Replacing Santa Monica Place

If you've gone inside the Frank Gehry-designed Santa Monica Place mall, you know it's already a shell of its former self. The once lively mall is now littered with empty storefronts, particularly on the third floor and in the far wings, where foot traffic is virtually nonexistent.

Once a jewel of a mall, Santa Monica Place was long ago upstaged by its Third Street Prominade neighbor, as crowds began preferring less stuffy and more lively outdoor environs like the Promenade, Old Town Pasadena and the Grove.

Now, as the L.A. Times reports, the debate rages in Santa Monica over how to replace the structure (which was built in 1980). The mall's owner asked for community recommendations earlier this year, but residents fear how their input will be submitted to the Santa Monica City Council.

Writes the paper:

Last fall, Macerich Co., the shopping center's owner, unveiled a plan to tear it down and replace it with a 10-acre complex of high-rise condos, shops, offices and parkland.

The plan drew immediate criticism from Santa Monica residents, many of whom decried the notion of three 21-story condo towers that they contended would destroy the coastal community's generally low-rise charms.

At issue are building heights, density and "walkability" in the civic center and downtown areas of a city whose residents routinely complain about traffic and congestion.

Critics view Santa Monica Place as an inappropriately monolithic and suburban-style center in the midst of an urban setting. But when the indoor retail center was first contemplated, it was viewed as an antidote to what was then called the Santa Monica Mall (today's promenade). Created in 1965, that shopping street was fizzling with a downscale mix of T-shirt and tchotchke shops. The two square blocks to the south were viewed as a place where a spiffy new center could help fill city coffers with needed sales-tax revenue.

And Santa Monica Place succeeded, for a time. Then in 1989, the city opened a dramatically refurbished Santa Monica Mall as the Third Street Promenade. It quickly became a drawing card for Southland residents and tourists.

Macerich bought Santa Monica Place in 1999 and began preparing for an eventual redevelopment. As business revved up on the promenade, with its growing collection of chain stores, the center's sales began to slide.

City staff consulted with Macerich about its redesign for at least two years. That process resulted in the initial proposal, which would have extended the promenade while adding a mix of high-rise residential units, 560,000 square feet of retail space, offices and park space.

In January, the City Council rejected the proposal and directed the company to seek community input before proceeding with a revised plan. Macerich shelved its original proposal.

Randy Brant, a Macerich senior vice president, said the community's ideas have been taken into account in several options that have been drawn up by the Venice firm of Jon Jerde, a prominent shopping center designer. Those plans are being analyzed for economic feasibility by Keyser Marston Associates, a redevelopment consulting firm.

The concepts that are deemed workable will be presented to the public at three community meetings in mid-September, Brant said. Residents will be asked for their feedback, he added.

After that, the options will be presented to the Planning Commission and then the City Council, which will hold public hearings on the project.

Macerich said most participants in the March workshops favored tearing down the mall and replacing it with a mix of uses, including residential. They also preferred putting parking underground and retaining the two existing department stores, Robinsons-May and Macy's.

Here's hoping the parking is still free, and that you can still walk to the Pier without worry of having your car towed.