Conservancy News

We are seeking nominations for our 2023 Preservation Awards! Each year we honor exemplary projects and contributors to the preservation of Santa Monica’s architectural and cultural heritage. Award winners will be announced at our Annual Meeting in early summer.

The two-story American Colonial-style house at 401 Ocean Boulevard was the winner of a Rehabilitation Award last year. Photo credit: David Kaplan

Since 2004, winning projects have included residences as well as commercial and institutional buildings of all sizes. These projects have entailed restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, stewardship, and adaptive reuse as well as additions to historic buildings and homes. Awards are also presented to individuals for their stewardship of historic properties as well as to individuals and groups for community service as volunteers and advocates of preservation. Studies of historic districts and other preservation planning work is also eligible.

This year, we have integrated the concept of resiliency into our stewardship award category in recognition of the fact that historic properties and associated projects often contribute to community resilience through their energy efficiency and preparedness for climate impacts. For more information about how historic preservation aligns with resilience and sustainability, click here.

To nominate a project, person, structure, or group, please download the 2023 Preservation Award Nomination Form, follow the instructions and email your submission to awards@smconservancy.org. Not all questions apply to all categories so answer as many as you deem appropriate for your nominee.

The deadline for nominations is April 6, 2023. Winners will be announced at our Annual Meeting in early summer. Click here to view past awards. We are happy to answer any questions, please email them to the address listed above.

The Conservancy would like to thank the 700 citizens who wrote to our City Council to successfully urge them to write a letter to the State Housing and Community Development asking that the Neighborhood Commercial zones not be upzoned as required by the City’s new housing element. That upzoning would have allowed Montana, Ocean Park, Pico and Main Street to have buildings, by right, from 55’ to 88’ tall. The current Neighborhood Commercial zoning base height is 32’ but certain affordable housing  projects are already allowed to go up to 65’. The additional height of the upzoning would incentivize massive construction and the attendant demolition of many small businesses and buildings of historical importance further reducing the authenticity of these important neighborhood serving corridors. The State may or may not  approve this request  but it’s significant when this many citizens make their voices heard.

The Conservancy salutes the diligent efforts being made to meet the need for housing, particularly affordable housing. We also have deep concerns about recommendations in the current zoning proposal that would allow for buildings at effectively double the height and across multiple lots in the neighborhood commercial districts of Main Street, Montana Avenue and parts of Ocean Park and Pico Boulevards.

Click here to read the Conservancy’s official letter, sent as public comment for City Council’s special meeting tonight (2/22/23) at 6pm. Click here for the meeting agenda.

Santa Monica City Council to Discuss Potential Zoning Changes on Main Street, Montana Avenue and parts of Ocean Park and Pico Boulevards

Tonight at 6pm the Santa Monica City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the new Housing Element including potential zoning changes on Main Street, Montana Avenue and parts of Ocean Parkand PicoBoulevards.

Here at the Conservancy, we salute the diligent efforts being made to meet the need for housing, particularly affordable housing. We also have deep concerns aboutrecommendations in the current zoning proposal that would allow for buildings at effectively double the height and across multiple lots in the neighborhood commercial districts of Main Street, Montana Avenue and parts of Ocean Parkand PicoBoulevards.

Specifically, the proposal to allow 55 ft. high heights and lot consolidation in these areas threatens to undermine the character of our City’s most pedestrian-oriented commercial areas which are home to many of the City’s historic resources and small local businesses. Allowing new construction at this scale would also create large floor-plate retail spaces only affordable to corporate tenants, likely wiping out many existing local small businesses all together.

We think there are other parts of the City with underutilized potential for new housing opportunities, including our major commercial corridors. It is our position that these smaller neighborhoods are not the right place to build necessary housing.

Click here to read the Conservancy’s official letter, sent as public comment for tonight’s meeting. Click here for the meeting agenda. Public comment is now closed, but the public can attend the meeting in person at City Hall Chambers, 1685 Main Street, Room 250, or watch live here. A recording of the meeting will be posted here.

Click here to read answers from: Whitney Baine, Albin Gielicz, Troy Harris, Armen Melkonians, Samantha Mota, Ellis Raskin, Caroline Torosis, Natalya Zernitskaya, and Jesse Zwick.