ACTION Apartment Association

Developer Scores $375 Million Financing to Develop Vons Site

02/07/2023 11:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The plans to redevelop the site on the southwest corner of Broadway and Lincoln Boulevard call for an eight-story, mixed-use building with 99,085 square feet of ground-floor commercial space that will house a new upgraded Vons.

The plan also includes 196 market-rate units and 84 affordable units for low- and moderate-income households, 354 parking spaces and 523 bicycle spaces in a two-level subterranean garage, a commercial gym and restaurant space with outdoor seating.

SMa.r.t. Column: To a Better Housing Element

02/06/2023 10:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In the rush to get the Housing Element approved by the State, the City did not have time to study all the implications and adjust for secondary effects of such a transformation. Some obvious conflicts were noted for example, the traffic increases, or the inability to meet our water neutrality goals or the conflict with the State’s 2045 carbon neutrality goals, or the mystery of where all the wealthy renters and buyers of all this new housing would come from when the State lost more than half a million people between April 2020 and July 1, 2022 (the interval when the Housing Element was being prepared)? But with the fine-grain rewrite of the Zoning Code, we can see places where the Housing Element can be improved to mitigate those conflicts without altering its essential character.

Workplan Outlines City's Efforts Tackling Homelessness

02/06/2023 9:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The workplan tracks everything from the number of persons reunited with family and friends (48) to the drug paraphernalia disposed of by park ambassadors (138) to the contacts made by the Police Department's outreach team (1,326).

Santa Monica in ICU on Life Support

02/02/2023 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Well beyond the confines of the empty shell of the deceased Promenade itself, now largely vacant though deceptively filled with silly temporary pop-up shops, the festering blight spreads city-wide. In parking garages and alleyways, in parks, in front of notorious nexuses of evil---the pair of horrid 7-11's, that all-night donut shop, the "Crime Vons" on Broadway, the downtown McDonalds, the CVS on Lincoln--the vagrants and criminals mug shots/out-of-state warrants set---make themselves ever more at home.

Lawsuit seeks to densify development in Santa Monica

02/01/2023 9:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Housing Council (SMHC) alongside two residents (William T. Dawson and Irma Vargas) have accused city officials of failing to adhere to state mandated housing laws in the recently adopted housing element. The lawsuit alleges the City’s housing element fails to provide enough sites for future development and doesn’t do enough to account for high density projects. The plaintiffs are asking the court to mandate increases in height and density limits for new projects.

Santa Monica Tops LA Region in Rent Growth

02/01/2023 9:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica rents dropped for the fifth straight month in January but continue to outpace the growth rate of other LA Metro cities, according to a report released by Apartment List on Thursday.

The overall median rent in the city fell -0.8 percent to $2,182 per month and has now increased by 6.3 percent year-over-year over the past 12 months.

New Report - AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP IN SANTA MONICA

01/31/2023 5:19 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica Housing Commission. Affordable Homeownership Subcommittee Report.

This document clarifies the necessity of affordable homeownership as being one essential part of a successful housing policy. Furthermore, this document recommends actions to advance affordable homeownership throughout Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Housing Commission recommends that the measures here proposed are implemented by the City of Santa Monica at the earliest opportunity.

School Board to discuss lunch program and bond financing

01/31/2023 10:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

This week’s meeting agenda also includes reshuffling of the District’s general obligation bonds to allow them to save money in the current conditions of the bond market. The district says these savings will potentially be passed along to property taxpayers by canceling or repurchasing bonds.

City to fight lawsuit over new taxes

01/31/2023 10:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica will officially defend the voter approved Measure GS from a lawsuit seeking to overturn the measure.

Measure GS was part of an expansive list of lawsuits discussed behind closed doors at last week’s Council meeting and the City’s official decision to fight the suit was the only reportable action taken after several hours of discussion.

An organization called the California Business Roundtable, which is composed of senior executive leadership from major employers throughout the state, is filing a suit against the City of Santa Monica to block Measure GS, which established a third tier of real estate transfer tax.

Is homelessness on the rise in Santa Monica?

01/30/2023 11:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The goal of the point-in-time count is to get a snapshot of the homeless population. By doing it across the region at the same time, officials hope to make it less likely to double count or miss individuals who move around. The number of people in shelters is also calculated on the same night.