OPA Update 3/7/24: OPA Monthly Meeting Monday 3/11, Gelson’s Project Gets First and Final Board Approval, Spring Forward, & Things To Do This Weekend

Date:

OPA March 11 Monthly Meeting Monday: This month’s meeting will be at the Beach House CoWork (2219 Main St. @ Strand) starting with food and mingling at 6:15pm. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Here is the Zoom link to join the meeting starting at 6:45pm (note we are starting the meeting 15 minutes earlier than usual because we have a packed calendar). Here’s the draft agenda and here’s schedule:
6:15 – 6:45pm: Food, refreshments and mingling

6:45 – 7:00pm: SMPD update & Office of Emergency Management

7:00 – 7:20pm: Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur

7:20 – 7:40pm: School Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton

7:45 – 8:30: Board business 
We Want to Hear Your Favorite Main St. Stories: What is your favorite spot is and why? What is your fondest Main St. memory? To share your story, simply click reply to this newsletter.
Spring Forward: Reminder that the time change is this weekend that you need to set your clocks forward this Sunday AM.
Gelson’s Project Gets First and Final Board Approval: “What planning officials deemed inevitable two years ago became a done deal Monday night — the city’s biggest housing development in nearly 60 years was approved unanimously at its only public hearing. The proposed 521-unit Lincoln Center at 2601 Lincoln Blvd. — composed of 12 separate six-story structures at Lincoln and Ocean Park boulevards — was approved 5 to 0 by the Architectural Review Board (ARB), with two members required to recuse themselves.” More details here.
Fresh Renderings for “Gelson’s Project”: This UrbanizeLA report details the project with “buildings up to six stories in height, built around a network of courtyards and passageways” and “buildings are then woven together with a network of landscaped spaces and pathways with a public plaza facing Lincoln boulevard and residential buildings and gardens stepping up Ocean Park Boulevard.” 
Santa Monica Rents Continue Trending Down: “Rents dropped for the 4th straight month in February & have now seen a much steeper annual decrease than rents in both the nation & State,” according to the latest monthly report by Apartment List. Over the past 12 months, average SM rents dropped -7.1% the largest annual decrease in the LA metro area, & far larger than the decreases of -1.0% nationwide & -1.3% in California. Despite a four-month slide, overall median monthly rents in SM are 18.3% higher than the LA metro-wide median. More details here.
Construction Notice on 4th St. Between Colorado Ave. & Olympic Dr./Blvd/ I-10 Onramp: The City has scheduled a street light work on 4th street between Colorado Ave and Olympic Dr/Blvd/ I-10 onramp starting on Monday 03/11 thru 05/03. More details here
JINYA Ramen Bar’s Spring Chef’s Specials: They are celebrating National Noodle Month (yup…that’s a thing I guess) with two lighter dishes available through May 31: Spicy Garlic Mabo Men (a blend of simmered tofu flavored with fermented bean paste, ground pork, chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorn oil served over a chicken broth) and Salmon Don (poke marinated salmon and onion, served over steamed rice and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds). 2400 Main St. More details here

Things To Do This Weekend: 
Santa Monica Forward Q&A w/ Housing and Human Services Director Heather Averick (Thursday 6pm): Click here to receive Zoom Link.
“The Network SM” *Meetup at LULA on Main* (Thurs 6:30pm): Join your Network crew at LULA Cocina Mexicana (2720 Main St) for margaritas, merrymaking, meeting your Westside neighbors, delish Mexican food, and building LGBTQ+ community. We’ll likely be there until 9:30pm and you can find us out on the back patio. Community members and allies are invited! Bring your buds :).
Nat Geo Live: T-Rex Rises (Thursday 7:30pm): The BroadStage showcases how T. rex become the iconic apex predator of North America 66 million years ago? Paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno is uncovering the answer. More details here.
Women in Tech Luncheon on International Women’s Day (Friday 11:30am): This event highlights women in leadership with 5 awards to 5 outstanding women in healthcare, education, and gaming. All individuals and businesses are welcome to join for the “Luxury setting, jazz music, fine dining, engaging conversation, and raffles.” $245 members and $295 non-members @ Proper Hotel, 700 Wilshire Blvd.
Seed Starting Extravaganza (Saturday 9 – 11am): “We will be hosting a Seed Starting Party, with a goal to fill 150 6-packs with summer vegetable seeds. Anyone who is interested and willing can take home a 6-pack or a whole flat of them to nurture and grow at their own home. Only catch is that we would like to have (most of) them returned to us next month to distribute into the community and/or plant at one of our Communal Gardens. Would you like to take part in the largest seedling starting party in Santa Monica History? More details here.
Venice Heritage Museum Grand Opening Celebration (Saturday 6:30pm): The project is meant to showcase the neighborhoods’ rich history of economic and social evolution. The Opening will feature live entertainment and food. FREE @ 228 Main St. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/venice-heritage-museum-grand-opening-tickets-806045753547 
Main St. Sunday Farmers Market: It’s Kids’ Day with Miss Me and the Music Castle. And, yes! Demitasse and Kavahana are our featured local pop ups this week with coffee and other beverage offerings. Here is the complete March calendar.  

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