Community
Santa Monica weighs 700-plus affordable homes at Bergamot Station
The city is negotiating a long-term lease for the arts-center property while gallery owners seek clearer protections against displacement.
Santa Monica is considering redevelopment of the city-owned Bergamot Station Arts Center as a housing project with more than 700 affordable residences, the Los Angeles Times reported September 29. City officials met privately with developers on September 8 about a long-term lease for the 5.6-acre property; no final project or agreement has been approved.
What it means locally
The city’s development notice calls for at least 707 affordable apartments for households earning up to 80% of area median income, with developers asked to explore reserving at least 15% of the homes for artists. It also directs applicants to consider preserving existing cultural uses, retaining tenants or providing relocation plans. Santa Monica leaders told the Times they want galleries and performance spaces included and are exploring a right for current tenants to return, while gallery owners said years of uncertainty and the prospect of construction are already hurting the arts center. The accompanying photograph shows Bergamot Station at night in 2000; it is archival and does not depict the current negotiations or a proposed design.
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