Groups throughout Santa Monica and the Westside have come together to oppose the Hines proposal to build 767,0000 square feet of mostly office space at 26th and Olympic. According to the Draft Environmental Impact Report, this project would have severe traffic impacts for Santa Monica and the Westside.

February 22, 2012

RE: ACTION REQUIRED: SEND AN EMAIL TO STOP MORE SANTA MONICA/WESTSIDE GRIDLOCK

Santa Monica is considering adding six new projects to the Water Garden area. Combined, these projects would add a total of nearly 1.2 million square feet of additional office space and over 13,600 new car trips per day, mostly during morning and evening rush hour.

The largest project up is the Bergamot Transit Village Center, at Olympic Blvd. and 26th Street, just east of the Water Garden. This project alone is 500,000 square feet of office space and would add 7,750 new car trips to this already congested area.

Santa Monica should not be approving these projects piecemeal --- a full regional plan is needed, and if all projects cannot be accommodated, they should be downsized to a level that can be supported.

Since this explosive growth will affect the entire Westside, numerous groups, including the Brentwood Community Council, South Brentwood Residents Association, Pacific Palisades Community Council the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, and Friends of Sunset Park have already gone on record opposing any certification of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) when finalized until the cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles jointly prepare a regional plan that takes into account all of the current and future projects in this area.

Clearly our already gridlocked streets cannot support thousands of additional commuters traveling to and from even more Santa Monica offices.

Please send an email commenting on the DEIR for Bergamot Transit Village Center no later than March 12, 2012. Comments should be sent to:
Santa Monica Planning Department (Jing.yeo@smgov.net),
Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom (Richard.bloom@smgov.net),
Santa Monica City Council (council@smgov.net).
And please cc: info@smclc.net on your emails so that we can count them.
Either draft your own email, or copy and paste the sample email below:
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To: Jing.yeo@smgov.net, Richard.bloom@smgov.net, council@smgov.net, info@smclc.net
Re: Comments on Bergamot Transit Village DEIR

I oppose approving Bergamot Transit Village Center or any other large projects in that area until a regional traffic plan is created for the Westside of Los Angeles and Santa Monica that shows how additional projects can be accommodated on our gridlocked streets. Projects must be downsized to a level that can be accommodated by our infrastructure. Don't add to Westside gridlock by approving individual projects piecemeal and without taking into account the cumulative impacts of all projects, regardless of city borders.

[your signature]
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If you would like to review the DEIR for the project, it can be found at:
http://www01.smgov.net/planning/planningcomm/environmentalreports.html

You can see our Hines index page to get more information on this project, including maps that list area development plans.

Thank you for your support,

Victor, Diana, Sherrill, Jeff and Susan