Pico Neighborhood Plan Prioritized by City Council

March 22, 2018 10:24 AM
by Amy Miller, Peter James

Do you live in or have a business in the Pico Neighborhood? Are you interested in rolling up your sleeves to improve your neighborhood’s wellbeing? This spring, at the request of the City Council, a new effort is being launched to engage the Pico community about addressing the neighborhood’s historical and daily challenges, and to preserve its unique character, diversity and identity.

The Pico Neighborhood is named after Pío de Jesús Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894), the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule, and whose name is memorialized in many streets, schools, libraries and parks throughout Southern California. Pico is the City’s most culturally diverse neighborhood, hosting people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Over the past 50 years, the Pico Neighborhood has nurtured a unique community voice. That’s evident in the many community groups and organizations that operate out of Pico’s parks and public spaces, local faith-based institutions, and other venues along the Pico Boulevard corridor.

Pío de Jesús Pico and his wife, María Ignacia Alvarado Pico, in 1852, with two of their nieces, María Anita Alvarado (far left) and Trinidad Ortega (far right). Courtesy of the Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Get Involved!

In early January, the Council directed staff to broaden the scope and outreach for this project, and your input is invited! The Pico Neighborhood Plan will be a community-led effort to provide residents and businesses with support to improve all aspects of community wellbeing, including health, learning, economic opportunity, housing and connectivity. To find out more about the Pico Neighborhood Plan and to sign up for updates and opportunities to share your ideas, please visit smgov.net/pico or call City staff directly at 310.458.8341.

Pico reflects the cultural diversity of Los Angeles County.

Now here’s a look at a few other city planning priorities. For a complete list, read the blog “Council Sets Planning Priorities for Santa Monica” at santamonica.gov.

Update the R1 (Single-Family Housing) Standards

Council gave direction and approved an interim ordinance that would reduce the size of new home construction by 50% on a sliding scale and 20% on the second floor, reduce building height below 28 feet, place restrictions on upper level balconies and decks, and exempt accessory dwelling units from parcel coverage calculations. Council is responding to resident concerns over “mansionization” of neighborhoods. A recent report from the Planning Division showed new homes are on average twice as big as the ones they replace. The interim ordinance will affect applications submitted after February 23, 2018.

Update the Landmarks Ordinance

Council asked for a comprehensive update to the existing Landmarks Ordinance, which guides the process for protecting the City’s historic resources. An update to the Landmarks Ordinance will refresh the regulations that protect older buildings.

Housing Production

Given the statewide housing crisis and the desirability of Santa Monica as a place to live, Council expressed interest in exploring options to encourage housing on the commercial boulevards and in the Bergamot area, including identifying impediments to housing production.

Stay informed on all of these projects by signing up for the City’s newsletter at smgov.net/newsletter.

Authored By

Amy Miller
Associate Planner

Peter James
Chief Operations Officer