By Lookout Staff
January 14, 2026 -- The City has completed the latest phase of Downtown improvements under a "Realignment Plan" approved by the City Counciil less than three months ago.
The improvements -- which include major clen-up efforts, fresh landscaping and new street curbs -- are part of an ongoing $60 million effort to beautify city gateways and shopping corridors.
The latest improvements include sprucing up a major access point at the 4th/5th Street off-ramp by planing some 300 California native plants and preparing the 2,000-square-foot site for the use of recycled water, Ciity officials said.
The effort is part of an ongoing improvement program at all Santa Monica freeway off-ramps that also included the recent clearing of brush and debris at the 20th Street off-ramp and adjacent protected bike lanes.
The latest phase of the "Downtown glow-up" also included "installing new curbs, driveway, and sidewalk and street repairs near Broadway and 6th Street as part of the city’s broader effort to repair 20,000 feet of sidewalks throughout the downtown area."
The improvements are part of the two and a half year realignment plan approved by the City Council on October 28 that aims to "restore order, rebuild economic capacity and re-establish long-term fiscal health."
The plan, which focuses on the Downtown and other destinations, calls for opening a new police substation at Santa Monica Place Mall and deploying as many as 28 officers at the beach, Pier and Downtown.
The detailed 34-page plan also calls for moving the Samoshel homeless shelter out of the City's center and aggressively prosecuting misdemeanor crimes, while providing an alternative to jail ("Council Approves Ambitious Plan to Revitalize City," October 30, 2025).
The initial phase of the plan called for "planting 37 new street trees Downtown, pruning historic Ficus trees across six city blocks and establishing a regular power washing schedule for five downtown public parking structures," City officials said.
The recent efforts aim to "create a more welcoming and thriving downtown," officials said.