Slow And Carefull On T Lots Developement Or Parking Lots?

1/3/07

By Rudy Cole

Do you want  the T Zone lots west and east of the intersections of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards used for commercial development?  Do you even care 

Planning is like the weather, to paraphrase Will Rogers, one of our more illustrious early settlers, everybody has a complaint but no one has any real idea on how to make it better.

We know that without a thoughtful planning process, our city would suffer and lose many of its unique characteristics.  Communities and even entire cities can and do deteriorate and their quality of life change inexorably.

The problem is that deterioration and negative changes do not happen suddenly and are almost always the result of citizen disinterest, neglect and an inability to impact governmental decision making when it most matters.

We owe much to our early city leadership, and to the visionaries who dreamed of ideas that preserved and improved the quality of life in both residential and commercial areas – although some horrendous errors were made such as too narrow streets in multi-family areas.

Much of the single family zones are so well protected, they can never be changed.  We did need and still do, more uniform rules on design and style that could have slowed down mansionization. 

The business area was forever changed by the property owners of Rodeo Drive, a definitive amelioration that continues to help define our city.

What we assume are our entitlements didn’t just happen.  Excellent schools, first rate fire and police protection with response times that are the envy of the less well served all around us, fiscally sound money management and so much more including, impressive residential areas are products of involved citizens and enlightened leaders.

Knee-jerk reactions to change are just as destructive as unrestricted growth. To argue that we can’t stand in the way of progress is as irresponsible as viewing every proposed development with fear.  Reasonable people need to be heard in the planning process so that we continue to improve and encourage fiscally important, economically beneficial changes without catering to the greed of some property investors.  Open dialogue and early involvement of homeowner groups with elected officials and city planners could help avoid the contentious battles of the past.  And we desperately need that process now as we consider a new general plan, one that will effect our quality of life for several generations.

But back to the T Lots, those parcels between Little and Big Santa Monica Boulevards.  Historically, the lots were part of our railroad system.  We had both passenger and freight trains and, yes, we had an industrial area dependent on rail service.

When the Southern Pacific abandoned the lines, they hoped to develop and sell the land, but the city refused to change the zoning for one very important reason:  They did not want to drive up property values on land the city hoped would be used for a proposed Beverly Hills Freeway.

There is a somewhat amusing side bar to the story.  One of our pioneer realtors did own or acquire property in the T zone at Canon between the two Santa Monica Boulevards.  He developed the building that is the only commercial structure in the zone, but not without some agony.  After the building was completed, he made the supposedly routine request for an occupancy permit.  It wasn’t until this moment that some alert city official discovered that the building was not legal, having been built on restricted T Zone land.

A panicked Elkins appealed to the then City Council, sometime in the late 1950s, for a variance and recognition of an existing condition, despite the zoning.

Mayor Hugh Darling was not inclined to grant the variance.  He told Elkins it was inconceivable that he, Elkins, could not have known of the zoning laws.

“Mr. Elkins, you are a city commissioner,” Darling said at the hearing. “You know or should have known what you were doing was illegal.” 

Elkins, not easily flustered, responded with:  “What do you suggest I do with my building?”

“Tearing it down one brick at a time occurs to me,” Mayor Darling responded.

However, a council majority gave Elkins a now for then ruling permitting occupancy.

Incidentally, when a car rental agency, not the current owners, acquired property at Wilshire and Santa Monica, the structure was so ugly it led to the creation of the Architectural Review Commission. 

Now, back to the present.  What should be done with the remaining T Zone lots?  Should they be developed?  Certainly, that whole area of the city is less than up to Beverly Hills standards – face it, this is a civic eye sore.

But before we rush to permitting commercial or even mixed use on the lots, we should, as former Mayor Allan Alexander has proposed, consider acquiring the property for public parking. 

The Santa Monica and Wilshire intersection is one of the busiest in our city.

The surrounding property can be a conduit to relieve parking demand, provide a safe overpass for southwest students attending El Rodeo and open up transit plans linking us to Century City – but not likely if the zoning is change permitting development.

However, no final plans should be adopted without a serious dialogue with the “stake holders” in the area.  The Southwest Homeowners, the Peninsula, the Hilton, school officials and the retailers on Little Santa Monica, all should have a voice in the planning process.

Finally, a good word about cooperative interplay.  The 9900 Wilshire project is a classroom example of how to use the planning and community self interest process.  What has evolved is a first ever green building with enormous areas of open space.  We are willing to approve greater heights because it avoids bulk. In other words, there will be fewer condo units, greater open land because the proposed structure will very likely have increased heights and not density.  The proposed use even has a renter benefit, and the support of CTR’s Herm Shultz, because it creates condos on commercial property reducing the pressure to demolish affordable housing.

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Did all this planning agony make you hungry?  There is a new, unique eatery in the city, and one of the few available on Rodeo Drive.  It just opened, but early patrons, including secular and the more devout, are raving about Prime Grill, a kosher steak house in the Rodeo Collection.  The owners have had great success with the concept back east and are, so far, winning fans in our community.  Gigi, the former owner of Caffe Roma and one of our more perceptive experts on restaurants, and he is clearly not a member of Beth Jacob, told me he thinks the concept will be successful.  So far, they are only open for dinner, but lunch may be served soon.  Aside from the food, it is a wonderful venue.

Rudy Cole served for eight years as a member and chair of the city’s Recreation & Parks Commission. He was also President of the Greystone Foundation and served on three other city committees. Rudy can be reached at: Rudy@bhweekly.com. 

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