May 3, 2017 -- Compared to the 900,000 square feet in apartment/mixed use projects that might one day be its neighbors, the building in progress at 1626 Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica is tiny.

But the size of “The Arroyo” is far outweighed by its significance, housing advocates say.

At about 55,700 square feet, the five-story building will be the biggest 100 percent affordable housing project constructed in Santa Monica in three years and helps the City deliver on an affordable housing mandate it often fails to meet ("Construction of Affordable Housing in Santa Monica Expected to Drop Again," February 7, 2017).

Read More:  https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/May-2017/05_03_2017_Santa_Monicas_Newest_Affordable_Housing_Complex_in_Years%20_Takes_Concrete_Step.html

Housing advocates are lining up at Planning Commission meetings to push commissioners to expand development potential in the Downtown Community Plan (DCP), the zoning document that will dictate rules for new construction in the heart of the city for the next twenty years.

“I think this plan addresses political problems but not the real problems of the housing shortage and climate change,” Carl Hanson, Director of Government Affairs for the Chamber of Commerce said. Housing advocates feel that the plan has moved toward the slow-growth side of the political spectrum in Santa Monica, ignoring escalating rents and the need for housing.

Even with the restricted heights, planning staff estimates about 2,500 new apartments will come to the downtown area over the next 15 to 20 years. With those units the population could double, adding another 3,200 people to the 230 acre area. However, housing advocates worry the number will not ease the rent burden in Santa Monica.

Read More: http://smdp.com/advocates-push-for-more-housing-in-downtown-santa-monica/160810

A former landlord will pay the City $30,000 to settle a tenant harassment lawsuit involving a rent controlled apartment on Ocean Avenue.

The harassment allegations involve a single rent-controlled unit owned by Sean Gharib at 757 Ocean Avenue. The same tenant, Nina Edwards, has lived in the apartment with her son since 1984 and paid $850 in rent when Sean Gharib purchased the foreclosed unit in 2015, according to Deputy City Attorney Eda Suh.

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-wins-30000-settlement-in-tenant-harassment-case/160812

May 2, 2017 -- Employee pay and benefits at Santa Monica City Hall grew at more than double the rate of inflation for metropolitan Los Angeles since 2012, according to data released by a statewide watchdog group Monday.

The data obtained by Transparent California through public information requests show the city's payroll costs climbed 16 percent in four years to reach more than $303 million in 2016.

The 2016 data show 1,380 full-time employees receiving pay and benefits of $100,000 or more, or two-thirds of the 1,838 full-time employees on the payroll. The median household income in Santa Monica is $74,534 annually.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/May-2017/05_02_2017_Santa_Monica_City_Pay_and_Benefits_Climb_at_Double_the_Inflation_Rate_New_Data_Shows.html

May 2, 2017 -- Rumblings of an earthquake hitting Santa Monica swept through social media and news outlets late Monday night, but the small temblor was nothing unusual, according to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The 3.0 magnitude temblor hit at 10:28 p.m. near the Santa Monica fault between Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades and was felt as far as the San Fernando Valley.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/May-2017/05_02_2017_Jolt_Felt_in_Santa_Monica_Monday_Night_Nothing_Unusual_Expert_Says.html

On March 28, 2017, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive seismic retrofit ordinance that will encompass 20 years of work to increase safety of earthquake-vulnerable buildings in the event of a large quake. Nearly 2,000 commercial and multi-family residential buildings made a list of sites that need to be assessed for possible structural improvement. Participation in the program is mandatory when the ordinance goes into effect on May 2017, with notices to affected building owners set to mailed in phases.

NOTE: The list has been amended since the initial list was released in January. 

Check the newest list at: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Programs/Seismic-Retrofit/

Community Corporation of Santa Monica, the city’s lead nonprofit affordable housing provider, held a ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the organization’s newest project, The Arroyo.

The new building at 1626 Lincoln Blvd., which Community Corporation of Santa Monica’s Executive Director Tara Barauskas said would be completed in 12 to 18 months, will add 64 new affordable apartments to Downtown Santa Monica and will include on-site resident services, such as after-school homework assistance, health and wellness classes, and computer skills training.

Read More: http://www.santamonicanext.org/2017/04/eyes-on-the-street-new-affordable-arroyo-apartments-going-up-on-lincoln-boulevard/

It would seem that the current Downtown Specific Plan (DSP), as written, is trying to get 10 lbs. of developers’ dreams (EIR’s actual weight) into a 5 oz. box.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/04/sma-r-t-in-santa-monica-size-matters/

LiNC includes the following notable changes:

- Street parking will be eliminated at peak traffic hours on the corridor to make way for municipal buses, which have their own marked lane.

- “Traffic calming” and safety measures that feature new landscaped center medians (or “pedestrian refuges”) will be installed.

- Improved crosswalks, flashing warning lights, new pedestrian lighting, curb-extensions and bulb-outs will be added.

- And 48 new trees will be planted.

A string of mostly five-story mixed-use apartment complexes are in the works; a few have already been approved, with others in the development pipeline.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/April-2017/04_27_2017_Santa_Monica_City_Council_Approves_Concept_for_Lincoln_Streetscape_Redesign.html

SUBJECT: Public Hearings will be held by the Planning Commission

See Dates/locations on pg. 11: http://backissues.smdp.com/042717.pdf