CITY HALL — Council Chambers were quiet on Tuesday night.
City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a project proposed to replace the Fred Segal building and a parking lot at Broadway and Fifth Street.
Nearly all of the two dozen or so speakers were supportive of the project. Council members scrutinized aspects of the 7-story, 330,000-square-foot mixed-use building but ultimately voted to approve negotiations with the developer, DK Broadway LLC.
The proposal consists of approximately 39,600 square feet of ground floor commercial area, and 262 residential units across four 84-foot buildings.
Parking is addressed through a four-level, 577-space underground garage.
The incoming Expo Light Rail terminus station will be located right around the corner.
Councilmember Ted Winterer questioned the developer's belief that a 9,000-square-foot cross court driveway should be considered ground-floor open space.
Councilmember Kevin McKeown said he has concerns with the massing of the buildings and asked that the grocery store, proposed for the ground floor, be affordable.
On the whole, council members were complimentary and were quick to note that the project is still in a very early phase of the development agreement process. After negotiations with city officials, the project will go before the Planning Commission and council once again.
Private sale of public parking outlawed
MonkeyParking, a smartphone app that allows users to buy and sell public street parking spaces, hit a bump in the road last night.
The app-makers recently announced they'd be bringing the service to Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.
But council passed an ordinance "prohibiting selling, leasing or reserving for compensation public spaces in the city."
City officials say MonkeyParking, with its reliance on smartphones and cars being used at the same time, could lead to dangerous situations.
Further, they say, it's not necessary given the apps, like ParkMe, which already partner with City Hall on parking issues.
Councilmembers agreed unanimously.
Homeless banned from hanging in hospitals
Council also made quick work of an ordinance that restricts "presence in hospital emergency room waiting areas to those who are awaiting services or accompanying others who are awaiting or receiving services."
Apparently homeless Santa Monicans have been patronizing the waiting rooms at the two locals hospitals and refusing to leave, even when they don't need medical care.
No members of the public spoke on the ordinance, which passed unanimously with little discussion from council members.
dave@www.smdp.com
