City Considers Assessing Aging Buildings at Santa Monica Airport

By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

April 5, 2018 -- The Santa Monica City Council is considering a two-year, $756,140 assessment of the wear and tear and other signs of aging of non-aviation buildings it leases to nearly 400 tenants at the Santa Monica Airport.

On the agenda for Tuesday’s regular meeting, staff is recommending the council approve the contract with Omgivning Architects to conduct a “comprehensive building assessment” at nine structures at SMO, which is owned by the City.

The City has leased SMO property and tenant spaces on both sides of Airport Avenue since the 1940s, according to a report to the council from Susan Cline, director of the City's Public Works Department.

“Due to deferred maintenance, many of the tenant spaces and buildings are showing signs of aging with both structural and non-structural deficiencies.,” Cline’s report said.

“It is critical for the City to address tenant building issues and deficiencies in a timely manner.”

She also said “the frequency of repairs occurring on leased Airport building properties has increased substantially compared to previous years.

To extend the life of these buildings, staff is recommending a Property Condition Assessment, which would entail investigating the life expectancy of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as the current structural integrity of the buildings.”

Cline said in-house staff does not have the design expertise for each of the trades required to perform a thorough building assessment.

Any problems found would be addressed as a whole in a future construction project, which would make repairs and bring the buildings to current building codes and standards.

The assessment will include eight buildings on Airport Avenue at 2501, 2701, 2900, 3000, 3011, 3026, 3050, 3200, and 3300 Airport Avenue.

After the council voted in January to seek vendors for the assessment, three firms responded, the report said. The other two were AE3 Partners Architects and Nonzero \ Architecture.

Omgivning Architects was “recognized in the evaluation process for their effective project management, completeness, and client responsiveness the report said.

The public portion of the council’s Tuesday meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, at 1685 Main Street in the Civic Center. It is preceded by an executive session, closed to the public, at 5:30 p.m.