SANTA MONICA : Plan for Amusement Park on Pier Advances
The Santa Monica Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 Tuesday to approve a permanent amusement park on Santa Monica Pier despite the appeals of angry neighbors who insist that the “Fun Zone” will bring more crime to the area. The matter now goes to the City Council.
The 70,000-square-foot Fun Zone, which would include a 115-foot Ferris wheel and a small roller coaster, would be built near the existing carousel and is expected to cost $6.5 million.
Opponents of the project are expected to appeal the commission’s decision to the City Council, claiming that key groups, including neighbors, were left out of the planning.
Commissioner Tom Pyne, who cast the lone vote against the park, admonished city planners and the Pier Restoration Corp. for failing to win the support of neighbors, businesses and the local tourist industry. “If a private developer came in and acted like that, we’d skin him alive,” Pyne said.
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