The Street Seen: Gelson's Update
2601 - 2645 Lincoln Blvd @ Ocean Park
SanMon, the Balboa Retail Partners entity that owns the site (Lincoln Center), plans for up to 5-story, 65-foot high, mixed-use buildings with 521 residential units (including 53 deed-restricted affordable units - 10.2% of total - but 15.2% on a pre bonus base), ground floor neighborhood-serving retail space (including a grocery store), and 880 subterranean parking spaces.
The design is by local architects Koning Eizenberg. Limited information is available at the developer (SanMon) website https://www.lincolncenterproject.info
The proposed project consists of a mixed-use housing project, including 521 residential apartments (including 53, on-site very-low income affordable units) disbursed in buildings with heights of up to 5-stories/ 65 feet. 36,000 square feet of street-fronting neighborhood-serving retail / restaurant space including a grocery store, and approximately 880 vehicular parking spaces and 816 total bicycle parking spaces.
At 15.2% affordable housing, the project crosses the State density bonus law threshold allowing a 50% increase in FAR and concessions to the maximum building height and number of stories.
As with the Bowlmor project on Pico (which also has the same MUBL zoning), the project seeks Administrative Approval (i.e. to not require discretionary review – to not go before the Planning Commission) pursuant to Interim Zoning Ordinance 2645. Under Administrative Approval, a staff level approval process, City staff can review the project for code compliance, but won't have any ability to negotiate community benefits like the City Council could in a Development Agreement. Administrative Approval projects are still required to obtain Architectural Review Board (ARB) approval.
The City has not yet received an official application for the project. Prior to submitting an Administrative Approval application, the developer must conduct a virtual community meeting with adjacent property owners and tenants within a 750-foot radius of the proposed project. A virtual community meeting by the development team is scheduled for next Tuesday, January 11, 2022 @ 7:00pm — 8:30pm via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84725047140?pwd=Z0ZEQkZqYytsOTlyZDF3UUlPOVpSUT09. You can also access the community meeting through the shortened link: https://bit.ly/3qUjWqx
Updates
Cypress Equity Investments, who are doing the Bowlmor Project on Pico and 12 other projects across Santa Monica, are equity partners with SanMon on the project.
The 521 unit project will have 656 bedrooms (1.26 per unit).
Surface parking for retail and one underground level of residential parking. As the site is not zoned residential, residents will not be eligible for Preferential Parking permits.
