Santa Monica Daily Press, April 26, 2012

Page 1

We Build Small Biz Apps! lotusinterworks.com

2009 Blue Ribbon Small Business Award U.S. Chamber of Commerce

310-444-4444

20th Anniversary

Call 310.442.3330 Today!

Hybrid • Mercedes-Benz

not valid from hotels or with other offers • SM residents only • Expires 12/31/12

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

SM to LAX $30

SantaMonicaTaxi.com

Volume 11 Issue 142

Santa Monica Daily Press

HUMMINGBIRDS RULE SEE PAGE 5

We have you covered

THE HMMM ISSUE

Fairmont hotel redevelopment gets past council Residents concerned about its size, scale BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer

for by City Hall, already provides “doorthrough-door” service, but the program is at capacity, Davidson said. Expanding the service by 1,000 hours would help 50 more seniors stay in their homes. One of Dial-a-Ride’s main weaknesses is that it stops running at 6 p.m., at which point seniors have to fend for themselves. Under the new plan, seniors over the age of 80 who are registered with Dial-a-Ride would also get access to taxi rides prearranged by WISE & Healthy Aging after Dial-a-Ride shuts down. Finally, officials proposed taking advantage of the door-through-door service by taking seniors out on social outings to restaurants that offer steep senior discounts. While the transportation offerings were

CITY HALL Negotiations between City Hall and developers of a Downtown hotel will begin after the City Council voted to move ahead with the project in the wee hours of Wednesday morning despite widespread concerns about its design and imposing size. The proposed revitalization of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows would double the size of the hotel to 556,000 square feet with between 265 and 280 hotel rooms, up to 120 luxury condominiums and almost 45,500 square feet of food, meeting, retail and spa space. Councilmember Kevin McKeown, the single “no vote” on the dais, felt that the developer, Ocean Avenue LLC., which is owned by Michael Dell of Dell computers, was trying to fit too much on one site, and had effectively ignored direction given in previous meetings by not bringing a smaller project on Tuesday. “It’s clear to me you’re trying to put 10 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound bag,” McKeown told Alan Epstein, a representative of the developer, Tuesday night. McKeown tried to push planners to bring back an alternative design removing 25 percent of the square footage as a test, but the rest of Santa Monica’s council members did not get on board after Planning Director David Martin told them that a reduced project would be studied as a part of the environmental analysis. McKeown’s comments were largely in line with complaints from both the Planning Commission, which had strenuous objections to the size of the hotel, and community members both for and against the project. Over 80 speakers lined up for public comment, and while it was split evenly between proponents and opponents, even those in favor of the hotel had reservations about the look of the project. Most proponents backed the project on

SEE SENIORS PAGE 13

SEE HOTEL PAGE 10

Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com

ASSIST: Dial-a-Ride driver LB Brown (right) helps senior Aurora Vasquez board his bus on Wednesday outside of WISE & Healthy Aging.

Council gives OK to Senior Center change BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer

CITY HALL Under a plan approved in concept by the City Council Tuesday night, seniors in Santa Monica will have more ways to get around, but will have to give up a cherished activities space at the Senior Recreation Center in Palisades Park. The proposal, put forward by the Human Services Division, looks to expand three forms of on-call transportation for seniors to close gaps in a network meant to ensure that Santa Monica’s aging population can get around. At the same time, it presented a plan to transition control over the senior center operations to WISE & Healthy Aging, a nonprofit that serves seniors, and eventually consolidate a meal program currently offered at the 1450 Ocean Ave. site to the nonprofit’s headquarters at the Ken

Edwards Center on Fourth Street. The building would then be repurposed as an “adult activities center,” open for use by a wider array of Santa Monica residents. Officials presented both changes as important steps to fill in gaps in services to the senior community, first by helping the elderly stay relatively independent and second by creating a “one-stop-shop” at the Ken Edwards Center to make it easy for them to get the help they need. “We believe strongly that the best way to service seniors is to create a one-stopshop,” said Robin Davidson, an administrator with the Human Services Division. In terms of transportation, staff recommended expanding a program that takes seniors from their pick-up location to their home and helps them get into the building. Dial-a-Ride, a service provided to seniors by an independent contractor and paid

GLUTEN FREE BREAD, BAGELS AND MUFFINS!

Now offering

Andrew Thurm

WE CURE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT HEADACHES

310.442.1651

310-829-9303

Contact:

Prepared in a non gluten free kitchen.

1433 Wilshire Boulevard, 15th Street 310-394-1131 OPEN 24 HOURS at

AndrewThurm@aol.com DRE # 01128992

2010 Realtor of the Year ROBERT KRONOVET

Info@Kronovet.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.