ii. Project description 17
THE OCEAN AVENUE PROJECT Introduction The Ocean Avenue Project was born out of a desire to create something truly special for the City of Santa Monica. Recent adoption of the Downtown Community Plan (DCP), together with the opening of the Metro Expo Line, makes this an opportune time to develop a project on this site. The proposed development is based on and will fulfill key aspects of the DCP; which was informed by an extensive community outreach process by the City of Santa Monica. Its design will add an element of distinction in the community. The Ocean Avenue Project team has deep-seated local roots. Worthe Real Estate Group (WREG), M. David Paul and Associates (MDPA) and Gehry Partners (GP) each have a decades-long history of community involvement. Mr. Gehry, recognized world wide, has long desired to design another commercial building in his hometown of Santa Monica. Community Benefits Priorities As delineated in the DCP, the project program and design incorporates a thoughtful and comprehensive set of Community Benefits. The DCP identifies five key priorities for negotiated community benefits, each of which is addressed in a meaningful way in our proposal. The Ocean Avenue Projects brings (note: order of priorities shown as listed in the DCP): Publicly Accessible Open Space - p. 26 Affordable Housing - p. 20 Mobility and Circulation - p. 29 Cultural Institutions - p. 30 Historic Preservation - p. 19 The Ocean Avenue Project owners have long held a dream to make this a truly phenomenal project that begets pride and inspires awe to the community. The almost two acre property sits astride Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Blvd., overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Palisades Park and Santa Monica Pier, at the terminus of a major pedestrian thoroughfare between Ocean Ave and the Third Street Promenade. M. David Paul first acquired the property at 101 Santa Monica Blvd over 40 years ago, and together with Worthe and other partners acquired the surrounding parcels in 2007. The Worthe team and Gehry partners worked for over five years, studying dozens of design iterations and possible program elements for the site. The Ocean Avenue Project was first introduced to the community in 2013 through a Development Agreement application and community meeting at the local public library. The community contributed valuable feedback to the Worthe team, and together with Gehry Partners, the team reimagined the entire design over the last 4 years in response to this input. In July 2017, Santa Monica approved a revised Downtown Community Plan, a result of a years-long outreach process with community stakeholders, residents, agencies and visitors to guide Downtown Santa Monica s future. The proposed project is the culmination of many years of thoughtful consideration, community feedback, and important work. It will bring a mix of uses to an underutilized site, refresh historic landmarks, contribute to our cultural environment, provide much needed market, family and affordable housing, and create new lodging and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. The design will give this prominent location a sense of place in our City s history celebrating the past, present and future. 2ND ST FIGURE 3 OCE AN A VE M O N IC A FIGURE 4 SA N TA Economic and Fiscal Benefits The project will generate significant increases to the City tax base and will bolster the local economy through job creation and both direct and indirect consumer spending. A full analysis of the fiscal and economic impact of the project will be submitted to the City under separate cover. BL VD Community Benefits FIGURE 2 Figure 1 - Aerial View of Existing Site 18
Location / Site Information / Historic Preservation The project is located in the heart of downtown Santa Monica on a site fronting three streets, bounded by Ocean Avenue to the west, Santa Monica Boulevard to the south and Second Street to the east. It consists of eleven (11) contiguous lots that together comprise approximately 1.9 acres. Existing Conditions There are three primary components to the existing site when considering current improvements and uses: 1. 101 Santa Monica Blvd. (Fig. 2) this site is 30,000 square feet and located at the northeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. It is improved with a two-story mixed-use retail/ residential structure of approximately 24,000 square feet. The ground floor commercial space is occupied by five restaurants and the second floor and penthouse is comprised of 19 rent-controlled apartment units of various sizes. The northernmost portion of this site is improved with a surface parking lot. The existing building structure will be demolished as part of the construction of the new project. A historic assessment of the building was completed by Robert Chattel of Chattel Architecture and the full report and findings were included for reference under Section V., Supplemental Reports with the original applications. Existing residents will be offered full accommodation packages (see more on p. 44 under Existing Residents ). Figure 2 - View of Existing Site from corner of Ocean Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd. - Looking Northeast 2. 129 Santa Monica Blvd. (Fig. 3) this site sits immediately east of the 101 Santa Monica Blvd. site and is also 30,000 square feet. It is improved entirely as a surface parking lot. The parking lot will be replaced with underground parking as part of the proposed project. 3. 1327/1333/1337 Ocean Avenue (Fig. 4) this site sits immediately north of the 101 Santa Monica Blvd. site and is comprised of three (3) equal sized lots together comprising 22,500 square feet. Two of the three sites are improved with single structures recognized as Landmarks, both of which will be refurbished, adaptively reused and incorporated into a three-building museum campus of approximately 40,000 square feet. The third structure on the third lot is not considered a Landmark and will be removed. Figure 3 - View of Existing Site along 2nd St. - Looking West. The first landmarked structure is a Queen Anne Style Victorian building located at 1333 Ocean Avenue. It was constructed in c. 1906 and designated a City Landmark in May 2001. Originally designed as a residential home, it is currently used for commercial purposes. The second landmarked structure is a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival building located at 1337 Ocean Avenue. It was constructed in 1926 and designated a City Landmark in August 2004. It is also currently used for commercial purposes. In order to protect these structures during the construction process, both buildings are contemplated to be temporarily moved off-site, then brought back on-site and re-furbished to coincide with the opening of the new project. The adaptive re-use and refurbishment of both structures will be performed in full compliance with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. A report attesting to this will be submitted later in the review process after more detailed construction plans are completed and available. Figure 4 - View of Existing Site along Ocean Ave. - Looking East 19
PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed project is a mixed-use cultural, retail and residential development, plus hotel. The site fronts Ocean Avenue, overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Palisades Park, and is adjacent to a major pedestrian promenade. One of only three downtown Large Sites established in the DCP, the project site offers a unique opportunity for an exciting building in downtown Santa Monica. Gehry Partners design combines the proposed program with a responsible urban planning strategy to create a project sensitive to the local setting. Project Details The proposed project includes an approximately 115-room hotel with meeting, banquet and amenity space. The housing component has been adjusted to eliminate condominium units, and increase the number of rental units. Approximately 79 rental units including affordable units will be provided. This total will include 19 replacement rent-controlled apartments. Ground floor restaurant and retail space is provided along Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard, and 2nd Street. Appropriate parking for the project will be provided in a subterranean parking garage. Cultural facilities include an approximately 40,000sf new museum that repurposes the two existing landmark buildings, and a rooftop observation deck. TABLE 1: Mixed-Use Programmatic Details Total Project Area: 317,500 GSF Boutique Hotel Guest Rooms: approx 111-115 Total Gross Area: 141,500 GSF Meeting/Banquet Space: 5,900 GSF Spa: 5,500 GSF Pool Deck and Service Area: 8,900 GSF Residential (further details provided p. 44) Total Rental Units 79 Replacement Rental Units: 19 (within Total) Affordable Rental Units: TBD (within Total) Retail/Restaurant Ground Floor Restaurants 24,000 GSF and Retail: FOURTH ST. SANTA MONICA CITY HALL SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM Parking Subterranean Parking Structure: TBD WILSHIRE BLVD ARIZONA AVE 3RD STREET PROMENADE SECOND ST. PROJECT SITE OCEAN AVE SANTA MONICA BLVD PALISADES PARK BROADWAY SANTA MONICA ACE COLORADO AVE KEN GENSER SQUARE TONGVA PARK MAIN ST OCEAN AVE PICO BLVD Public Amenities Cultural Building: 40,000 GSF Restored Landmark: 4,000 GSF Structures Observation Deck: 5,000 GSF PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY Numbers have been rounded for clarity * SANTA MONICA STATE BEACH SANTA MONICA PIER TRUE NORTH Figure 5 - Popular Local Destinations in Downtown Santa Monica 20
PROJECT OVERVIEW 1. CAMPUS 2. LANDMARK BUILDINGS 3. PUBLIC OBSERVATION DECK 4. 5. RENTAL APARTMENTS 5 1 2 5 3 2 4 5 5 Figure 6 - Aerial View - Project Overview 21
URBAN DESIGN CONCEPT The design team has received significant input from the community outreach process, the planning department, and the architectural review board. The extensive outreach process used in developing the approved DCP informs the revised project, resulting in a lower maximum height appropriate to the downtown context. A slender tower is oriented in an east-west direction, maximizing views to the oceanfront for areas to the east. To reduce the height of the project, area that previously occupied the taller portions of the project has been redistributed in a responsible manner to other portions of the site. The tower location remains weighted towards Ocean Avenue, however its height has been reduced from 244 to 130, measured to the roof. The tower s new height associates it more with the mid-rise buildings in downtown as opposed to the tall towers. The residential component has been distributed among four distinct buildings with varying heights from 92 to 60. The existing context has a series of mid-rise buildings along Santa Monica Boulevard from 5th Street to Ocean Avenue, and the taller residential buildings have therefore been placed along this street. The lower height buildings have been placed on the north side of the site, along each of 2nd Street (residential) and Ocean Avenue (museum complex). The building street fronts are modulated to enhance activity by allowing for a variety of experiences at the sidewalk. Breaks in the building facade help maintain a scaled relationship to pedestrians and the adjacent context. Shangri-La Hotel 123 Santa Monica Blvd Parking Bay Cities Guaranty Building 1401 Ocean Ave The Georgian Hotel 1431 Ocean Ave Santa Monica Boulevard Figure 7 - Ocean Avenue Elevation showing height Comparisons 22
100 Wilshire Blvd 1299 Ocean Ave The Huntley Hotel 201 Santa Monica Blvd Bay Cities Guaranty Building 301 Santa Monica Blvd Ocean Avenue 2 ND Street 3 RD Street Figure 8 - Santa Monica Boulevard Elevation showing relationship to existing context showing varied heights and scaled relationship to 2nd Street. 23
A.N.G. CALCULATIONS Average Natural Grade is established by the City of Santa Monica standards for the purpose of calculating building height. CALCULATIONS 79-8 ---- 79.67 78-11 ---- 78.92 77-10 ---- 77.83 78-7 ---- 78.58 75-8 ---- 75.67 75-4 ---- 75.33 75-2 ---- 75.17 75-0 ---- 75 AVERAGE NATURAL GRADE 616.17 = 77-0 8 C L ELEV (1) = +78'-7" 2ND ST. BUILDING FRONTAGE LINE ELEV (2) = +75'-8" C L TOTAL: 616.17 ALLEY BUILDING FRONTAGE LINE OBSERVATION DECK OBSERVATION DECK 12 11 10 12 11 10 ELEV (5) = +79'-8" 1ST COURT ELEV (3) = +77'-10" ELEV (4) = +75'-4" ELEV (6) = +75'-2" SANTA MONICA BLVD. 09 09 08 08 07 06 07 06 8'-11" 78'-11" MEETING 05 04 03 MEETING 02 RESTAURANT/RETAIL RESTAURANT/RETAIL 05 04 03 02 POOL DECK POOL DECK SANTA MONICA RESTAURANT/RETAIL RESTAURANT/RETAIL 75'-0" 75'-0" BLVD. 01 01 SANTA MONICA BLVD. BUILDING FRONTAGE LINE ELEV (8) = +75'-0" BALLROOM PRE- BALLROOM FUNC. PRE- FUNC. B.O.H. B.O.H. B1 B1 ELEV (7) = +78'-11" BUILDING FRONTAGE LINE OCEAN AVE. C L 24
AVERAGE BUILDING HEIGHT Understanding that building height is a sensitive topic, we have utilized the concept of Average Building Height to demonstrate the interplay between height and density on this site. The purpose of relying on an average height concept for buildings within the downtown core is to encourage the incorporation of publicly accessible open space at the ground level of new projects, and to encourage a variety of scales within allotted zoning envelopes. It is a tool that would allow minimizing floorplates at higher elevations, providing control of access to natural light, view corridors, and ocean breezes. BLDG "D" BLDG "C" As an example, the approved housing project at 5th and Broadway has a maximum height of 84, and an average height of 64-10. The project we are proposing has a maximum height of 130, but an average height of only 43-8. The average building height concept can be used in conjunction with additional requirements to control appropriate building massing. A detailed description of this concept is provided in the appendix. Solar studies to assess shade/shadow has been updated for the revised design, and are provided in the appendix. BLDG "B" Elev. From A.N.G. Area (SF) % of Site Area Mean Calc. 130'-0" 8302 103'-6" 729 93'-6" 3543 81'-0" 1037 73'-0" 864 71'-0" 3880 68'-0" 729 64'-0" 3753 61'-0" 3067 58'-0" 2985 52'-0" 3230 47'-0" 1327 42'-0" 4813 39'-0" 3197 36'-0" 291 28'-0" 5039 22'-0" 3888 20'-0" 2352 19'-0" 11'-0" 0'-0" 10233 652 18658 10.1% 0.9% 4.3% 1.3% 1.0% 4.7% 0.9% 4.5% 3.7% 3.6% 3.9% 1.6% 5.8% 3.9% 0.4% 6.1% 4.7% 2.8% 12.4% 0.8% 22.6% 13.13 0.91 4.01 1.02 0.76 3.34 0.60 2.91 2.27 2.10 2.03 0.76 2.45 1.51 0.13 1.71 1.04 0.57 2.35 0.09 0.00 OBSERVATION DECK POOL BLDG "A" Total Site Area 82,569 Average Height 100% 43.69 (43'-8") OBSERVATION DECK Figure 9 - Preliminary Study of Shadow Sensitive Uses 25