By Jorge Casuso

March 27, 2025 -- The City Council this week took a major, but quiet, step in the decades-long effort to resurrect the shuttered Civic Auditorium as a regional cultural venue.

The Council unanimously voted in closed session on Tuesday to enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with Revitalization Partners Group, LLC (RPG), which was chosen last July to restore and operate the iconic structure.

City officials hope the group -- composed of experts in live entertainment, real estate development, finance, historic preservation and public-private partnerships -- can accomplish the daunting task at no cost to the cash-strapped City.

Save the Civic, formed in 2023 to bring back the auditorium as a world class entertainment center, cheered the "critical step" to restore the historic structure that has been closed since 2013 and requires major upgrades.

"This is exactly what we were hoping for, and we commend the Council for taking this action and moving the process forward!" Save the Civic wrote. “While this is a critical step, much work lies ahead.

"RPG will now begin a comprehensive appraisal to better understand what it will take to revitalize the Civic and turn it into a world-class venue," the group wrote.

The ENA gives the parties six months to "conduct due diligence to evaluate the feasibility of a project and negotiate terms for a final agreement, which in this case would be a Disposition and Development Agreement," City officials said.

The ENA also "sets forth agreed upon timelines and performance schedules, creates financial responsibilities and outlines future discussions."

Tuesday's Council vote comes after the City issed a press release on February 3 saying the Council was "eager to see progress on the matter" and wanted the ENA "executed by February 28."

"Negotiations on the potential to revitalize the shuttered Civic Auditorium are not progressing," the release said ("Negotiations to Save Civic Auditorium Stalled," February 3, 2025).

In a statement issued February 11, Save the Civic responded that negotiations were on track and RPG would meet the City's deadline ("Negotiations to Revive Civic Auditorium on Track," February 11. 2025).

The group noted that RPG had been working with the City and that City officials were aware two of RPG’s principals lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, "causing a pause in their ability to engage on the Civic.

The Santa Monica Conservancy also has been championing the effort to bring back the 65-year-old Civic that was once the venue for the Academy Awards and legendary musical acts.

The influential preservation group has called the historic landmark site near City Hall "an endangered building in a precarious situation."

Following the Council's vote, the City will now coordinate with RPG "to complete various site analyses to understand the feasibility of redevelopment and renovation," officials said.

As part of the ENA, RPG will submit a cost recovery deposit of $250,000 to cover staff and consultant costs for analysis of the Civic project.

“As a city we are pursuing multiple strategies to bolster our economic recovery,” Director of Community Development Arminé Chaparyan said n a statement Thursday.

“From streamlining permitting processes to advancing revitalization projects such as the Civic Auditorium, we’re focused on continuing to push forward initiatives that support our businesses and local economy.”