The Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved zoning amendments at their last meeting aimed at revitalizing the city's downtown business district by easing restrictions on community spaces and standardizing digital signage rules.
The measures eliminate several requirements for community assembly spaces and create uniform standards for digital signs along the Third Street Promenade, and come as officials face a $33.2 million budget shortfall.
Mayor Lana Negrete did question why they were not making permanent changes to rules and staff said that any signage installed by businesses would be permanent, even if installed under a temporary rule, and that temporary modifications made the city better able to adapt.
“Council can definitely come back at any time to make those permanent,” said Principal Planner Steve Mizokami. “There is some value to be able to quickly adjust and add things, as we are tonight, amending ICOs (Interim Community Ordinances) versus something that's more permanent.”
The first amendment removes supplemental requirements for community assembly uses — including community centers, banquet centers and religious facilities — in the Bayside Conservation District encompassing Second Street, Third Street Promenade and Fourth Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway.
Eliminated restrictions include minimum parcel size requirements, buffering distances from residential uses, landscaping mandates and operating hours previously limited to 7am to 10pm.
Mizokami these changes will "provide greater opportunities for organizations to find permanent meeting space within the centralized area of the downtown."
The second amendment standardizes digital signage requirements. Previously, different standards applied to one-story buildings versus multi-story structures.
All buildings can now have digital signs up to five feet in height and as wide as the tenant space. Signs can be placed anywhere on the building façade provided they don't project above the roofline.
The signs will operate from 6am to 2am, matching alcohol service hours in the area, despite concerns raised about potential light disturbance to residents.
Councilmember Barry Snell questioned the maximum 5,000 candela brightness standard, calling it "incredibly bright." City staff noted the signs must be dimmable and follow lighting restrictions limiting impact on surrounding areas and that the signage rules matched neighboring communities.
"From a CEQA perspective, there is a limitation of 0.3 foot candles, which is not a whole lot above ambient at the property line," said Planning Manager Jing Yeo, referencing California Environmental Quality Act requirements.
These changes come as Santa Monica grapples with a dim financial reality creating significant budget challenges. The downtown area has struggled to recover from pandemic-era closures, with vacant storefronts along the once-bustling Third Street Promenade symbolizing these difficulties.
"We've implemented a lot of ICOs over the past few years, and they seem to be working, bringing back businesses to downtown slowly, but we're getting there," Councilmember Dan Hall said. He advocated making more temporary measures permanent to provide businesses with greater certainty.
The amendments represent the latest in a series of changes implemented since 2020. Previous modifications streamlined the review process for new businesses, eliminated conditional use permit requirements for Promenade establishments, simplified alcohol permits and relaxed sign code limitations.
Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis noted that the digital sign standards align with other regional shopping districts including Century City, West Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles — direct competitors for retail customers.
"I think we have to balance multiple competing interests here," Torosis said before moving to approve the recommendation.
The interim zoning ordinance amendments expire November 22, 2028, unless made permanent earlier. The sign code amendment takes effect immediately.
City staff will return to the council April 22 with additional proposals for promenade entertainment zones aimed at streamlining events and making them "more accessible, more affordable," according to Yeo.
"I do think that this is our primary commercial district, and that it's important that we facilitate economic opportunity and growth in that specific district," Hall said.
