"Ocean Avenue needs hotels for the convention and tourist trade generating income for the city. There are many attractions such as the pier, restaurants, mall and the Santa Monica Place that would benefit those businesses."
Oct. 1, 2014 Whitney Scott Bain

"Let's clarify each of these three projects.

1. The Miramar is allowed to remodel their hotel, and I would approve a 10-story replacement tower for their existing 10-story tower. I would vote 'NO' on a tower that reduces the total amount of hotel rooms in the Miramar, and would never vote 'yes' on adding condos or a taller tower than currently exists on the property. In addition, let's have Michael Dell and his cronies stop lying to our residents about the amazing benefits he's going to bring to our city. It’s a hotel… just a hotel.

2. The proposed 'Gehry' tower at Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Blvd would be over 20 stories tall. It violates our zoning codes. Frank Gehry designed a nice, six story symphony hall in Los Angeles. He designed a nice chair. He doesn't need a skyscraper in order to make his mark in Santa Monica, and we don't need a building that would destroy Ocean Avenue forever. Ocean Avenue begins our connection with Palisades Park, the beach and nature. The developer has long known what the height and density limits are at that corner. It is essential that Ocean Avenue not be cluttered with more skyscrapers. It will ruin the beach feel of our community. I would vote 'NO' on the Worthe plan!

3. The Felcor (Wyndham/Holiday Inn) Proposal is the most appealing of the three towers. If the five stories of Condos were removed and the developer agreed to lay the Piers needed to eventually cap the freeway between Ocean and Main Street then that’s the one tower that would not destroy the look, feel or authenticity of the corner at 2nd and Colorado. I would consider a 'yes' vote for that replacement tower - at a lower height with no condos."
Oct. 1, 2014 Phil Brock

"I don't support any of the three as proposed. But I can envision positive alternative/substantial revisions of each. As proposed, each has compelling features and benefits. But all are too tall and contain the wrong mix of uses for our community.

All three are proposed as hotel projects. But each would obliterate our city's 84' height limit (up to 315'!) by adding luxury condominium towers on top of the hotels. Such towers are not urban infill, are not transit oriented, do not address climate change - but would negatively gentrify our downtown beyond the reach of many residents.

The scale - and views of the blue sky and Santa Monica Mountains - to be preserved is especially from the beach, Pier, Palisades Park, Tongva Park and City Hall. The proposed heights would contradict our feel as a beachside community.

With our existing advantages of location, infrastructure, high quality police and fire service, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Big Blue Bus - and the coming Expo line - we don't need to become Century City West to have a vibrant downtown and successful local economy.

As a Councilmember, I would work to achieve well-designed, beautiful projects within our community scale."
Oct. 1, 2014 Michael Feinstein

"Santa Monica has long-established height limits for our downtown area which the proposals for all three hotels on Ocean Avenue violate. Together they showed everyone in the city how hotel developers believe that long-standing standards can be politically dismissed. I strongly object. Yes coastal act provisions to protect coastal views is one very good reason on its own to object. But preserving the character of Santa Monica’s historic Ocean Avenue is compelling enough.

The city will lose significant revenue for 4-5 years if the current Miramar hotel closes down and the land is scraped and excavated. It will be a decade or more before city revenue from the new project breaks even with what would have occurred with the project left as is. Adaptive reuse is the only appropriate course.

I also am opposed to the extra height not for hotel rooms that generate decent jobs and significant revenue for the city, but rather for ultra-luxury condominiums for the super-rich. My vision of Santa Monica is not as the exclusive coastal Rodeo Drive and I believe that most residents agree with my vision. We shall see on November 4."
Oct. 1, 2014 Sue Himmelrich

"Santa Monica should not permit the owners of these properties to remodel or redevelop their properties according to the current proposals that have been shown to the community. All three projects as currently proposed do not fit within the character of the Downtown or Ocean Ave. The property owners can apply to remodel or redevelop their properties within the parameters of the zoning code. A development agreement should be used rarely in order to negotiate extraordinary public benefits for the City and its residents in exchange for certain rights. However, no amount of extraordinary public benefits can justify a project that is a detriment to the community or the environment, is grossly out of scale, intrusive on neighborhoods, and diminishes public amenities."
Oct. 1, 2014 Jennifer Kennedy

"The Miramar and the Gehry are unacceptable as they stand proposed. However, at last report I believe The Wyndam to be viable. It is possible to maintain its footprint whilst keeping it developmentally reasonable with what is already there. It is so important for development footprints and height limits to remain basically the same as what exists on-site prior, due to the gridlock and overdevelopment that Santa Monica already struggles with."
Oct. 1, 2014 Terence Later

"I was the only Councilmember who voted against the Miramar's over-sized proposal at 'float-up.' I remain opposed to its unacceptable massing and increased height.

All three of the hotel projects as currently proposed would be out of scale for Ocean Avenue. I'm on record as the staunchest defender of our coastal skyline against unwanted high-rise development. I'm particularly opposed to placing luxury skybox condos on top of hotels so the extremely wealthy can usurp our ocean views.

In June, I proposed that because our coastline is so uniquely important to us, any development exceeding our zoning on Ocean Avenue must go to a vote of residents before being built, not merely green-lighted by a pro-growth City Council majority. My motion to empower residents did not even garner a second, and died without discussion.

I will protect our coast from over-development, but I need more slow-growth allies on the City Council."
Oct. 1, 2014 Kevin McKeown

"Santa Monica must continue to be a horizontal City focused on the beach and ocean. Lining Ocean Avenue with enormous new towers is wrong. Each requested hotel DA is well beyond zoning. Each is well beyond what we should have on Ocean. The proposed hotel and condo DA's are 300, 260 and 200 feet. Build high and you steal the air, the light, the sun from the City and coast. You change the environment and you rob everyone of equal access and enjoyment. It mustn't happen. An open, low level Coast is a huge national, regional and community asset."
Oct. 1, 2014 Richard McKinnon

"The proposed hotel redevelopments will increase direct revenue and general activity of tourism that is needed for a healthy growth to our economy. In addition it will create more jobs and visitor traffic to our already international tourist destination. "
Oct. 1, 2014 Zoë Muntaner