MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
Volume 11 Issue 268
Santa Monica Daily Press
YOU READY FOR THE CLOSURE? SEE PAGE 3
We have you covered
THE ROOM TO GROW ISSUE
New calculations could mean new look at agreements
COMMUNITYPROFILES
WILLIAM MONTGOMERY
Where there’s a will there’s a way
Studies show more people crammed into less office space
Despite having Down syndrome, William Montgomery is making a difference in his community
BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE City staff are taking another look
BY KEVIN HERRERA
In an e-mail exchange between LaRue’s mother Donomique Dane and Principal Laurel Fretz, Fretz stated that she didn’t think it was in LaRue’s best interest. “If we didn’t care about Sebastian and his future, we would say, ‘Whatever. Sure,
at estimates used to calculate the amount of traffic and parking spaces needed for new development in light of research brought forward by a resident showing that companies are squeezing more workers into less square footage than previously assumed. Numbers produced by CoreNet Global, a leading association for corporate real estate executives, suggest that companies are vastly reducing the amount of office space allotted per worker both to cut costs and to embrace a more flexible office environment with less assigned space to promote collaboration. CoreNet Global found that modern offices set aside roughly 171 square feet for each worker, a number that many anticipate will fall to 151 square feet within five years if not more. That’s a far cry from staff estimates used in a contract for the Bergamot Transit Village, a massive mixed-use project that includes a great deal of “creative” office space. According to the development agreement drafted between City Hall and the developer Hines Corporation, those employees will have 286 square-feet per worker. That didn’t seem quite right to Valerie Griffin, a self-proclaimed techie who has watched her own use of office space diminish vastly over the years as work spaces get smaller and bulky items like filing cabinets become a thing of the past. The CoreNet Global report as well as other articles by the Los Angeles Times shored up Griffin’s theories on the subject, which the City Council discussed at their Sept. 11 meeting. The implications on this and other development agreements are daunting. “Instead of having 1,730 workers in the amount of space they were proposing, it would be 5,000 to 6,000,” she said. Those potentially uncounted workers could spell trouble if you consider the
SEE SAMOHI PAGE 10
SEE SPACE PAGE 9
Editor in Chief
DOWNTOWN If William Montgomery was born in the 1950s instead of the 1970s, he would most likely not be employed as a grocery clerk, would not have his own apartment in Santa Monica and certainly wouldn’t have his picture displayed in New York’s Times Square. Montgomery, 37, has Down syndrome, a chromosomal condition that affects one in every 691 babies born in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was just three decades ago that people with Down syndrome had a life expectancy of 25 years. Today, thanks to advances in medicine, that number has jumped to 60, and with more assistance available and acceptance in society, people like Montgomery are able to live independently and contribute to their communities instead of being locked away in an institution and forgotten. It was hard to miss them this past Saturday when thousands of people with Down syndrome and their families took over Times Square to take part in the 18th annual New York City Buddy Walk, an opportunity to promote the value, acceptance and Daniel Archuleta. daniela@smdp.com
SEE CP PAGE 11
MONTGOMERY
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
School officials deny player’s ceremony BY DANIEL ARCHULETA Managing Editor
SAMOHI A denial by school officials has forced standout wide receiver Sebastian LaRue and his family to scramble for an offcampus location to hold a ceremony to honor his selection to an elite national all-star game.
Jason Kurtenbach, a house principal at Santa Monica High School, said that the administration wanted to do what was “right for Sebastian” in denying sports network ESPN and athletic gear maker Under Armour’s request to hold a ceremony on campus to note LaRue’s selection to a prestigious all-star game the two companies sponsor.
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
TAXES ALL FORMS, ALL TYPES, ALL STATES
BACK TAXES • BOOKKEEPING • SMALL BUSINESS
SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922
100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800Santa Monica 90401