Santa Monica : Development Law Rejected

A hardship clause for developers facing a citywide commercial building moratorium has been voted down by the City Council.

The clause would have allowed certain projects near approval to escape the moratorium enacted by the council last week. Although Councilwoman Christine Reed moved to pass the ordinance, no one seconded the motion, and it failed.

Even the man who wrote the ordinance urged the council not to vote for it.

When asked by a councilman whether the clause would create more problems than it solved, City Atty. Robert M. Myers said: “I do not recommend the adoption of a hardship procedure. . . . It will create additional work for both our staffs.”

Councilman William H. Jennings proposed a less complicated ordinance, but it failed in a 4-2 vote.

Tom Larmore, an attorney for the developer of a project at Wilshire Boulevard and Harvard Street, asked the council for “basic fairness.”

He said his clients had gone through all proper procedures and had extensive contact with neighborhood groups in the area where the project is planned. Under the clause, the project probably would have been exempt from the moratorium, but the developer will now have to wait until next year to start building.