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Only One Way to Town Plaza?
By Mac Douglas
One thing has been overlooked in the debate concerning Town Plaza. A great many of us who oppose the project also support the project. A contradiction? Not at all. In spite of how the picture has been painted, we no more want to see a "ghost town" downtown than do local merchants. The trouble is with the particular Town Plaza concept now being proposed. It intrudes on the safety of Linwood E. Howe School and the surrounding neighborhood when it doesn’t have to. And once built, no amount of traffic, parking and pollution mitigation will make up for the fact that it could have been done differently.
That’s why I and other people have been working hard to influence the outcome of the project. We’ve been to meeting after meeting. We sat down with city staff and officials. We talked with the developer. We discussed alternatives with downtown business people. We invested time and faith in what we hoped was a meaningful dialogue — only to find that others were consistently given the last word. We recognized that we would have to do something on our own. We drew on what we knew to be a vital issue with not only local residents, but with people elsewhere across the city: the protection of Linwood E. Howe and other schools where there were potential development threats. Out of that was born the Safe Schools Ordinance of 1999.
But first, let’s clear up some myths about Town Plaza.
To begin with, the project does not reflect the vision of the 1991 downtown charette as has been suggested. Nothing in the charette report comes close to describing the large-scale regional entertainment center currently proposed. Nor does the current version reflect a real effort by the city and developer to scale down the project in response to local citizens. They have merely let the air out of an over-inflated "worst case scenario," returning the project toward the size originally presented in 1997. As for the tax money from the project: what money? According to the city’s own public benefits analysis (April 5), there will be no revenue to the city for at least 15 years — the time it will take to pay off the public investment in the project. After that, the taxes it generates will equal just a small fraction of the city’s annual budget.
Still, residents agree that some type of project is important to downtown. We simply disagree with the concept now on the table. We want a better balance between downtown uses and the well-being of the school and neighborhood. The Safe School Zones Ordinance will achieve that balance. It will protect all public and private schools in or near areas of commercial development, including Linwood E. Howe, by establishing "school zones" within which dangerous or distracting uses are restricted. It will also limit the height of commercial development near schools located in residential zones. It will not override existing, more stringent measures, but will add a fail-safe should those measures ever be weakened or repealed. There is no stranglehold on development city-wide. Less than six percent of the more than 10 miles of commercial corridors in the city will be significantly affected.
Applied to Town Plaza, the ordinance will require that the crowd and traffic-generating elements of the project (the cineplex or parking structure) must be confined to the two development parcels farthest away from Linwood E. Howe, and development on the nearest parcel must be limited to single-story restaurant/retail/office use. Also, no building can exceed the 56-foot height limit imposed by voters in 1990. Other than that, the city and developer will be free to configure the project any way they want. Meanwhile, there will be a more harmonious transition between downtown and the neighborhood, just as the 1991 charette actually recommends.
Question: Is passage of the Safe School Zones Ordinance merely a "smoke screen" for killing off Town Plaza? Answer: Only if the city and developer choose to abandon the project rather than compromise. Meanwhile, I urge you to decide for yourself. It’s important to the future not only of downtown but of other neighborhoods and other school zones — maybe your own — where similar development issues could someday arise.
Mac Douglas is a member of Citizens for a Livable Culver City and a local resident since 1976.
Town Plaza Fits Culver City Like a Glove
By Jay Handal
It has now been more than two years since we began working on the final pieces of the puzzle to animate downtown Culver City.
When I first moved into Culver City, Downtown was a ghost town, it looked pretty, but was not functional.
The Redevelopment Agency, recognizing that the streetscape was not enough, continued the process of identifying what it is that will animate downtown, and be the best possible project for the entire community.
So today, we are looking at a project called "Town Plaza." This retail entertainment project, located in the heart of downtown Culver City, consists of a theater project, as well as restaurants, retail and possibly office space, all of which we are lacking in our downtown.
The city, its citizens, along with the Downtown Business Association (D.B.A.), and the The Citizens for a livable Culver City (CLCC), have spent countless hours discussing and probing the project, its plusses and minuses, to come up with the best possible project for our community. Through all of the meetings and negotiations, and through the EIR process, the project has been scaled down to a size that fits the area like a glove. It animates our downtown, yet provides a small enough project for the city and the developer to be able to mitigate potential traffic and parking problems, thereby insuring the integrity of the surrounding community.
While some residents who live directly adjacent to the project object to it being there, most local residents whom I see on a daily basis in my restaurant are pleased and excited about THIS particular project. As with any project near a residential area, we all have an obligation to come up with a plan to protect it- and that has been ongoing with the experts.
Having attended so many meetings, I must address one thing straight forward: Whenever a businessman gets up to speak in favor of the project, some local resident always yells out "YOU don't even live here." I find I must finally answer that by saying, most of your local merchants who may not live here, are actually here between 12 and 18 hours a day, probably longer than those residents who live here, but work elsewhere.
We, like homeowners, have invested a considerable amount of money into the commercial properties, like homeowners with property. We spend countless hours working with government on downtown issues, including traffic and parking, to insure the businesses and the local community of ease of shopping. Our business relies on a good flow of traffic, not gridlock, and certainly we rely on the safety of our streets, so I believe it to be extremely unfair for some residents to interrupt and accuse business of not caring because we do not live here.
From a pure business standpoint-this project is vital and necessary to the survival of downtown as the hub of our community . Many of the downtown businesses are hurting now. So many of our businesses have been hanging in hoping for the day that an anchor tenant comes into our downtown to spur additional retail development, thereby bringing pedestrian traffic to our area.
We are pleased to see that the City and the Redevelopment Agency have been sensitive to the surrounding community, but straight forward about their conviction that without such a project, we all lose.
As President of the D.B.A. in Downtown, I implore all of our community to unite in this effort to bring life back to Downtown, to support your local businesses, and to support this project.
As we have, let your voices be heard. Call your city councilpersons and give them your support, or e-mail me at SGREST@AOL.COM, and I will forward your responses to the council.
There is a bottom line here:The Redevelopment Agency and the developer must have a successful project, and the approval of a DDA on August 16th, at the Agency/Council meeting, will move this process along in a positive manner.
SO, come support your City Council, Staff, Agency, and YOUR Community, as we have all worked so hard to find a project that meets the high expectations and standards for Culver City. The DBA approves of the project in its current form, and looks forward to its opening.
In July, 1995, I attended a meeting of the then Downtown Merchants Association. We developed a theme for downtown promotions.
Downtown, Walk it, shop it, taste it. Now, August 1999, I believe we have the opportunity to achieve that mission statement.....
Support downtown and the Town Plaza project--it makes sense.
Jay Handal, President
Culver City Downtown Business Association
Culver Chamber Supports Town Plaza
The Culver City Chamber Board of Directors supports the concept of Town Plaza presented to our membership at our July 10, 1999 Luncheon.
Town Plaza is right not only for the downtown but for all of Culver City and it's neighbors. Town Plaza is the catalyst that will bring viable new business to the area that inturn will revitalize the retail community that is stagnate right now.
We, as citizens should understand that the business community is changing to meet the demands of local, national and worldwide consumers. As we approach the 21st Century there are three different types of economies emerging for the consumer.
1. Big Box Retail- The Costco, Target, Best Buys, Home Depot and Staples are where people and businesses can purchase from a large variety of products.
2. The Internet- The mode of sales for merchandise and service is expanding everyday from many businesses in Culver City and the world. The people are enjoying this method of shopping because it allows them to shop at home during their own time frame.
3. The Experience- Which is not in Culver City and is exactly the shopping need that we are creating with Town Plaza. An experience is going to The Promenade in Santa Monica or Old town in Pasadena. The Town Plaza will invite you and your family down for a safe and friendly dining, shopping experience.
These three economies are needed in Culver City to allow us a choice of spending our time and money in our city, which inturn supports the services that we all demand for our QUALITY OF LIFE.
The local restaurants such as Sagebrush will probably open on Sundays, San Generro's will open for weekend lunches, along with having S&W Country Kitchen, Mr. P's and Double Dutch will probably be open more than two or three night's week. New businesses will notice the vitality of Culver City and bring their upscale businesses to our community. The Center Theater Group AKA Mark Taper Forum, will have renewed vigor in opening the Culver Theater as a live playhouse.
As 52 year resident of this city and one that remembers the horse stables, corn fields where my brother and I picked corn, watching cars getting stuck in three feet of water at Sepulveda and Slauson change will always happening in Culver City, but one thing that we must remember is that we are Culver City an independent city in Los Angeles County where government works for ALL the people and our elected officials have a process that works. That's why I live in Culver City and work in the town for 52 years.
Steven J. Rose, President of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, has lived in Culver City since 1947, a home owner and property owner.
By the Way, Some Truths from Your City Hall
by Albert Vera, Chairman, Culver City Redevelopment Agency
What was Culver City's most popular sign in the early 90s? FOR SALE or FOR LEASE! Culver Boulevard was a war zone. There were potholes in the streets, and the Studio Drive-In was an example of urban blight. These are some of the reasons I ran for City Council.
Redevelopment of Downtown began in Culver City with the 1991 Charette. That was a brainstorming session with 125 local residents and business people who gave up their entire weekend to come up with a vision for our future that would work for everybody. We walked, talked, listened to each other, and thought about what we really wanted. The City staff and other professionals helped form those ideas into a plan. You see the result in Downtown today. We are almost finished with our second parking structure, and we have wide sidewalks, a pedestrian friendly center of our town, a new City Hall, Fire Station Number 1, and new facades for many businesses. There are more trees and plants, and outdoor dining is a nice option. The Culver-Washington X was eliminated and we have a little Town Park, at the edge of a restored landmark, the Culver Hotel. A Downtown Business Association was established, and they now tax themselves through a Business Improvement District. The center of town is a more viable place to shop, dine and enjoy Culver City, the Heart of Screenland.
We also received extra funds from the County to expedite our Downtown streetscape through the help of Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, our County Supervisor, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
But we still lacked activity, what we call "animation". We still had vacancies and "for lease" signs. So the Culver City Redevelopment Agency sent out a proposal to complete the Downtown, and Oliver McMillan was selected to partner with the Agency at the end of 1996. The second Charette for Downtown happened in 1997, and we tried to fine tune the vision. Oliver McMillan participated in that second exercise. Entertainment, restaurants and retail were still the interest.
The process began with a plan, and then the environmental study had to be prepared, as always looking at the most intense and "worst case scenarios, to help us make the right decision. The Murphy Buick property was an embarrassment, so that became a part of the plan. The urban blight on Block C had already been removed. You may remember that block when the Adams Hotel was there, with a bar on the corner, a liquor store, a restaurant that was moved to Main Street (La Ballona), and other buildings that had fallen on hard times (as well as the dark and dingy Hogan's alley). It became a parking lot temporarily, just as the parking lot adjacent to the Culver Hotel was designed. (You may remember that lot when it had a pool hall, bars and boarded up shops on it.) And now that two Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) have been done, and the plan redesigned to be better for everyone, we are ready to go through the approval process and negotiate the final plan. Public input is again invited and valued.
Now instead of working with the developer, the City and the redevelopment staff, a group of nearby neighbors are using scare tactics to put their "hidden agenda" (which is to delay or kill the project) out in the public eye, after the process is almost completed. These people filed two initiatives, which have nothing to do with "safe schools" although they would like you to believe otherwise. Either of these initiatives would cripple redevelopment, and they are so bad that the authors have already withdrawn the first one. They don't work within the system that is provided. They do not understand the difference between an environmental study and a project approval process. And they don't seem to want to learn.
But we in Culver City must look ahead and protect ourselves and provide for our future. We need to redevelop our Downtown, or Los Angeles will take the lead. All the retail, restaurant and entertainment revenue will go to L.A., not us. We'll still get their traffic however. And then we won't have the money to provide for City services that we all take for granted: great response times from our police, fire and paramedics, weekly street sweeping, continuous street and park maintenance and tree trimming to mention a few.
Don't be fooled by the so-called "Citizens for a Livable Culver City." Talk to your neighbors, the City staff, your councilmembers and let's work together, the right way, like an Alliance for a Better City (simple as ABC).
Albert Vera has been on the City Council for seven years, serving as Councilmember, Vice Mayor, Mayor, Vice Chair on the Culver City Redevelopment Agency and he is currently the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Chair. He is a forty-nine year resident who raised his family here, where you will find him at his family business, Sorrento Italian Market.
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