Dear Grant Families -
I thought you might be interested in something affecting your neighborhood.
Please see the information below from the Friends of Sunset Park

Dear all,

The Community Corporation of Santa Monica is holding its second and final
community design workshop regarding its proposed 4-story affordable apartment
building project at 2802 Pico (the SE corner).

Wednesday, June 24th, 7 PM -- 3200 Ocean Park Blvd.

The attached photo of the Civic Center parking structure was designed by James
O'Connor, the 2802 Pico architect, and looks very similar to the artist's
rendering for the 2802 Pico apartment building that was presented at the June
3rd workshop.

If you are pleased with the concept of 4-story buildings on Pico, and you like
the design of the 4th St. parking structure across from the Doubletree Hotel,
fine.

If not, I urge you to:

1. read the FOSP Board position statement below,
2. attend the June 24th meeting, and
3. communicate with city officials, whose email addresses are listed below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Zina Josephs
To: joan@...
CC: pam.oconnor@..., richard.bloom@..., robert.holbrook@...,
city@..., bobby.shriver@..., kevin@...,
gleam.davis@..., manager@..., Eileen.Fogarty@...,
Lucy.Dyke@..., jaypjohnson@..., HKoning@...,
gpugh@..., TODay@..., GNewbold@...,
Jim_Ries@...,
Sent: 6/22/2009 11:06:56 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: FOSP: CCSM project at 2802 Pico Blvd.


June 21, 2009

To: Joan Ling, Executive Director, Community Corporation of Santa Monica

From: Board of Directors, Friends of Sunset Park

Re: 2802 Pico Blvd. project

The FOSP Board of Directors has the following comments regarding the 2802 Pico
project, in preparation for the second and final community design workshop on
June 24th, 7 PM, 3200 Ocean Park Blvd.:

a) the size, scale, and density of the 2802 Pico project threaten the quality of
life of nearby residents,
b) the height should be reduced to 30 feet,
c) the "setbacks" from the street should be increased,
d) there should be actual "stepbacks" along Pico, 28th, and in the rear of the
building,
e) the plans should be reviewed by both the Planning Department and the Traffic
Management Division, and
f) community suggestions at the community design workshops should be
incorporated into the design.

The larger concerns of the FOSP Board are that:

(i) two community design workshops, required to be noticed only to residents
within 500 feet of the project, do not serve the same purpose as public
hearings, and

(ii) the current ordinance exempting affordable housing projects of 50 units or
less from development review does not allow for sufficient public process.

We therefore urge that, before the city's zoning ordinances are updated, there
be a public review of the types of projects that are "exempted" from the regular
development process.

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1. The size, scale, and density of this project threaten the quality of life in
Sunset Park.

2. There are no other 4-story buildings on Pico Blvd. between 14th to 34th. The
2800 block of Pico is zoned C4, i.e., a maximum of 30 feet in height and 2
stories. We don't understand the basis upon which CCSM is claiming a 10-foot
height bonus and planning to build 4 stories instead of 2 stories, and we're
concerned about this possibly setting a precedent for more 4-story buildings
along Pico, looming over 2-story apartment buildings and 1-story homes.

3. The artist's renderings show a box-like structure similar to the new Civic
Center parking structure on 4th Street, also designed by Mr. O'Connor. Some feel
that type of structure is overwhelming in a location across the street from the
Doubletree Hotel, let alone in a section of Pico with one-story buildings.

4. No traffic studies or information about daily traffic counts on Pico or 28th
St. were presented by CCSM staff on June 3rd.

5. No information about the Level of Service (LOS) at the intersection of Pico
and 28th was presented by CCSM staff on June 3rd.

6. Community suggestions regarding increased setbacks from the street were
rejected by the architect.

7. The "transition" from the back of the 4-story CCSM building to the adjacent
2-story apartment building seems to consist of a small shed-like appendage.

8. No plans for 2802 Pico have been shown to the Planning Department for review.

9. Both of the CCSM design workshops for 2802 Pico were scheduled on the same
evening as Planning Commission meetings, so Planning Commissioners and staff
could not attend the CCSM presentations.

10. The June 24th workshop is scheduled the same evening as a joint meeting of
the Planning Commission and the Architectural Review Board to consider a 150,000
sq ft, 5-story Lionsgate project at 28th/Stewart and Colorado, only a few blocks
north of the 2802 Pico project.

This presents a schedule conflict not only for Planning Commissioners and staff,
but also for the Pico Neighborhood Association and for Friends of Sunset Park,
as commuter traffic from the Lionsgate project on Stewart/28th and Centinela
will affect Sunset Park.

11. We are puzzled that although CCSM's projects are funded with public money,
there seems to be no list of CCSM buildings on their website.

Neither is there a description of the 2802 Pico project on the CCSM website.
Only about 10 residents (unconnected with CCSM or the Housing Division) attended
the June 3rd workshop, so apparently no one else has seen the artist rendering.

12. We are also puzzled that some neighborhood organizations are allowed to
appoint representatives to the CCSM Board, and others aren't. The two Sunset
Park residents who serve on the CCSM Board are not FOSP members (one has never
joined, and the other one seems to have last paid dues in 1994) so there is
little or no communication between them and FOSP, or with the rest of the
neighborhood, as far as we know.

To summarize, the FOSP Board concludes that:

a) the size, scale, and density of the 2802 Pico project threatens the quality
of life of nearby residents,
b) the height should be reduced to 30 feet,
c) the "setbacks" from the street should be increased,
d) there should be actual "stepbacks" along Pico, 28th, and in the rear of the
building,
e) the plans should be reviewed by both the Planning Department and the Traffic
Management Division, and
f) community suggestions at the community design workshops should be
incorporated into the design.

The larger concerns of the FOSP Board are that:

(i) two community design workshops, required to be noticed only to residents
within 500 feet of the project, do not serve the same purpose as public
hearings, and

(ii) the current ordinance exempting affordable housing projects of 50 units or
less from development review does not allow for sufficient public process.

We think, therefore, that there should be a public review of the exemptions from
the normal development process before the zoning ordinances are updated.

Thank you for your consideration.

Board of Directors
Friends of Sunset Park

Cc: City Council, City Manager, Planning Department, Transportation Management,
Planning Commission
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Attached are photographs of the Civic Center parking structure on 4th Street,
designed by the same architect as 2802 Pico Blvd.

Opinions about living near CCSM projects range from 1 to 2:

1. "Irene Zivi, who lives next door to a Community Corp. building, said that she
has had a positive experience being near an affordable housing development and
expressed her support for the [2802 Pico] project." (Santa Monica Daily Press)

2. From another Sunset Park resident living near a CCSM project: "We now have a
playground 15 feet from our livingroom. The noise (screaming, loud music, and
alarms constantly being set off) has been a nightmare. The housing cost nearly
$30 million to construct but no air conditioning was installed, so the sounds
from inside the apartments travels through the open windows. Our neighbors have
an affordable apartment located 10 feet from their bedroom window. The smoke
alarms go off several times a day because they are not calibrated correctly. The
architecture resembles the Civic Center parking structure -- lime green and
orange.

"We were told that the housing was for police officers, teachers, paramedics,
and others who needed to live in Santa Monica....this was a complete lie. Last
Monday, the police came by at 6 AM and dragged a guy out in handcuffs. Last
week, at our homeowners association meeting, we had to call in the SMPD
Neighborhood Resource Officer to deal with ongoing issues associated with this
CCSM housing project.

"We all want those with lower incomes to be able to afford a place to live. CCSM
said that the residents had to follow a rigid selection process with stringent
requirements -- but apparently that is not the case.

"The Community Corporation is not being honest about the impact of the housing
on those who live in the immediate and surrounding areas. CCSM should be
questioned carefully about apartment layout, placement of playgrounds, parking
entrances/exits, and traffic flow."
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Upcoming CCSM building projects, like this one at 2802 Pico, will be located at
2602 Broadway and 430 Pico Blvd.

Upcoming CCSM renovation projects will be located at 1513 Centinela Avenue,
750-752 Marine Street, 844 Lincoln Blvd., 1438 25th Street, 914 4th Street, and
2029 20th Street.

Some of the existing CCSM buildings are located at 3 Vicente Terrace, 214
Pacific, 255 San Vicente, 420 Pico, 502 Colorado, 708 Pico, 807 4th St., 815
Ashland, 090 Ozone Ave., 911 2nd St., 1017 4th St., 1144 5th St., 1206 Pico
Blvd., 1349 26th St., 1423 2nd St., 1424 Broadway, 1438 16th St., 1514 14th St.,
1925 20th St., 1959 Cloverfield, 2028 14th St., 2030 Cloverfield, 2112 Delaware,
2120 4th St., 2211 4th St., 2268 28th St., 2302 5th St., 2411 Centinela, 2501
Centinela, 2625 Kansas Ave., 2900 4th St., 3005 Highland Ave.