PS3: Expect lane closures on 4th Street starting Monday due to the ongoing demolition of Parking Structure 3 downtown.
The structure, on 4th Street between Santa Monica Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, is being demolished to make way for a city-owned mixed-use residential / retail building with services for formerly homeless individuals, as well as affordable housing.
The methodical demolition of the 50-year-old structure began weeks ago, but “major structural demolition” of the building was slated to begin Monday, May 23, according to a City of Santa Monica spokesperson. The new phase of demolition will necessitate a lane closure that was expected to last for two weeks. Traffic would continue to move in both directions despite the lane closure.
The demolition had been delayed due to a lawsuit filed by local business owners group, Santa Monica Bayside Owners. An attempt to have a judge halt the demolition as the case progressed did not succeed, but the lawsuit filed by SMBO against the City of Santa Monica and California Coastal Commission was still working its way through court as the parking structure was demolished.
Current construction timelines predict the structure will be fully razed by summer 2023; it will then sit as a vacant lot (behind a fence) until construction on the new project begins. Occasional lane closures were likely throughout the demolition timeline.
