Construction to Be Limited in Pricey Area : Santa Monica: Fewer units will be allowed in North of Wilshire neighborhood unless developers agree to build more affordable housing.

The Santa Monica City Council has voted to reduce the number of units that can be built in the North of Wilshire neighborhood unless developers decide to construct more affordable housing.

The ordinance adopted by the council Tuesday night also limits the height of new construction in the North of Wilshire area.

The vote to downzone the neighborhood was 4 to 1, with Herb Katz casting the negative vote and Christine Reed abstaining.

The North of Wilshire Neighborhood affected by the new standards is bounded by Ocean Avenue to the west, 14th Street to the east, Wilshire Boulevard to the south and Montana Avenue to the north.

The downzoning was supported by a group of North of Wilshire residents who are concerned about excessive development in their neighborhood.

City planning officials opposed the downzoning. An environmental impact report prepared for the city warned that its effect would be to increase land values in the already pricey neighborhood.

Mayor Dennis Zane said after the meeting that he hoped the downzoning would not only discourage developers from building condominiums, but encourage them to take advantage of the provision that would allow construction of more affordable units. “When you’re concerned about the shortage of housing, you’re not concerned about the shortage of luxury condos,” he said.

But other council members, while supporting the downzoning, expressed skepticism that many developers would opt to built less-expensive housing.

Under the old zoning, up to 1,427 new units could have been built throughout the neighborhood. The new zoning will allow only 1,082 units unless a developer decides to build housing that meets federal standards for affordability to low-to-moderate income families.

The height limits adopted for the neighborhood will vary. In parts of the area, buildings will be limited to two stories. In other areas, the limit will be three stories.

The council also agreed to a staggered construction requirement for the neighborhood which will allow for only one new building per block every eight months.

Although residents sought this provision, council members predicted that staggered construction will result in ongoing inconvenience.

The council added a clause to the ordinance that calls for the planning commission to review the staggered construction provision after two years and present the findings to the council.