Local News in Brief : Zoning Code Adopted

After years of heated debate over land use, Santa Monica has adopted a comprehensive Zoning Code that is seen as a victory for slow-growth advocates. The 418-page document, unanimously approved by the City Council, cuts by an average of 30% the size of projects allowed in many areas.

With the city’s streets increasingly clogged by traffic, and sewage facilities strained, residents have demanded tighter controls on construction and development. The business community has warned, however, that cutting growth too drastically would undermine the city’s tax base.

The ordinance, four years in the making, set new limits on the heights, sizes and uses of buildings within the city’s 21 zoning districts.

In some areas, such as the Special Office District along the western end of Olympic Boulevard, the permitted size of new projects was reduced by one-third. In “commercial residential” areas, buildings cannot be higher than two stories. In most parts of the city, projects larger than 30,000 square feet will have to undergo special government review.