Q-line answers: Taking a ‘time-out’
This past week, Q-line asked:
City Councilman Kevin McKeown would like City Hall to take a “time-out” from approving large-scale developments until the Land Use and Circulation Elements is completed, spelling out the direction the city will take in terms of development. Do you think a time-out is a wise choice or should business continue as usual?
Here are your responses:
“Of course we need a time-out from large scale development immediately, if not sooner. Santa Monica is already 75 percent ruined. Let’s save the last 25 percent now. Do you really want to live in a giant metropolis of mixed-use high rises? Oh, by the way, without your car, because there is limited parking.”
“Thank God for Kevin McKeown. He’s been to so many of the neighborhood meetings about these massive developments and knows how much neighbors don’t want such huge projects. But, seeing as how our City Council members are now appointed and not elected, I guess the whole place is on the road to disaster. Every single person who makes decisions about these big developments should be forced to sit in rush hour traffic for 100 hours and then vote. Plus, what about the water shortages?”
“To those who want to see Santa Monica as an island frozen in time: the world around us is going to grow and the world is going to change, whether it pleases you or not. Those who will not grow and will not accept change will be left behind. The proposed time-out is just a subterfuge to avoid change.”
“Talk about too little too late. What good is a time-out but a ploy by the council member to excuse the already overbuilt city. Large-scale developments will go on, but they want to be able to say, ‘Well, we tried.’ Yeah, sure. Too late. The city administration can go to blazes. Enough already.”
“I agree with Councilmember Kevin McKeown regarding a time-out period from approving mega construction sites, especially those projects that would bring more congestive human and automotive traffic within Santa Monica’s boundaries. It is interesting that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now wants the 405 Freeway to be double-decked because a drive now to the valley takes seemingly forever when it used to take 10 minutes from Santa Monica. The traffic on the 405 has always been horrible since its inception. I wonder what put a bur under the governor’s saddle blanket. Late for an appointment perhaps? Join the club.”
“The Commi-kooks from Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights rule over us, squander unbelievable amounts of money on their crazy schemes, parties and hiring themselves for expensive jobs. Because of this, we have long ago been sold out to big development to bring in the bucks for their grandiose lifestyle. The only way to change is to vote all the crooks out by convincing tenants that the Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights’ agenda has not only been to screw over their landlords but to milk the entire city and sell us out to big money interests.”
“They should stop building so many buildings. What they should do if they have to build a new building is just allow it to be the size of the one it’s replacing. You know, because some buildings are going to fall down anyway so they should be replaced, but not with something bigger. Either that or just tear down half the city and leave it vacant lots.”
“I do think it’s time for a time-out from building all these giant projects. We have too much pollution, we have too much noise, too much traffic, too much water use. I mean, we’re building and building and building and we haven’t built the transit system yet. We have to build the transit system and then build our big projects. This way, people will not have to take their cars but we’ll also get a better water supply because we still do not have enough water for the people that are here. And it screws up the electronic infrastructure too because they usually have to cut down on our energy use. Where is all this energy going to come from?”
“I think it should be a wipe out instead of just a time-out for the developments in question. It is a known fact that the developers bribe their way to getting these monster developments approved. By the way, when is a bribe not a bribe? It looks like the only answer is when the bribe is taken by a national lawmaker from our national Congress down to our local council.”
“Yes, I am in favor of time-out. I have three buildings built within the last three years within a block. The latest one is a six-story monstrosity and I face 10 of the units with balconies and sliding glass doors. A total of 40 windows face mine. Talk about feeling like a goldfish in a bowl. Enough already. The building of them alone was noisy and disgusting. So put it off and let’s get someone with sense in there so we’re not staring into somebody’s window 24 hours a day.”
“Much more than a time-out, we residents need with no more dilly-dallying, a draft 20-year city general plan we can vote on before any new development happens. But, since council [Tuesday] insultingly, and in a most puerile and undemocratic way, added one more mouthpiece for those who would keep burying the soul of this tiny city in traffic inviting concrete, there is about zero chance development here will be slowed at all or that any serious and unbiased governmental discussion abut development planning and the context of coming environmental change will occur either.”
