By Jorge Casuso

February 11, 2025 -- The development team chosen to restore the shuttered Santa Monica Civic Auditorium will meet the City's February 28 deadline to sign an exclusive negotiating agreement, according to a key advocacy group.

In a statement released Tuesday, Save the Civic responded to the City's contention that negotiations with Revitalization Partners Group, LLC (RPG) "are not progressing" ("Negotiations to Save Civic Auditorium Stalled," February 3, 2025).

The non-profit group leading the effort to restore the shuttered structure as a major performing arts venue said RPG has been working with the City and that the negotiating agreement did not set a deadline.

They also noted that City officials are aware two of RPG’s principals lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, "causing a pause in their ability to engage on the Civic."

"We’ve seen some confusion recently about (the) negotiations," said Save the Civic, which worked to find a development team to restore and operate the auditorium that has been shuttered since 2013.

"It’s important to know that throughout this process there has been frequent communication between the City staff responsible for the Civic project and the RPG group," Save the Civic wrote.

These include "an exchange of comments and requests for changes on the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA), and all during a period when two months were lost to the holidays and fires."

Save the Civic outlined a series of steps taken by RPG, which is composed of experts in live entertainment, real estate development, finance, historic preservation and public-private partnerships.

Between August and November, the group said, "four sets of lawyers, each representing different entities of RPG," reviewed and considered the City’s draft ENA.

There was "regular communication between City staff and RPG about moving the process forward, with RPG submitting comments on the ENA to the City and the City responding."

RPG also met with councilmembers "individually or in pairs to discuss the project and next steps," said the advocacy group, which in November 2023 announced it had found a partner to restore the local landmark.

RPG also hired a preservation consultants to monitor the Santa Monica Conservancy's successful effort to include the Civic on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition, the development group has "hired structural engineers, architects, electricians, and more to visit the Civic, appraise and report back to RPG."

Before the holidays, City Manager David White arranged a meeting between RPG and Coastal Commission officials, who responded "very positively" to the project, the group said.

Shortly after the holiday break, "fires destroy(ed) the homes of two RPG principals, causing a pause in their ability to engage on the Civic," the statement said, noting that City staff was "promptly notified."

Responding to the fires, RPG's leadership mounted "a massive effort" to help fire victims with FireAid, "a live and streaming concert that raised more than $100 million for fire relief," Save the Civic said.

The renewed push to resurrect the seismically compromised Civic Auditorium -- which once hosted legendary rock concerts and the Academy Awards -- comes after previous efforts failed.

For updates on efforts to revive the Civic visit savethecivic.org