preliminary data
regarding nearby services and
current parking and downtown
circulation, and an overview of
other downtown proposed
development projects, including
housing, entertainment, and
hotels. The workshops solicited community ideas regarding the types of uses and
community benefits that would be preferred on the site, within the parameters of LUCE
goals, the City Council's guiding principles for the site, and the context of the
surrounding downtown neighborhood.
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Investment in the Downtown.
LUCE implementation for the Downtown calls for the establishment of a Specific Plan,
along with the planning for the 4th/5th & Arizona site. Recently, major investments
including the Expo light rail and Santa Monica Place have served as a catalyst for
development downtown, with redevelopment contemplated for the Sears site, the
Holiday Inri site, and new hotel projects including the Miramar Hotel and 710 Wilshire
Blvd, as well as the adjacent AMC Theatre.
Concurrent with the Specific Plan, 4th/5th & Arizona site circulation and parking studies
are being conducted to inform the planning efforts. These planning efforts are critical
tools for defining LUCE implementation strategies, informing zoning and creating design
guidelines for future development, as well as TDM, public parking, and circulation
strategies, for all of the Downtown.
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Recent and proposed projects in the Downtown
(red -recent investments; purple -opportunity sites, current
and proposed; yellow- proposed residential and mixed use)
Discussion
Comprised of nearly three acres of contiguous land, the site's size and location allows
for the unique opportunity for a catalyst development which could provide open space,
address valuable commercial uses not currently represented in the Downtown area, and
support an economically viable development that includes sufficient public parking.
Existing trends around the site were identified based on a 2011 land use survey and
show a mix of retail, entertainment, and services along 5th Street, and a strong retail
corridor along Ott' Street originating from Santa Monica Place and the future Expo
Station site. The site is located within a transitional area where second floor uses shift
from predominately residential to predominantly office. City records show that 1,305
housing units have been developed since 1998 in the Downtown District alone,
consisting of approximately 1.2 million square feet of residential space. The site is
located just north and west of the majority of this surge in residential development. In
addition, there are currently nine pending projects-three of which are 100% affordable
housing projects-proposing over 500 additional residential units for Downtown.
Over 100 participants attended the "Listening Workshops" hosted by the Planning.
Commission and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. The diverse audience at both
workshops was comprised of residents, business owners, property owners, bicycle
advocates, artists, and students. City staff from Planning, Housing and Economic
Development, Finance, and Cultural Affairs and staff from Santa Monica Inc..
participated in the workshop.
Participants in the workshops provided input on a range of community benefits and
uses. The most frequent comment was the desire for an open space that would serve
as a similar social gathering space for the community as the ice rink does today. The
participants discussed the merits of a range of other uses such as parking, affordable
and small business retail, office uses, housing, and hotel. These thoughts are being
incorporated into conceptual program alternatives for the project site which are currently
being configured for discussion and analysis.
What We Heard: Notes and Key Themes:
Both workshops were energetic and positive, with attendees expressing excitement for
the potential for this opportunity site
Each break-out table discussed the following
questions:
1. What do you most often visit in the Downtown?
2. What do you leave Santa Monica to do or buy that you could imagine finding in
downtown?
3. What additional uses do you think would be good for this site?
4. What are your priorities for the community benefits you want to see on this site?
During lively discussions, community members articulated visions for:
• Flexible open/cultural space that can be seasonally programmed and provide for
local community gathering space
• Permanent indoor/outdoor market with small floor-plate spaces
• Sustainable development
• Easy mobility and strong Transportation Demand Management (TDM) to reduce
parking demand
• Support for a mix and balance of uses (ranging from boutique hotel to family-
oriented restaurants with outdoor dining, retail, etc.)
• Some taller buildings to support public benefits, particularly open space could be
evaluated
• Majority wanted parking to be underground, although some noted that above
ground was acceptable if it allowed for greater public benefits
• Many supported value oriented retail as a desired use in the City, although there
was mixed opinion about the use on this site; Supporters noted that the site
warrants an urban scale model for affordable retail.
• Desire for services that cater to local residents, particularly families, elderly
residents and young people (e.g. affordable dining options, coffee kiosks with
outdoor seating for community gathering, play, etc).
• Desire for nightlife or youth-oriented uses to serve the influx of younger residents
living downtown
• Buildings that incorporate great architecture making a unique, special, Santa
Monica style place.
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Analysis of Program and Building Form Alternatives
The input from the "Listening Workshops" is being used in developing three-dimensional
program diagrams to discuss with Council. Up to three initial alternatives are being
configured, each scenario assuming similar open space and intensity of development
but variable in land use mix, height, and parking. The conceptual program includes:
• An activated ground level with a broad mix of retail and open space;
• Potential for second floor retail;
• Office and hotel, and residential in one of the alternatives, in the upper
levels to test different economic and massing possibilities; and
• Replacement parking per the Downtown Parking Program, and potential
shared parking for the new development.
The exercise the analysis includes three preliminary alternatives:
- Alternative 1 is based roughly on current zoning code regulations;
- Aiternative 2 is similar to Alternative 1 but explores a variation in use;
- Alternative 3 explores reconfigured use mixture, floor plates, open space,
and/or building height as a tradeoff for increased community benefits.
Based on feedback from City Council and preliminary analysis, the three specific
alternatives will undergo several iterations, incorporating further urban design,
circulation and economic study, and exploring tradeoffs such as configuration of ground
floor open space, use mixture, number of additional parking spaces, building height,
size of retail floor plates, setbacks, stepbacks, and ingress/egress locations. The
refined alternatives and preliminary conclusions will be brought to the community for
further discussion in June.
Urban Design
In order for development on this site to fit within and contribute to the downtown, the
following urban design principles are being considered:
1. The design should "fit" and complement, in terms of scale and texture, the
existing Downtown Santa Monica context.
2. The site should accommodate a variety of public and private open spaces with
varying sizes and use potentials.
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3. The public open space could complement and embrace the existing downtown
Wednesday and Saturday Farmer's Markets.
4. The public open space should accommodate seasonal activities, such as a
winter ice-skating rink, in both outdoor and indoor spaces.
5. The "base" of buildings should promote pedestrian activity and interest.
6. Buildings should provide visual interest both up-close and from a distance,
through variety of massing and skyline variety.
7. The existing or a modified alley should be utilized, for service, loading, and
vehicular access to the project.
The following sketch represents the process for using community input to conceptualize
potential alternatives:
Initial Programmatic Concepts for Discussion
A~19I0
The urban design objective is to create varied massing, modulation, and skyline variety
through the introduction of a menu of distinct building structures. This program supports
a sense of urban design rhythm and texture that grows out of an understanding of the
existing organic Santa Monica Downtown context.
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The initial alternatives create a range of design diagrams which provide square foot
estimates, identification of mixes of use, and intensity of development (F.A.R.), which
will be utilized to create cost and feasibility models. Based on the analysis of the base
alternatives, further iterations and shaping of the alternatives will be conducted in
anticipation of the creation of a developer Request for Proposal and the establishment
of Downtown Specific Plan criteria.
Parking
The Council's guiding principles include the consideration of parking on this site. The
community discussion included a wide range of ideas about parking, with the majority in
favor of providing replacement parking, and diverse ideas about the quantity of
additional public parking to include on the site. The alternatives analysis will include an
in depth evaluation of:
® Parking costs for varied construction scenarios
• Appropriate number of spaces for new development on the site
• Mix of uses that provides optimal shared parking opportunities
® Parking ingress and egress in relation to Downtown circulation
Construction costs for parking will be one of the most significant factors in determining
the financial feasibility of the overall project. The alternatives analysis will provide the
economic feasibility of different parking scenarios in relation to necessary open space,
height variations, and balance of uses, and the tradeoffs will be presented to the
community for discussion.
Next Steps
Financial experts Allan D. Kotin and Associates are working with the urban design team
to develop and analyze the land use and urban design concepts for_long-term economic
viability. The team also includes Nelson Nygaard to investigate access, circulation and
appropriate parking to floor area ratio for the site. Once preliminary analysis has been
conducted for the different alternatives, the Planning Commission and Downtown Santa
Monica, Inc. will host the "Alternatives Workshop" in June to solicit feedback on the
concept alternatives. With community input from the "Alternatives Workshop", the
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alternatives will be refined into developer solicitation objectives with building envelope
recommendations and urban design guidelines to be presented to Council for approval.
Immediately following Council's approval, solicitation for a development partner will
begin.
As indicated previously, a concurrent planning effort is underway for the 4rn~5rn and
Arizona project and Downtown Specific Plan, including the underlying circulation, urban
design, parking and economic analyses that will provide the framework for both. The
following chart outlines the anticipated efforts:
Sp.r
2'A
City Council Direction
Staff is seeking the City Council's feedback and comments on the proposed alternatives
for analysis, including the variable mix of uses, preliminary site planning concepts, and
urban design, circulation and economic criteria.
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
No financial impacts have yet been identified for the visioning process, and therefore no
budget actions are being requested.
Prepared By: Sarah Lejeune, Principal Planner, Strategic &Transportation Planning
Joanna Hankamer, Senior Planner, Strategic &Transportation Planning
Travis Page, Associate Planner, Strategic &Transportation Planning
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
Eileen P. Fogarty
Director, Planning and Community
Development Department
~,
Rod Gould
City Manager
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