SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department issued a revised draft of the Planning Document for Downtown Santa Monica called the Downtown Community Plan (previously Downtown Specific Plan).
This plan calls to order the priorities for the Downtown area, and resonates with the vision for the community over the previous four years.
As stated by City Manager Rick Cole, “The plan is how we’ll answer the question ‘How do we preserve and enhance the civic, cultural and economic heart of Santa Monica.’ This is a living document to guide our efforts to strengthen a hometown Downtown. By collaborating to do ‘real planning’ we can establish binding standards to protect our unique sense of place and ensure future infill development that compliments our historic character.”
The plan is intended to be a roadmap for long-term planning, preservation and care for the downtown community as a whole. Longevity is of the utmost importance as the plan is a 20-year vision.
Mayor Tony Vazquez added, “Downtown Santa Monica is our community’s living room making it essential to include all residents in the creation of this document.”
The plan has been revised and redeveloped from the original in February 2014. The focus is on optimizing affordable housing, arts and culture, historic preservation, open space, mobility and placemaking.
The city will hold community outreach programs in the spring 2016 to inform its residents, business owners and stakeholders.
For any more information or to sign up for email updates you can visit downtownsmplan.net.
