ACTION Apartment Association

SMa.r.t. Column: What’s Shaking?

08/29/2020 1:43 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

While COVID-19 and the lockdown, social distancing and masks have been a primary concern that we all share, now is the time to look ahead to the upcoming elections, as campaigns are beginning to rise in the national consciousness. This election, we trust, will result in a new positive direction for us all. Similarly, here in Santa Monica we are also gearing up for our local elections, which will include five of the seven city council seats. Change is in the air.

Council Votes to Seek Consultant to Conduct Full Police Probe

08/29/2020 1:41 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Frustrated by delays, the City Council on Tuesday voted to authorize the quick hiring of a consulting firm to investigate the Police Department's response to the May 31 riots.

Miramar Redevelopment Headed to Planning Commission

08/28/2020 10:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Eight-and-a-half years after going before the Planning Commission, the Fairmont Miramar Hotel's developer will be back next Wednesday with a very different proposal to redevelop the century old hotel.

The new 500,000-square-foot mixed-use project -- which includes 312 luxury hotel rooms, 60 condominiums and a 42-unit affordable apartment building across the street -- is nearly identical to the proposal unveiled in April 2018 by the Miramar's owner MSD Capital, L.P.

Slow-Growth Watchdog Group Asks for Changes to Miramar Hotel Redevelopment

08/28/2020 10:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One week before the Miramar Hotel redevelopment gets its first major hearing, a prominent slow-growth watchdog group announced it is opposing the current proposal.

The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) on Wednesday urged the Planning Commission to recommend that the developer redesign the project to address circulation issues and remove luxury condo units on the top floor.

Will Crime, Overdevelopment Upset the Santa Monica Status Quo?

08/28/2020 10:31 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As one candidate aptly stated, “The Council will continue to be run by special interests unless residents unite for change”

State leaders to unveil eviction moratorium on Friday

08/28/2020 10:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A bill to extend a statewide eviction moratorium is expected to be unveiled in the California Legislature Friday morning, just in time for the Senate to meet a deadline to approve the measure, a state landlord group announced Thursday, Aug. 27.

SaMo Residents Steamrolled By Union Interests on “Plaza” Development

08/27/2020 9:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

If there’s one thing we know about Unite Here Local 11, it’s that the union can usually count on its friends in the Santa Monica City Council to promote its agenda. So, it should come as no surprise that earlier this week, the Council delivered yet another win for Local 11 by voting to move forward with the “Plaza at Santa Monica” development.

The union has long supported the Plaza

A bill would allow a duplex on most single-family parcels

08/27/2020 9:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Assembly is considering a bill that would require local governments to permit duplexes on parcels now largely restricted to one house, in effect eliminating single-family zoning that dominates in most suburban residential neighborhoods.

The measure, Senate Bill 1120, is pitched as a way to ease a long-running housing shortage that has hammered low- and middle-class families throughout California but is drawing criticism from homeowners concerned it will fundamentally change their neighborhoods.

Santa Monica Council Approves Measures to Spur New Housing

08/27/2020 9:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In an effort to tackle a statewide housing crisis, the City Council on Tuesday barred Santa Monica housing units from being rented for commercial use and fast-tracked new affordable housing Downtown.

AND: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2020/08/26/city-council-approves-slate-of-housing-preservation-and-production-measures

Santa Monica Accepting Applications for New Senior Building

08/27/2020 9:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica is accepting applications for a 38-unit affordable senior building currently under construction in the Pico Neighborhood.

The Community Corporation building at 1820 14th Street offers one-bedroom apartments ranging from $538 to $1,214 per month, depending on household income, City housing officials said.

Applicants who live or work in Santa Monica will receive priority on the waiting list for the new Greenway Meadows development, officials said.