City Council Halts Multi-Family Demos and Construction

By Jorge Casuso
With more than 50 tenants and a few developers holding out past midnight, the Santa Monica City Council early Wednesday cast a dramatic 5-0 vote to impose a six-month moratorium on the demolition and construction of multi-family buildings that could take effect immediately.

In a decision pondered for months and finally made long after the two opposing council members had left for the night, the new tenants rights super majority directed staff to write an emergency ordinance they hope will help preserve the fabric that "weaves and holds the community together.

"Change is always going to happen, but that has to be balanced," Mayor Pam O'Connor said before casting her vote. "The rampant pace of this change is taking out historic buildings."

The vote - anticipated by developers who rushed to city hall this week to pull demolition and building permits before the looming deadline - came after a well-orchestrated slide presentation by tenant activists. The presentation interspersed images of quaint courtyards and old cottages with faceless new structures and for sale and demolition signs. A funereal silence fell on the council chamber as longtime tenant Jim Simmons read an accompanying text in a slow solemn voice.

"We are in danger of losing the neighborhood qualities that make Santa Monica a friendly and appealing place in which to live," Simmons read from a carefully honed text that cued the stresses and pauses. "It is time we stop and consider what we want our residential neighborhoods to become.

"The distinctive nature of Santa Monica's existing housing - the character of its streetscape - is an asset to the city which should not be squandered through lack of stewardship."

The council decision, which came after some last-minute legal advice, seems to fly in the face of a court-ordered revision of the city's Housing Element, a telephone-book sized document that dictates Santa Monica's housing policies. Last year the council voted 7-0 to revise the plan, which a court found placed too many constraints on the development of new housing.

Bolstered by their newly won super majority, tenant activists also were emboldened by a new friendly administration and legislature in Sacramento, as well as recent decisions they say have loosened state-imposed quotas for the development of new housing.

"Tonight's presentation shows beyond refutation that the housing element has failed," said Councilman Kevin McKeown. "We need to do something. The time has come."

The council was urged on by tenants who bemoaned the loss of an old-fashioned neighborliness they contend developers are replacing with a cold indifference exemplified by new condominiums only the wealthy can afford.

"It feels like the whole city is going condo," said Fred Whitlock. "It's becoming like Beverly Hills by the Sea. It looks like Century City is coming to our ocean side."

Others compared developers to unruly children who don't know when to stop. "There's a stampede to tear down what's here," said Kathleen Masser. "Let's call a time out."

"What is more important," asked Hartley Kearn, "the property rights of the developers or the personal rights of the residents? Let's slow down this rush to construct so that we can talk it over."

Stacy Freedman lamented the loss of the annual Halloween bash thrown for thousands of children by the neighbors in her apartment building.

"This year we got a notice there would be no more Halloween and a for sale sign," she said.

The handful of developers and architects who addressed the council said tenants were blowing the situation out of proportion. One developer said he combed a whole corner of the city and found only two projects under construction. A local architect said there are already enough controls in place.

"We're now making up for the past six or seven years of not building anything," said architect William Brantley. "If we weigh it carefully, we can bring the city within a picture the residents will be happy with."

One housing expert said the emergency ordinance, while dramatic, will have only limited impact.

"It's a dramatic action, but it stops only a small amount of housing action in the city," he said. "The bulk of housing is being built in commercial zones. They are greatly exaggerating the impact."

Shortly before leaving the meeting, Councilman Paul Rosenstein warned against the dangers of conducting city business in the early morning hours.

"Most of the public can't watch," Rosenstein said. "Effectively they're no longer public meetings. Potentially important decisions get made under the cover of darkness."

Shortly before the meeting ended at around 2 a.m., the council voted to direct staff to initiate discussions with CALTRANS to relinquish control of Lincoln Boulevard to the City of Santa Monica.