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Buffer Zone
Linda Piera-Avila, Boardmember

Never mind that the sun was finally shining after recent prolonged downpours, there was serious business to be discussed among concerned residents of the Pico Neighborhood! The Expo light rail is barreling our way and bringing with it a potentially problematic maintenance yard, to be sited on the northeast corner of Exposition Blvd. and Stewart St., extending down Exposition for several blocks and facing directly across the street from residents on Exposition Blvd.
Convened by officers of the Pico Neighborhood, about 25 engaged residents met on Sunday afternoon, March 27, to share information, ask questions, express concerns, and offer their visions for the proposed buffer zone which the Expo Authority has granted, and the City has committed, to shield residents from the noise and other environmental disturbances that the maintenance yard will likely impose on its neighbors. Boardmember Irma Carranza, who facilitated the spirited meeting, informed those gathered that this 2-acre long, rectangular strip of land will run on Exposition from Yorkshire to Dorchester and will include a sound wall. The exact height of the wall is still being discussed. The City of Santa Monica has pledged a one time $2 million allocation for the buffer zone's development, pending residents' input, hence our meeting.

"I think we can all agree none of us is happy about this maintenance yard being in our neighborhood," remarked Boardmember Ana G. Jara. She then led us through a series of exercises that helped us focus on our common task and form a message that will be taken to City staff. We outlined the facts of the situation. Then we expressed our feelings about the maintenance yard being placed in our community. The overwhelming majority of people were unhappy about the situation, reporting feeling angry, cheated, sold out, suspicious, fearful of health and safety, including possible exposure to environmental hazards, child safety concerns, and concerns about worsening traffic. We then laid out possible positive opportunities that the buffer zone could present like community unity and cohesion, and enumerated our visions such as improved green space, and placement of temporarily boxed trees relocated from another part of the city were some of the ideas mentioned. Others added that the project should enhance the neighborhood. Christel Andersen, a resident on Delaware Avenue, stated, “I would like to see a peace or community garden with long bamboo trees in the background.” Other visions included a variety of trees, a community hall meeting place, a multi-cultural center to support the diversity of the neighborhood, space for a nonprofit organization, a library, a post office, a cafe and eatery, greenhouses and affordable housing, built with sufficient soundproofing to shield new residents or a combination of these uses. People also expressed the desire that whatever is placed there should have a sense of permanence so that it will not be easy for the Expo Authority to seize it in the future.

Impacted residents are laying the foundation for future discussions and meetings with city staff to ultimately manifest the most impacted community's vision for the Expo light rail maintenance yard buffer zone. The buffer zone could be a "space" meaningful to the neighboring residents, to the community, and future generations.

Project Updates

Development: The growing development in the Pico neighborhood continues to impact our residents and affect our quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative that we work with stakeholders to minimize the negative impact new development brings to our residents. Addressing over development and mitigating its impact on our community are a priority to the association. We are working on putting a list of current and future developments.
Please visit our website soon to see a list of current and upcoming developments and what you can do to get involved.

Traffic: We remain concerned about the growing traffic that plagues our community in particular around schools, parks and residential streets. We have asked City staff to make sure crosswalks are in working condition and visible to both pedestrians and motorists. We are also concerned about the increase in cyclist/motorist safety and have asked the Police Department to disseminate information on traffic laws to institutions with high rider ship.

Pico Branch Library: Pico neighborhood residents have long expressed a desire for a neighborhood library. This is noted in the Pico Neighborhood Community Plan dated February 15, 1983. With all the state cut backs on redevelopment funds, City Manager, Rod Gould, remains committed to Pico residents on moving forward with the creation of a neighborhood library.

Youth Resource Team Policy Group: After the death of Richard Juarez and a report presented to council on youth violence, the City came out with its report, Youth Violence Prevention in Santa Monica: An Action Plan for 2010 and 2011. From this report came the YRT Policy Group where City staff, City grantees and other nonprofits, government partners, businesses, faith communities, and the PNA are working in collaboration to combine resources that will promote social, educational and a healthy development of youth to ensure positive outcomes for youth in Santa Monica. For more information or to attend a meeting, please visit www.santamonicayouth.net,

Working with City and Government Officials: PNA Boardmembers communicate and meet regularly with various officials to work on issues impacting our community. From safety and community/police relations meetings with Police, meetings with City Manager and department staff to discuss city projects, to school district staff to work on education and the achievement gap impacting some of our families, including participating in the district’s current middle school reform initiative.

The PNA is working on other projects not listed here, so please join us at one of our meetings or volunteer your expertise and/or some of your time to the work of the association for the betterment of our community.

Report from Mountain View Park
By Cris McLeod, Secretary, Mountain View Mobile Inn Residents' Association

New manufactured housing has been brought into Mountain View Park at 1930 Stewart St. The units are ¨green¨ with rooftop solar panels, energy star appliances, rain barrels, and vertical green screens for small space gardening. The twenty units were purchased with 3 million dollars of Santa Monica redevelopment funds and are for the tenants who are renters of their manufactured homes.
The Santa Monica Housing Department has been in a two year process of selecting these units. The prices of the units are $60 to $20 per square foot, depending on how many "green" features are used.
The Santa Monica Housing Department was granted an additional 9 million dollars in redevelopment funds to assist the tenants of owner occupied manufactured homes replace their units over time. The Housing Department has stated that it is completely voluntary whether tenants choose to upgrade to new units.

Many of the current tenants feel the most affordable option would be to stay in their units which they own. The City's Housing Department has stated in their documents that the currently tenant owned units cannot be rehabilitated. But, many tenants wish that the City instead would assist them with financing to repair their units, and that the Building and Safety Department would be more cooperative with contractors trying to do repairs.

Phyllis Goff, the Vice President of the Mountain View Mobile Inn Residents' Association (MVMIRA, Inc.) and a resident since 1984, says that her 1963 mobile home is just as good as any of these new ones. "My electrical bill is $13.00 a month – isn´t that green? Just because my unit is old doesn´t mean it isn´t in good shape. There is no quality in the new units that compares to what I have now." Phyllis adds, "I have built in cabinets, larger closets, built in drawers, and an outside garden with space for a shed."
MVMIRA, Inc. Residents' Association President Belinda Van Sickle says, "There isn´t much transparency or effective communication coming from the City of Santa Monica's Housing Department to mobile home park residents."

MVMIRA, Inc. Residents' Association Treasurer Michele Cole says that she thinks the new units are nice, aesthetically pleasing and a bonus to the park. "The residents wish they could be inside and part of the process of improving the park – right now they are on the outside."