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Hearing Date: September 2, 2020
Re: Planning Commission Agenda Item 9A- Fairmont Miramar Hotel
Dear Chair Lambert and Planning Commissioners,
Santa Monica Forward strongly encourages you to recommend that the City Council certify the Final EIR and move the Miramar project forward. This project has had nearly a decade of public input and will provide substantial community benefits at a time we desperately need them.
Affordable Housing
As you know, the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on our economy have only made the housing crisis worse. Many have lost their jobs and are wondering how they will cover back rent that will soon be due. At the same time, the city has less money to direct to the production of new affordable housing. This project would provide 42 new affordable apartments and an annual subsidy towards supportive services.
Good Jobs
In the short term, this project will provide thousands of construction jobs. In the long term, it will add over 100 new permanent hotel jobs. These will be well-paying union jobs, and will include a local hiring program.
Economic Recovery
The economic damage of the pandemic could be years long, and it will be critical for our city to be creative and take advantage of new revenue generating opportunities. The Miramar project would bring the city over $15 million annual revenue (over $8 million more than the current hotel), and would add over $1 billion dollars to the local economy over it’s first 25 years of operation.
Design
Our regional hospitality sector is highly competitive. Santa Monica needs a top-tier hotel to compete with offerings in surrounding cities. The proposed project will bring world class architecture, and modern features, that will make the Miramar a regional leader in this space, while still maintaining its historic elements. The project will also include substantial publicly-accessible open space and pedestrian improvements to Ocean Blvd, Wilshire, and Second Street.
We hope you will recommend that Council certify the EIR and move this project ahead quickly. The sooner it is approved, the sooner our community can benefit from the impressive list of project features listed above.
Sincerely,
Abby Arnold Carl Hansen abby@abbyarnold.com cjh268@cornell.edu
Co-chair, Santa Monica Forward Co-chair, Santa Monica Forward
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