By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

March 17, 2016 -- Television and film production company Skydance Media’s plan for transforming the historic Santa Monica post office on 5th Street off Arizona Avenue into an office includes a controversial five-foot fence around the perimeter of the property.

While this feature annoys several planning commissioners and a former mayor who raced on bike to the commission meeting on Wednesday to express his anger, City staff told them they have no authority over the fence.

The adaptive reuse project was before the commission, and Planning Manager Jing Yeo told the panel the inclusion of the fence was up to the Landmarks Commission, which approved it in December.

Landmarks Commissioner John Berley told the planning panel that he didn’t care for the fence, but it was necessary because the post office sign would remain on the building, which was designated as a historic landmark in 2014.

“They’re going to be faced with a lot of people banging on the door, wanting to get in because they are there to conduct postal business,” said Berley, who said he had witnessed this happening on the property when he visited it.

This argument did not persuade former mayor Mike Feinstein, who called it “incredibly offensive.”

After hearing Berley’s comments at home on television, Feinstein jumped on his bicycle and headed to the meeting so that he could address the commission.

“When you’re considering a use for what was a long-standing public asset to our community like that, you don’t go in saying ‘I’m going to privatize it and ask the community to abandon its architectural and cultural standards,’” Feinstein said.

The City staff report says the fence will not block the view of the building.

“The permeable design and fairly low height of the fence allows [the property] to remain visible to the public and integrated into the public realm of Downtown,” the report states.

Several commissioners said they were bothered by the fence and some said they believed it could be within the commission’s purview .

Attorney Ken Kucher, representing Skydance, said he appreciated the “enthusiasm and interest,” but the issue was not up for discussion.

“The fence is a final binding decision,” Kucher said. “It can’t be, in legal terms, collaterally attacked. It’s a controlling decision and it’s not before you.”

Commission Chair Richard McKinnon did not like this response.

“I’m urging you as an applicant to think about it again and see what you can do rather than simply holding your hand up to us and saying ‘talk to the hand,’” McKinnon said. “That’s not a good response.”

As for the project itself, which includes the construction of a 14,490 square-foot addition with three stories reaching a height of 32 feet, the commissioners had mixed opinions.

Commissioner Nina Fresco said she thought it was a “fabulous project” overall, but did not care for the design.

“Because this is such an exciting business and they're doing exciting things, I really expected they were going to do something really new and exciting that really added something to the building,” Fresco said.

She added, “I didn’t expect something that looked mundane and didn’t respond to anything about the post office.”

A few commissioners said they agreed with Fresco, while Commissioner Jason Parry said he did not. Commissioner Mario Fonda-Bonardi said more parking spaces than the 25 proposed were needed.

“It’s a solvable problem, and we should try a little harder,” he said.

The building is supposed to have more parking spaces, but Skydance asked for a reduction in exchange for a traffic demand management (TDM) program that would reduce employee car trips.

Skydance submitted a new proposal for the TDM plan, which includes off-site parking with a shuttle to the office, on Tuesday night. Planning Manager Yeo said her staff had not had enough time to fully review and analyze it.

Because of the TMD issue, the commission did not vote on the project, and will do that on April 20.

Because the building is a landmark, the project must go before the Landmarks Commission for a final design review. Also, the City Council will vote on the plans for the building's interior. ("City Council Approves Preservation Covenant for Historic Post Office Building," August 29,2013.)