Neighborhood Council - MInutes for March 21, 2009

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Santa Monica Neighborhood Council

March 21, 2009 --- 10 AM

Ken Edwards Center

MINUTES

Calendar review: Future NC meetings are currently scheduled for April
18, May 16, and
June 20

1. Citywide issues - One attendee noted that the city's water billing
system changed, as of August 1, 2008. There are various tiers, based
on usage, and the maximum for each tier has been lowered. With the
addition of the rate change, water bills ast her condominium building
have increased dramatically. April mailings will announce a mandatory
10% reduction in usage. Lawns should not be watered between 10 AM and
4 PM, and the city has two inspectors are on the lookout for residents
and/or gardeners hosing off driveways and sidewalks, which is not
allowed.

2. FOSP
a. S.M. Airport - The FAA Part 16 hearing regarding the city's
ordinance banning Class
C and D aircraft at SMO took place in Long Beach during the
past week.
b. Public safety - A mentally ill homeless man has been harassing
residents at Clover Park.
c. FOSP volunteers will be helping with Fire Service Day at Fire
Station #5 on May 9th, as
well as manning a table at the Santa Monica Festival at Clover
Park the same day.
d. The FOSP Annual Meeting, celebrating the organization's 20th
anniversary, will be on
May 30th.

3. PNA
a. LUCE - Discussion indicated that the entire civic center area
will be re-designed.
Development Agreements will be accelerated, and developers are
receiving extensions
for plans they have not yet defined. There will be a lot of
development around Memorial
Park, as well as 9 acres of land along the south side of
Colorado between Stewart and
Stanford. Residents at Village Trailer Park are being
interviewed (assessment of impact).
6-story buildings will be allowed between Colorado and
Olympic,
and between Stewart and Centinela due to a loophole in the
LUCE. During the Council
discussion before the election, Councilmembers added an allowed
floor for neighborhood-
serving office space.

b. Affordable housing - A pie chart shows the change in rental
units since 1999: 1) Renters
at 120% of median income have increased from 3% to 45%. 2)
Very low income renters
(50-60% of median) have decreased down to 3%. CCSM units are
too expensive for very
low income residents, so they are being pushed out of the
city. With the CCSM waiting
list, those renters get a chance to qualify but are not
guaranteed an apartment. People
who work in Santa Monica or who have been evicted from Ellised
apartment buildings in
Santa Monica have priority. The loft SRO apartments in the new
building
at Olympic and 20th rent at $1,000, plus $250 for a parking
space.

c. Expo Light Rail - the comment period for the DEIR ends next
week.

d. Energy efficiency/global warming - Discussion included the
concept of creating methane
gas from food waste and the new documentary movie "Fuel."

4. Wilmont - Auto burglaries and residential burglaries seem to be on
the rise. Regarding
parking for residents, the Planning Director has stated that for
the new Transportation
Demand Program Manager (which is what the proposed Parking Czar
position has turned
into), "parking is a tool in our toolbox," in the same category
with congestion pricing, ride
sharing programs, transportation districts, bus passes, etc. One
may perhaps conclude
that none of the Planning staff has never arrived home late at
night and then had to sleep
over at a friend's house due to lack of parking within walking
distance of their own homes.
Shared underground parking at St. Monica's Catholic Church is
being indicated as an
"intention" in the church's planned renovation. Wilmont is the
most densely populated
area of the city, with one quarter of the city's population.

[FolkA...@aol.com]

I will try to set up a system where a member of NOMA board will attend each month.   Please keep us on your mailing list.   Thanks,   Doris

[J. Dodson]

Great, Doris!  We'd love to have NOMA join us!!

Jeanne

 

Jeanne Dodson

Wilmont Chair

(310) 396-7976