This evening Agensys will come before City Council for the first of two major votes needed to finalize the Development Agreement of the parcel at 1800 Stewart Street.

It will go up without objection from Santa Monica Spoke as it did when it went before the Planning Commission two weeks ago.  Contrary to being described as a “dissenting group” we have never wanted to see Agensys leave Santa Monica.  This new campus which consolidates several current locations should not only provide the city with much needed revenue, additional jobs and substantial community benefits not afforded by the current lease holder.  We are confident at this juncture that both the city and Agensys have been involved in “good faith” negotiating to solve this less than perfect development that has fallen short of the objectives set forth in the LUCE and Sustainability Goals set by the City of Santa Monica.  Other than the lack of bicycle access through the project it appears to be on target and provide many benefits to the community.

For those of you who have been following this contentious issue, the cycling community and Santa Monica Spoke have been more than a little upset by the apparent lack of commitment by both the city to enforce the LUCE document and Agensys to implement the bike infrastructure that is so badly needed through this large parcel development.  For a more detailed background on the Agensys Development, read this article.

As we see it several key events have contributed TO the situation we now find ourselves in:

• Agensys is working on a nearly impossible deadline to get this project approved, taking over the lease from the current lease holder Lionstone.
• Partially due to this deadline it was not made clear by the city to Agensys the need for bicycle infrastructure in the form of a bike path through their development until late in the process making it difficult to impossible to implement (according to them).  For this we are sympathetic, but distressed and not completely convinced.
• Additionally this project and the implementation of the LUCE overlapped in the political process.

We feel the important issue here is the bike access that serves the community in ways we have described previously and as is called for in the LUCE.  At this late date we can actuate that access in several possible ways now that it appears we will not get the MUCH-NEEDED bike path through the Agensys Development.  The city, Agensys and Santa Monica Spoke committee members have been negotiating possible resolutions in an effort to provide viable solutions for bike access around the 1800 Stewart Street parcel.

Among these is the proposed compensation by Agensys that we support of an additional $20,000 specifically for bikes as well as dedicating most of the $70,000 already promised for transit improvements at the Expo station to emphasize bicycle infrastructure.  It is being considered that the bidding should start at $20,000 to compensate for the loss of this crucial east / west bicycle path connection through 1800 Stewart Street that would provide so much for the community over the next 50 years that Agensys will hold this lease when approved.  $20,000 is a mere fraction of the value a bike path would provide, this would however be considered a very meaningful precedent for the other ten or so Development Agreements pending in this part of town.  Agensys would be paying into a “pool” fund for bicycle infrastructure around Bergamot Station (the Transit Infrastructure Contribution) while at the same time be making a contribution to active transportation concerns raised specifically by their project.

Accelerating the building of the Michigan Slow Street on the neighboring city yard property would be a top preference since it would provide a second, back door access to the Expo rail station for the Pico Neighborhood and Sunset Park residents.  In addition it would connect Michigan to Stewart thus opening the much needed and essential east / west connection while promoting the safe route to schools access to SaMoHi, SMC, etc.

This incident demonstrates the considerable oversight required to meet the goals set forth by the LUCE. Ultimately it demonstrates the pressing need FOR a City Bicycle Advisory Committee or Bicycle Czar that is intricately involved in the projects at the outset so as to determine in sufficient time that which would impact the development of bicycle infrastructure through accommodations.  It is imperative, regardless of form, that representatives of the cycling community are included.

Bicycles are an integral asset of our “New” Santa Monica and the failure of this project to institute essential bike infrastructure is a signal to the council, staff, developers and ancillary consultants, lawyers etc that active tranpostation must be included as an integral component to any new Development Agreements in the City if Santa Monica .

Cynthia Rose