Santa Monica residents are taking bold action to fund an independent traffic analysis.

We need your help.

Permanent Carmaggedon Threatens Santa Monica

There's a mega project now being proposed in Santa Monica for the most congested part of the City (at 26th and Olympic) on the Papermate site across from The Water Garden. Hines, the developer, is one of the wealthiest developers in the country. It wants to build a commercial project of almost 1,000,000 square feet (which is over three times the permitted zoning).  

Hines has paved the way for success by contributing to the pro-development councilmembers who are most likely to "green-light" the project regardless of its impacts, however dire.

A concerned group of Santa Monica residents has formed to oppose this disastrous project and try to scale it down to something more reasonable. These residents believe the traffic impacts of the current Hines proposal will be disastrous for the Westside, including the 10 Freeway, unless it is significantly scaled back. Cumulative traffic estimates from Santa Monica activists who have reviewed the Bundy "Village" EIR, and EIRs for other projects being proposed in the vicinity, estimate that an additional 27,000 vehicle trips could come into Santa Monica every day if the Hines project, and other projects working their way toward approval are green-lit.

How do we keep Santa Monica from permanent Carmaggedon to the detriment of the entire Westside? We believe the best way is to hire an independent, well-respected traffic engineer to analyze whether the environmental impact report (known as an EIR) soon to be released for the Hines Papermate project is legally flawed in critical ways concerning its traffic and parking demand analysis.  

We expect the Hines draft EIR for the so-called Bergamot Transit Village to be released very soon. Residents will then have only 60 days in which to analyze it and issue findings as to any deficiencies in the EIR that could form the basis of a lawsuit if the City were to approve the project anyway.

So we need to raise the funds to hire an independent traffic engineer. Please help us by chipping in what you can to help us reach that goal. To send a check, please make it payable to SMCLC, 1223 Wilshire Blvd, #1002, Santa Monica, 90403 and indicate it's for "Hines EIR." To pay online please click "Donate" below.

Thank you.