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Building and Capital CampaignFebruary, 2008Revised Building Project PlanOn Sunday, February 10, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a Special Business Meeting of Church Members to discuss and vote on the following:
Should you have questions you know in advance that you would like addressed, please e-mail them to the Congregational Concerns Sub-Committee of the Building Committee c/o (Chair) Pat Parkerton
Phase 1:
Phase 2:
Phase 3:
2008 Tentative Schedule: (Depends on timely church actions and city approvals): February 10 - Congregational Meeting to Approve Revised Plans April, 2007Report from the Transition CommitteeThe Transition Committee will be providing you with a monthly report on the progress of construction, effects on programs and services, and utilization of space during Phase #2 of our Building Program scheduled to begin October 2007 and to be completed April 2009. The Blue House construction is scheduled for completion this August. RE classrooms, church program meetings, and community rentals will be moved to the Blue House as much as is possible. Demolition of Forbes Hall and the RE Classrooms is to begin this October. We will have a gigantic garage/moving sale in July (church stuff only), which will be coordinated by The Men’s Group. Volunteers for this activity are needed. “Moving Day” to move materials from Forbes, RE, 17th Street into storage modules and the Blue House will be in August — watch for this date as we will need MANY workers to labor and be festive. The members of the Transition Committee are: Carol Kerr, Marv Pulliam, Catherine Farmer, Melinda Ewen, Ron Crane, Steve Wight, Nancy Howell, and Carol Agate. Ask questions — make suggestions — help! — and be patient. — Ron Crane, Transition Committee Chair December, 2006Long-Awaited Building Program Begins
— Rob Briner, Historian/Archivist (At right: a 7:30 a.m. client meeting with Turk O’Conner of the T.H. O’Conner Company; David Sellman, Project Manager; Carol Kerr, chair of the Building Committee; and Alison Kendall, professional planner and immediate past chair of the committee.) July, 2006Town Hall Meeting on Building PlansAt a town hall meeting on Sunday, July 30, at 11:30 a.m., the Building Committee will present the latest word on our building plans. By then we anticipate that the revised plans for our application to the Santa Monica Planning Commission will be ready for congregational review. At the May 21 annual meeting the congregation authorized the Board of Directors to submit an application for revisions to our Conditional Use Permit to the city. The following amendment was added to the authorization: “. . . prior to submitting the application the Building Committee [will] prepare a mailing with the plans and information about the plans, and hold an informational meeting for the congregation . . . .” This application is to modify plans for phase two of the building program, which involves new classroom space and a social hall. We hope construction can start as soon as possible after we complete the moving and renovation of the cottage. As those who attended the annual meeting know, there has been a change in the earlier plans. The Santa Monica City Council imposed a condition that we secure 12 nearby parking spaces to be available during all church operating hours. Because of board concerns that we could not meet that requirement without its impacting or eliminating our programs, we have redesigned the area to conform to zoning regulations without the requirement that we obtain a variance. The building committee looks forward to discussing those plans with you. Please try to attend the meeting. If you are unable to, please contact Carol Agate with your comments and feedback January, 2006City Council Denies Appeal and Approves Variance and Use PermitOn December 13, 2005, the Santa Monica City Council voted 4 to 3 to approve our use permit and parking variance, adding a number of conditions regarding parking during the week. The additional conditions include a requirement to provide 12 spaces within 1000 feet of the church in a manner satisfactory to the planning staff. Additional requirements would add a monitoring provision to assure the parking was provided, and that the parking was provided through a formal lease. Councilmembers expressed concern about assuring that the parking secured would not already be required by the lots’ owners. A brief comment from Councilmember Bloom just before the vote created some confusion about the time period during which the parking would be required. Leaving the meeting, Councilmember Katz reassured us that it did NOT mean the church would need to provide overnight parking. The intent of Bloom’s remark seemed to be to require the parking Monday through Friday evenings, rather than simply requiring activities to be restricted if the 12 offsite spaces were not provided. At the outset of the hearing, the church presented a letter reporting that it had obtained approval from the Board of Elders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Arizona and 19th Street to enter into a parking agreement with us. Under the agreement, the church could use 12 spaces in the Adventist church lot off 19th Street from Monday through Friday from 6 to 9:30 p.m. In addition, the church proposed that if the council wished additional assurance that there would be no increase in activity causing greater parking demand associated with the church project, we would agree to either provide the parking or limit activity to current levels. Chris Harding, pro bono attorney for the church, also submitted a letter describing a federal statute known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and its relationship to the church project. Throughout the discussion, the fate of the church project seemed to be in jeopardy. Councilmember Genser questioned why the church would propose to provide additional parking, if we do not intend to increase activity. Building Chair Alison Kendall responded that the proposed evening parking was to address neighborhood concerns, but that the new space was to address the needs of the church’s Sunday programs, but no increase was anticipated in activities during the week. She explained that Sundays are the only time when the church facilities are fully used. She noted that city parking requirements assume each room is fully used all the time. Additional discussion focused on the variance findings, and whether the church could provide the 12 parking spaces on site. Planning Manager Amanda Schachter explained that the lot and existing buildings made underground parking unfeasible. Councilmember Genser described how the church could roll the house into the street and leave it there while an underground garage was excavated, and then roll it back into place. Grumbles from the crowd suggested most of the neighbors thought this would not be a great way to address their parking problems. A motion to deny the appeal and grant the approval was made by Herb Katz and failed to find a second. A counter proposal by Ken Genser to grant the appeal was made. Ultimately, Councilmember Richard Bloom moved to deny the appeal with the staff recommendations, but adding the condition requiring an additional 12 spaces within 1000 feet of the church in a manner that is satisfactory to staff. Voting yes to grant the church approval were Councilmembers Bloom, Holbrook, Katz and Shriver. Voting against the motion, and thus to grant the appeal, were Councilmembers Genser, McKeown and O’Connor. The next step for our Building Committee is to make final adjustments to the building plans and prepare a phasing plan. As soon as the city planning staff clarify the parking requirement, the church intends to secure the parking agreement. The committee will then submit construction drawings for first phase of construction for building permit review. With good luck, relocation of the house and its renovation could begin within a few months. — Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair November, 2005Council to Consider Our Building Variance November 22The Santa Monica City Council will consider an appeal of the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of our Conditional Use Permit and Parking Variance on November 22. Please plan to attend, speak, or wear a badge to show your support of our longdelayed plans to upgrade our facilities. — Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair October, 2005Church Works on Parking Ideas, but Delays will Cost More MoneyDespite unanimous approval from the Santa Monica Planning Commission, the church’s application to improve its Sunday school, office, and church facilities has been delayed by an appeal filed by a neighbor who lives in the 1300 block of 18th Street. The appeal addresses the parking variance, and it mentions "lack of parking spaces on proposed construction site" and "neighborhood needs parking." After agreeing to a November 8 date, the appellant recently notified the Santa Monica city staff that he will not be able to attend on that day, further delaying the appeal. The parking requirement for the four-phase renovation project is a total of 15 spaces, of which three are proposed to be provided off the alley. Unfortunately, providing 15 spaces would take up most of the lot, and require removal of the old house at 1248 18th Street. By contrast the shared parking arrangement we have with UCLA provides over 200 parking spaces without requiring demolition of the Craftsman house. Meanwhile, the Building Committee has been investigating parking issues and options. Alison Kendall and Marie Kashmer-Stiebing met recently with Jean McNeil Wyner, Community Liaison for UCLA, who was encouraging about extending the hours and days during which the church uses the garage. Possibilities include a longer period on Sunday, Saturday weddings, and evenings when larger groups sometimes meet in the church, as long as we continue to pay for an attendant to let people with UUCCSM parking passes in and out of the garage. On September 13 the board agreed to add an attendant at the UCLA garage on Monday evenings and to require the large group meeting on that evening to cover the cost and issue meeting attendees parking passes. Although the majority of members who drive to church have been parking in the garage, according to a June 2005 survey, the number could be improved to nearly 95%. Thus, the church is launching a campaign called "Good Neighbors Park in the Garage." On September 18 parking passes will be handed out with the order of service and a reminder will be included in announcements at both services. Greeters will make a special effort to let visitors new to the church know about parking in the garage. Building Committee members Keith Ludowitz and Greg Wood are jazzing up the parking pass with additional information and “Ten Reasons to Park in the Garage.” So improve your karma, decrease our neighbors’ parking hassles, enjoy a brief walk, and a cool and clean car — park in the garage and help us build a better church and neighborhood. Meanwhile, construction costs continue to climb. As a result we have to stretch out the time frame for our building project. Rather than three phases, we are now expecting four, with the final north wing of classrooms not expected to be constructed until well into the future. With current capital funds, we hope to be able to relocate the house, build the nursery and enlarge a few of the existing classrooms in a short wing along the alley. Renovation of the sanctuary and the north wing may have to wait until we can raise more funds. — Alison Kendall, Chair, Building Committee
Thanks to All Who Helped Us Reach the 3/4 Mark in Our FundraisingKudos to the Capital Campaign canvassers: Rob Briner, Shirlee Frank, Bob Dietz, Don Jameson, Jeff Greenman, Laurel Bleak, Gretchen Goetz, Natalie Kahn, Steve Paddock, Arvid Knudsen, Judy Federick, Kris Langabeer, Karen Canady, Marv Pulliam, Dan Kegel, Nels Hanson, Michele Pritchard-Lane, Diane Fletcher-Hoppe, Ellen Levy, Greg Wood, Ren Renshaw, Jennifer Westbay, Florence Chapgier, Jim Cadwell, Ed Hession, Dave Hallinan, Shannon Murphy, Beth Rendeiro, Debbie Fryman, Dan March, Greg Poirier, Dan Teplitz, Leslie Reuter, and all of the “Lemonade Sunday” participants. You have helped us reach the three-quarter mark in the 2005 campaign. We are at $750,000 and counting. Kudos to our congregation: You have been gracious and generous in meeting our $25,000 matching grant and approaching our $1,000,000 campaign goal. You have been especially generous in this, our second Capital Campaign. We are realizing our first choice — continuing our church on the property next door to us. We have more to do. We are still getting questions, such as: “Why haven’t I been called about the Capital Campaign? I want to pledge, too.” “Have we raised enough to complete the building project?” “How can I help in the rest of the building project?” If you are one of those not yet contacted or if you have any questions, please speak with Ofelia Lachtman, Carol Kerr, or Ron Crane. — Ron Crane, Chair, Capital Campaign September, 2005Planning Commission Approves Project, but Appeal to City Council Means a DelayOn July 20, shortly before midnight, the Santa Monica Planning Commission unanimously approved our application for a Conditional Use Permit and Variance. Many church members came to express their support by wearing yellow stickers saying, “I support the UUCCSM Building Project.” Many members spoke to the commission as well, including YRUU members Amelia Harati and Emily Hero, who presented “Ten Reasons We Need New Religious Education Classrooms,” including, “When the kids do yoga in class, they can only do the folded up positions.” Many letters in support of our application were received from community organizations that have been assisted by volunteers and donations from our church, including Step Up on Second, Ocean Park Community Center, and Westside Food Bank. Unfortunately, the Commission’s approval was later appealed by Blair Calderhead, a neighbor who lives in the 1300 block of 18th Street. The appeal will be heard by the City Council, which will decide whether or not to uphold the Planning Commission’s decision. We have not yet received a date for this council hearing, which will delay our project by at least two months. The appeal and attendant delay is a big disappointment to the many people who have been working for so long on improving the church facilities. Several neighbors spoke in opposition to the parking variance, and expressed concern that the new space would impact on-street parking in the neighborhood. Building Committee Chair Alison Kendall explained that the new RE classrooms will accommodate existing Sunday school classes, and that programs on other days of the week are not expected to increase. The church has had an agreement with Santa Monica Hospital to use their parking at Arizona and 16th since 1988, though the church and Forbes Hall were built before any parking requirements. The parking garage generally has about 40 to 50 cars from church attendees on a typical Sunday, and has space for hundreds more. The parking variance allowed the 12 parking spaces required to provide the new classrooms to be provided through the off-site garage space and the Parking Impact Reduction Plan the church approved in May. This plan asks all church users to encourage carpooling, walking, biking or transit use to reduce neighborhood-parking impacts. In addition, three on-site spaces off the alley will be provided by the project. Special thanks go to members of the Building Committee for help in preparing for the meeting. — Alison Kendall,
See the July 20 HearingAn archived streaming video of the July 20 Santa Monica Planning Commission hearing on our building project can be viewed on any personal computer at any time by following the following easy steps: 1. Google “City of Santa Monica" and select the city's official home page 2. Under “City Hall" click on “Public Meeting Netcast" 3. Select “Video Archive of Planning Commission" 4. Select “Commission Meeting July 20, 2005" 5. In the drop-down menu under the video screen, go to and select “Item 10-A" 6. After a buffering delay, the video will automatically start at the beginning of 10-A 7. Now you can listen to and watch the entire 2-hour hearing. August, 2005On July 20, the Santa Monica Planning Commission approved our construction plans (see details above). July, 2005Planning Commission to Hold Critical Hearing About Our Church Building Project on July 20On Wednesday, July 20, the Santa Monica Planning Commission will review our application for a Conditional Use Permit and Variance. The two permits are needed for us to build new Religious Exploration classrooms to the north of Forbes Hall and to convert the old house to offices so we can expand the size of our sanctuary. We are urging all members, friends, and supporters of the church and its project to write to the Planning Commission or to attend to express their support in person. If you choose to write, please send your letter by June 30 to the Planning Commission, Attention Roxanne Tanemori, Associate Planner, Planning & Community Development Department, City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Room 212, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Note that you are writing regarding Variance 05VAR006 and Conditional Use Permit 05CUP004 for 1248-1260 18th Street by the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica. Please note whether you are a member, friend, neighbor, or supporter of the church. Note any other roles you have in the Santa Monica community, including living in Santa Monica, owning a home or business, or volunteering with local community groups. Here are some key points you may want to include: The sanctuary was built 75 years ago, in 1930, and the social hall in 1961. Both were built before on-site parking was required. Recognizing the need to accommodate parking for members on Sundays, our church has a longstanding agreement to use UCLA’s garage at 16th and Arizona. On a typical Sunday, 40 to 50 members park their cars in this structure to avoid crowding on local streets. The congregation has approved a Good Neighbor Parking Impact Reduction Plan to assure that all groups using church facilities work to reduce noise and parking problems for our neighbors. Be sure to note if you regularly walk, bike, carpool or park in the garage. The proposed project preserves the Craftsman bungalow on its original site, moving it forward and away from side property lines to conform to setbacks. The house would be used for offices, while a new classroom wing would be located behind the old house, with open space between the two buildings. The plan preserves the scale and character of the existing buildings, including our historic sanctuary. Be sure to talk about how important the project is to you, the fact that the church has been working on the project for six years, and your support for the current plans. If you can, join us on July 20 to deliver your message in person. The location is City Hall on Main Street and the time is 7 p.m. — Alison Kendall, Chair, Building Committee June, 2005Our Building Fund Received.....a grant of $25,000 from Spirit Level Foundation, a group of UUs in San Diego who support worthwhile church construction projects. April, 2005Don't Park on Street; You Could Win a Raffle TicketThe Building Committee met with neighbors of our church on March 13 to answer any questions about our building project. We blanketed the neighborhood with invitations, and had six neighbors attend, all of them residents of 17th, 18th or 19th Streets. We soon learned that they had three issues on their minds: parking, parking and parking. The neighbors acknowledged that much of the problem in the neighborhood comes from employees at the car dealerships and visitors to the nearby hospital and medical offices who park on the street rather than pay high parking prices. In addition, many housing units in the neighborhood lack onsite parking for residents. Our church contributes to the lack of street parking at our busiest times, especially Sundays and Monday evenings when a large group rents Forbes Hall. We can help to reduce our impact on an already difficult situation by carpooling with others to events at the church. We have a long-standing agreement with UCLA that provides us with access to their garage at the corner of Arizona and 16th Street from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Sunday. These hours can be lengthened with advance notice to accommodate our occasional Sunday afternoon events. All you need to do is pick up a light blue parking permit from the front office, place it on your dash, and have the attendant let you in. We are distributing copies of the parking pass at services to make sure everyone has a copy. If you need to drop off food, young children, or older or disabled people who have difficulty with the walk from the garage, please use the spaces along Arizona. We have asked the City to allow one of the spaces on Arizona near Forbes Hall to be designated a yellow “drop off zone,” but until the curb is painted, we will need to try to keep this area free for dropping off on Sundays. Another great way to get here without parking hassles is on the Big Blue Bus, Santa Monica’s award winning bus system. Our church is located right between line 2 on Wilshire Boulevard and lines 1 and 10 on Santa Monica Boulevard. We have posted the bus map and schedule in the lobby of Forbes Hall, along with a supply of schedules for these lines. The fare is 75 cents and is only 25 cents if you are at least 62 years old. Check bigbluebus.com for further information. My favorite way to arrive at church is on foot or on a bike. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to take a walk or a bike route, what better time than Sunday morning? Walking to church gives you a chance to relax and enjoy the gardens, stop in for brunch, and do your errands. We have a bike rack in the back yard of 1248 and are looking into installing one in Anderson Courtyard to provide a convenient place to lock your bike. Don’t forget to wear a helmet. Bike route information is posted with the bus schedules in Forbes Hall. For the next few months we will be offering special incentives for using our remote parking, carpooling, walking, biking or taking the bus to church. As you arrive at the church, tell us your “good neighbor” effort and you will get a raffle ticket good for prizes at the end of the month. You’ll also be helping us document our good neighbor travel behavior for our follow-up meeting with the neighbors and our public hearing with the Planning Commission later in the spring. So let’s not forget to “walk the walk” on our way to church, as well as within. —Alison Kendall, Building Chair March, 2005Our Building Project Application is Submitted to Santa MonicaBy the time you read this, the Building Committee will have submitted our application to the City of Santa Monica for a conditional use permit to remodel and expand our classroom and office uses onto the adjacent lot at 1248 18th Street. The use permit will include permission to move the existing house about 14 feet closer to 18th Street, and about five feet further from the side property line. A variance is also needed to allow most of the parking for the church expansion to be provided off site, including continuing use of the nearby parking garage during Sunday services. The city's review of the application will have comments by building, fire, transportation, and other staff; an analysis of potential impacts on historic resources from the project; preparation of a staff report, and scheduling of review by the Planning Commission, probably in late spring. We will be holding a community meeting in March to explain the project to area neighbors and to discuss any questions or concerns they have. Please contact Alison Kendall if you live in the neighborhood or want to help with this important meeting. The Capital Campaign Committee and Building Committee have begun to work to make sure we can raise the remaining money needed to undertake this important project. Together, the two groups will be maintaining the “Building Our Dream” bulletin board in Forbes Hall to help people stay informed about our progress. Please stop by after Sunday services to look at the bulletin board. There is generally a member of one or both committees there to answer your questions. With our architect, Ralph Mechur, we are beginning to prepare more detailed plans for the building project and to develop plans for structural, plumbing, and electrical systems. There are also several urgent repair projects to the sanctuary roof, electrical system, and front doors, which are likely to need attention before the building project begins. Rod Lane and Steve Paddock, Building Committee members with extensive construction management experience, are working with Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, Church Administrator, to make sure these repairs are coordinated with the larger building project. The committee has been working hard this month on ideas for the central courtyard and other open spaces, and on ways to unify our church campus and its variety of architectural styles. Come check out the bulletin board and give us your feedback. — Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair February, 2005Building Committee Prepares Applications for City AgenciesThe Building Committee has been hard at work preparing the plans and application materials for submission to the City of Santa Monica. The application materials include a request for Development Review and a Conditional Use Permit to remodel our existing facilities at 1260 18th Street, adding a new religious education wing to Forbes Hall at the back of the new property at 1248 18th Street, and moving the house forward and remodeling it for use as office space. We are also requesting a variance for a reduction in on-site parking and use of off-site parking facilities very similar to the request approved by the Planning Commission last year. Alison Kendall, chair of the Building Committee, is completing the necessary application materials with our architect, Ralph Mechur, and our pro-bono land use attorney, Chris Harding. With plenty of committee input on the design, the architect is finalizing all the drawings required by the city, and we hope to submit the application in early February. We will be holding a community meeting sometime in March to describe our proposal and offer discussion about concerns that our neighbors might have. We hope to have a Planning Commission hearing in the spring. Remember, however, that our previous application (about the 17th Street property) had been deemed complete in October 2003, yet the hearing about that application was not held until early March 2004, so we are likely to encounter delays this time around as well. After Planning Commission approval we will need to go through Architectural Review Board approval, and then prepare and submit construction drawings for building permits. We hope to expedite the house relocation and remodeling to give us usable space before remodeling Forbes Hall and building the new wing. Expansion of the sanctuary will be the final phase. The sale of our 17th Street parcel netted over $1 million, a major start to our new capital fund, which was depleted by the purchase of the lot at 1248 18th Street. A new capital campaign is expected to start soon to close the gap between our current funds and the anticipated total amount needed for all three phases of construction. We are starting to work with our architect and the contractor we had selected for the 17th Street project to refine our original planning level estimate of $1.8 million. The Building Committee meets every other Monday at 6:30 p.m. This month’s meetings are scheduled for Monday, February 14, and Monday, February 28. Please contact Alison Kendall or Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, Church Administrator, to confirm meeting dates. —Alison Kendall January, 2005We Sell the 17th St. Property for $1.1 Million with a 15-month Leaseback at $1 Per MonthAfter having listed the 17th St. property for sale in October, we closed the sale of the property on December 14 for a purchase price of $1,100,000. Even after our first buyer for the property walked away from the deal, there was a great deal of interest in the property and our broker fielded over 200 calls. We received several confirmed offers before settling on a final purchase agreement. The net cash to the church, after paying closing costs and commissions, is expected to be approximately $1,030,000, although a small portion of that purchase price is being held in escrow during our lease term. A total of $995,023 was wired into our bank account on December 14. The agreement specifically includes a leaseback of the 17th St. property to the church for 15 months at $1 per month. We might be able to extend the lease longer (assuming we still need the space) if the developer is not yet ready to proceed with construction at the end of the 15 months. Based on estimates from some of the bidders, the value of this lease to the church is approximately $45,000 (based on a monthly rental rate of $3,000 per month). I am so pleased that we were able to sell our very valuable asset at such a good price. As previous newsletter articles have indicated, we paid approximately $1,250,000 for the 11,000 square foot lot on 18th St. (which is about 3,500 square feet bigger than the 17th St. property), so the result for our 17th St. property is really excellent. We also did much better than some earlier estimates of value in the $600,000-$700,000 range. We ultimately sold the 17th St. property for about $146 per square foot, which is actually higher than the per square foot cost of the 18th Street property (coming in at $114 per square foot). My thanks again to Pat McGuire and Warren Mathews for serving on the special committee that helped review offers and strategize about the property, and for the support of the board over the last two months. I hope everyone enjoys a happy and healthy new year. —Carol Kerr, President
As We Refine Our Building Plans We Consider Architectural StylesThe Building Committee has been working with our architect to refine the plans to reflect all the input on specific program needs received at our November 6 “Refine the Design” workshop for congregation members. We have also begun to work on the challenge of determining the architectural style of the new building, and how to integrate it with our existing buildings. The consensus has been that among the many styles on our campus, the simple elegance of the sanctuary is the style that we should take our cues from. Some modifications to the exterior of Forbes Hall to make it more compatible with both the sanctuary and new building are being studied. We should have a new set of design drawings posted in January on the “Building Our Future” bulletin board. As soon as the full set of elevations, sections and other drawings is completed, we hope to submit them to the City of Santa Monica. The application will include a Conditional Use Permit for use of our new property for church activities as well as the new construction and relocation of the old house. —Alison Kendall, AICP, Building Committee Chair December, 2004Architect Refines Building Plans After Members Discuss DesignsOn Saturday November 6, the Building Committee hosted a “Refine the Design” workshop for members of the congregation to review the latest plans and to comment on them. About 20 members of the congregation participated, many of them longtime active members with a good understanding of the space needs for the many activities that occur in our church spaces. Facilitated by our architect, Ralph Mechur, and Building Committee members, our discussion began with the topic of RE facilities, including the location of storage, preservation of the room 4 mural, provision of movable partitions in upstairs rooms, and other issues. A discussion of open space generated ideas for developing a flexible play area for older kids, a fenced area for younger children, and a long courtyard providing direct access from the new kitchen and Forbes Hall to Anderson Courtyard to be used for outdoor events. The day concluded with discussions about the sanctuary area. Many additional topics were discussed and many participant comments noted on the plans. The architect is currently refining the plans in response to comments emerging from the workshop. We will be updating the “Building Our Dream” bulletin board in Forbes Hall with the latest set of plans as changes are made. We urge members of the congregation to post their comments on the message board or to e-mail the Building Committee Chair. Additional design changes are likely to occur as we consult with the Santa Monica city staff and start to look at the cost implications of our design. We will need to remain flexible, collaborative, and able to prioritize as we develop a design that meets our needs and allows us to move toward our dreams. The Building Committee is now meeting every two weeks on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in 1248 18th Street. If you would like to attend, please contact me by e-mail to confirm the next meeting date. —Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair November, 2004Come Help Refine Our Building Design, Saturday Afternoon, Nov. 6, Forbes HallCome help refine our building design Saturday afternoon, Nov. 6, Forbes Hall On September 19 our congregation voted overwhelmingly to proceed to develop an application for the Planning Commission based on Option M-1. This option includes a few key features: • Use the old house for administrative offices and library. Before submitting the plans, we would like to review them with the congregation in order to think about any revisions that would better accommodate our activities. To do so, we invite all members to attend a design workshop on November 6. We will spend an hour on each of the major areas of the church and the proposed project. Come for the whole afternoon or just for the area you are most interested in. Here’s a tentative schedule:
—Alison Kendall, Chair, Building Committee
17th Street Property Update -- Escrow CancelledUnfortunately, the buyer of the 17th Street property cancelled escrow on October 27 pursuant to his inspection contingency. The purchase agreement gave the buyer until October 30 -- 15 days from acceptance -- to complete all inspections and due diligence on the property. (This is basically a "free look period" because the buyer can give any or no reason for not proceeding and recover the entire deposit.) No specific reasons were given for the cancellation. Our broker is highly confident that we will get back into contract very quickly on the property given the other strong offers received and continued interest in the property -- even after we signed the purchase agreement. Although obviously disappointing, this setback is not unusual in the real estate world, our pricing is right for the market, andthis should not be seen as anything more than a temporary delay! -- Carol Kerr, Board President October, 2004Congregation Votes 108-34 to Proceed with Plan; Sell 17th St.In a crowded sanctuary on Sunday, September 19, the congregation as a community voted to move forward on development plans outlined in the Building Committee’s M-1 design. It then voted to renew the capital campaign to raise additional money to pay construction costs. Finally the congregation voted to authorize the immediate sale of the 17th Street property. In a respectful, orderly, and issues-oriented special congregational meeting, over 130 members heard and spoke about maybe the most important choices to be made in many years by the congregation. The final vote on the first motion, to authorize the Building Committee to “proceed immediately with the development and submission of an application” on the M-1 design to the Santa Monica planning commission, was nearly unanimous. But before the vote was taken, there was plenty of discussion and questions to the Building Committee. The M-1 design would include enlarging the sanctuary, adding RE classrooms on the 18th Street property, and moving the existing house forward and refurbishing it as church office space. Alison Kendall, the chair of the committee, outlined the steps leading up to the congregation’s vote on the M-1 design. These steps included three workshops since the purchase of the 18th Street property in March, surveys of church members, research, and conversations with city, community, and UU Association officials. She also stated the urgent needs of the congregation for better RE facilities and for a larger sanctuary. Alison said that although the M-1 design may be a compromise based on financial and time constraint issues, it was a good plan that had fewer constraints than building on the 17th Street property. Keeping the old house on 18th would remove time-consuming preservation issues. She said that after congregation approval, the Building Committee could fine-tune the design and work with interested church groups to make sure their needs were met. Many of the questions raised centered on the vision for the church, what size congregation was desired (550 to 600, acknowledging that more could not be fit on the property in Santa Monica), open space for the children and for the congregation (an important consideration), and whether keeping and moving the old house was a good idea (the house would be brought up to code and the rear rooms removed, making the house a good space for church offices). Warren Mathews presented a financial picture that showed that the church did not have a lot of money currently available to support capital construction. He also stated that the budget for 2004-2005 anticipated a $13,000 budget deficit. He had indicated earlier that it would be difficult to get loans for construction when the church could not show that it was consistently meeting its current expenses. The second motion, to authorize the Board of Directors to “renew the capital campaign to raise construction funds from the members and interested friends of the Church…” was also almost unanimously approved, with little discussion. The final discussion, to sell the 17th Street property, brought out the strongest differences in opinion. Beginning the discussion, Richard Boothe noted that real estate prices may dip, even in Santa Monica, and that the church could lose out by delaying a sale. Rob Briner wanted to hear discussion on ways to both keep the 17th Street property and proceed with the M-1 development. Ray Goodman, Bonnie Brae, and Rebecca Crawford strongly opposed the sale. They felt that the congregation was rushing into a vote on the property, that there was enough of a possibility that loan guarantees could be developed, and that the church was ignoring and would forever lose the benefits that keeping the 17th Street property would bring. They suggested that waiting a little longer before selling the property would cause no problems and would allow time to pursue fund-raising and loan possibilities. Some of the congregation left before the vote on the motion, but when tallied, the vote was 108 in favor of selling the property, 34 opposed, and 1 abstaining. The vote included a number of absentee ballots. The church now has a focus for its next steps, plus a lot of hard work still to do. And after that a lot of construction dust. – Nels Hanson September, 2004Vote on September 19!What should we do with the house next door? Should we sell the 17th Street lot? These and other questions will be discussed and voted on at a congregational meeting on Sunday, September 19. The purpose of the meeting is to (1) approve preliminary building plans/direction for the new 18th Street property based on a recommendation from the Building Committee, and (2) vote on whether or not to sell the 17th Street property to help finance the approved building plans. (See full agenda and, if you're still undecided, arguments for and against the sale.) Lunch will be available before the meeting. At least 79 members must be present for a quorum. August, 2004Our New Building Committee Leader Wants Us to "Sustain the Momentum"“In planning jargon,” says Alison Kendall, “I’m a Green New Urbanist, someone who tries to bring different uses together and encourages walking and human action. My design philosophy involves exploring both community and individual needs, integrating nature and environmental concerns, and expressing the unique history and culture of the place.” Alison, our new Building Committee chair, joined our church and its Building Committee last fall, shortly after she, her husband, Francois Bar, a professor of communication at USC’s Annenberg School, and their children, Nick, 14, and Jessie, 10, moved here from Palo Alto. Nick just completed our Coming of Age program and starts ninth grade at Samohi this September. Jessie will be a fifth grader at Franklin Elementary School. Alison, who has graduate degrees in architecture and planning from Berkeley, owns a planning and design business in Santa Monica, offering services to cities and private landowners. “I’ve had my own business since 1996. Most of my work to date has been in the San Francisco Bay area, where I prepared a plan for a 20-block area south of downtown Palo Alto, including a park, childcare center, historic buildings, single family housing, condo housing and affordable family housing, and other uses. I managed planning for converting Treasure Island Naval Station into residential and recreational use and was San Francisco’s coordinator for converting the Army base at the Presidio of San Francisco into a national park.” She has also worked on plans for San Diego and Sacramento, helped landowners with master planning for their properties and planning approvals, and managed the eight-person development review staff for the City of Mountain View in Silicon Valley. She’s renovated three houses and worked on historic preservation and renovation plans for many more as a building designer in St. Louis and in Italy. Born in Canada of Australian parents, Alison grew up in Pennsylvania “and moved to California as soon as I could, at 18 to go to Berkeley,” she says. “I enjoy travel and new experiences and unconventional people. I’ve been a Unitarian Universalist since age 14.” The Kendall-Bar family likes living in Santa Monica. “We’ve met lots of creative and friendly people here through the church and the schools. I’m impressed at the generosity and commitment to social justice we’ve found here.” As a member of the UUCCSM Building Committee, Alison helped get Santa Monica Planning Commission approval for the 17th St. project. “Although it is disappointing that we are now further away from starting construction, I’m excited about the new options we have with the house next door on 18th St. We can now provide more spacious classroom space, improve the social hall, enlarge the sanctuary, and link all these uses with beautiful, usable outdoor space. “We are studying options for moving and renovating the old house, which has lots of great detailing and craftsmanship,” Alison continues. “The toughest challenge is our shortage of money. We need to be realistic and to make tough decisions in order to see this project through to completion. “There are many, many people who have given a great deal of time and money to get us to this point in our building process. Our space needs are critical and despite the vitality and progressive nature of the church’s programs, our facilities are dilapidated and inadequate. “I hope we can sustain the momentum we have established so that we can begin to improve our facilities within a year,” says Alison. “We need to make critical decisions over the next few months about reusing or moving the old house, selling the 17th St. lot, and raising over $1 million to move ahead.” —Paula Bernstein July, 2004The Building Committee Reports on June Activities and Town HallThe Building Committee held two workshops on June 2 and June 19 to receive comments on the building options described in the June newsletter and to explore options to finance construction since acquisition of the 18th Street parcel has absorbed most of the capital fund. The June 2 participants indicated strong interest in either option M-2, where the old house is used for administrative offices and a two story RE building is constructed behind and for option R-1, which removes the house in order to build a new social hall and RE classrooms. Participants indicated strong interest in funding either option with a combination of another capital campaign, a major loan, or sale of the 17th Street parcel. The committee has been taking a closer look at the condition of the house and possible costs of moving and renovation, including requesting preliminary estimates from Alpha Construction and additional information on costs to address termite damage, asbestos, and structural problems. Collecting and analyzing this information will continue into next month. The preliminary information suggests that the costs of moving and renovating the house will be slightly less than a similar amount of new construction, although it will not address the specific program needs quite as well. —Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair June, 2004Building Committee Provides Building Options OverviewThe recent purchase of the property at 1248 18th Street, adjacent to the existing sanctuary, has opened up new and exciting possibilities for expanding and upgrading our facilities. Unfortunately, at a cost of $1.265 million, it has also absorbed most of the capital improvement fund which had been built up to begin construction of new religious education classrooms on the 17th Street lot, to expand the sanctuary, and to make access and code-related improvements to Forbes Hall. Ironically, the purchase of the new parcel could move us further away from urgently needed improvements to our facilities, unless we move quickly to make some key choices and find a substantial amount of additional money to fund construction. This article summarizes the major options, provides preliminary cost comparisons, and explores the advantages and disadvantages of the options to be discussed at upcoming meetings June 2 and 19. Options based on March meeting explored Since the church closed escrow on March 31, the Building Committee has been studying options for use of the newly acquired property, upgrading the sanctuary and Forbes Hall, and use or sale of 17th Street lot. The tour of the house and town hall meeting held March 21 generated a wealth of ideas; more ideas have emerged as members explore the back yard now accessible from Forbes Hall and post their ideas on the alcove bulletin board. Building Committee members are considering these suggestions and drawing on their collective expertise in real estate, development, planning, and landscape and architectural design, as they explore options for all of the church properties with our architect, Ralph Mechur. Building program priorities defined Over the past four years, the congregation has defined three major priorities building priorities. All three remain urgent: 1) Expand the sanctuary to provide less crowded seating for Sunday services by relocating the administrative offices and nursery space. 2) Address accessibility and other code issues in Forbes Hall by providing wheelchair accessible restrooms, elevators, and fire exits. 3) Provide adequate classroom space for the religious education program, including nursery facilities, outdoor play space, and appropriately-sized classrooms not provided in the current cramped second-floor facilities above Forbes Hall. Planning Commission approved 17th Street
The church could decide to launch a new capital campaign to proceed with the approved 17th Street RE building project and essentially “land bank” 1248 18th Street until additional capital funding makes development on that site possible. In the interim, we can enjoy the open space behind the house and repair the house for storage or offices. The approved RE facilities on 17th Street pose safety issues and logistical challenges. The acquisition of the new parcel opens the opportunity of locating the RE classrooms next door to the sanctuary, avoiding the need for children to cross the alley, and creating a more compact campus that will be easier to operate. Estimated cost: $1,258,640. Options for 18th Street properties are studied In addition to the “17th Street option” approved by the Planning Commission on March 3, the committee has developed three basic options focusing primarily on the two 18th Street properties, to see how our current space needs can be accommodated without using the 17th Street property. Each of these options would allow the 17th Street property to be sold or leased to help finance construction and upgrade on the 18th Street properties. While elements of these options can be combined or modified in many ways, the committee feels these three options represent a range of basic choices. Options are intended to explore a range of construction costs and physical changes. We have provided general “order of magnitude” cost estimates for renovation and new construction. These estimates are very preliminary and do not reflect detailed estimates of the cost of renovating the house or major alteration of Forbes Hall, which will require further study once a preferred option is identified. Options for reusing the 1248 18th Street house There are two basic building options for the newly acquired lot: keep it to be reused as offices or classrooms, or remove it to be replaced by new construction. In order to maximize the area behind the house for use as open space and RE classroom space, the committee recommends that if the house is retained, it be moved about fourteen feet toward 18th Street. Renovating the house may cost almost as much as building new space, and will limit options for new construction. But preserving the house would win support from both neighbors and city officials, and might allow us to obtain some flexibility on other requirements. If the old house were removed, more extensive new construction would be possible, including the possibility of both new RE facilities and even a new social hall, along with up to 17 spaces per level in an underground parking garage. Removing the house would require approval from the Landmarks Commission, which may find the house eligible for protection as a historic resource, making removal difficult. It may be possible to donate the house to be moved to another site, or to sell its architectural features for reuse. The floor plans on the following pages illustrate three land use options for the campus. The text below summarizes the major options, their advantages, disadvantages, and cost estimates. These costs do not purport to show what the actual costs will be. They serve as a basis of comparing the various options. Option M-1:Use house for offices
Phase 2: Renovate and expand first floor of Forbes to the north, adding a new kitchen. Build a two story, L-shaped building containing RE classrooms above parking and ground floor nursery, classrooms, and play area Phase 3: Renovate second floor of Forbes Hall for RE classrooms and other uses, and connect to new RE classrooms to the north. Phase 4: Expand sanctuary seating area, relocating nursery and offices. Advantages: Seven new RE classrooms built behind house in early phases. Good outdoor access for RE classrooms. Some of Forbes Hall converted to music room. Administrative offices in house provide homelike setting and provide security to campus. Disadvantages: Only three parking spaces provided, one accessible. Three classrooms above Forbes remain very small and narrow. Estimated cost: $1,814,000.
Option M-2:Use house for RE classrooms
Phase 2: Renovate and expand Forbes Hall, including the kitchen. Renovate second floor above Forbes for administrative offices. Phase 3: Expand sanctuary seating area, relocating nursery and offices. Advantages: Fewest construction phases, minimal relocation of uses. Three classrooms open directly to play yards. Lower construction cost for one-story RE facilities. Lower costs for minor remodel of second floor above Forbes. Disadvantages: Classrooms in house and back of lot are very small. Administrative offices on second floor are hard to find, don’t improve campus security, less pleasant. Only two parking spaces provided, one accessible. Estimated cost: $1,472,500.
Option R-1: Remove house
Phase 2: Renovate and expand Forbes Hall for administration. Phase 3: Major structural renovation of the second floor above Forbes for larger RE classrooms, connect to new building. Phase 4: Expand and renovate sanctuary. Advantages: More attractive social hall with direct open space access and modern kitchen, increased event rental revenue. RE classrooms in Forbes are reconfigured. New, large RE classrooms with direct outdoor access. Administrative offices on first floor are practical. Provides 17 parking spaces per level in secure garage. Accommodates most growth in membership and programs Disadvantages: Requires obtaining Landmarks Commission approval for removal of bungalow. Underground parking is costly and disruptive to construct, may be difficult to manage. Additional cost of constructing new social hall and major renovation of second floor of Forbes Hall. More expensive and more difficult to phase. Estimated cost: $2,807,400. Options for 17th Street On March 3 the Planning Commission approved the construction of a new building for RE classrooms and meeting rooms on the 17th Street lot. With 1248 18th Street purchased just a few days later, RE programs housed adjacent to the sanctuary and Forbes Hall would eliminate the dangers of children crossing the alley. But to provide better space for the RE program without a long delay, we could move ahead to build the approved RE facility on 17th Street. This option would include expanding the sanctuary and could also include moving the offices to the second floor above Forbes Hall. At the March town hall meeting, a number of other options for the 17th Street site were suggested: • Sell the lot to help finance construction on the newly acquired parcel and renovation of Forbes Hall and the sanctuary. Recent parcels of similar size in the area suggest that the lot could be sold for about $800,000- 900,000, most likely to a developer who could build five housing units on it under the R-2 zoning. • Build affordable housing on the site, perhaps a kind of Sunset Hall West for seniors. Affordable and senior housing can be built at higher densities, with lower parking requirements. However, the small, narrow lot (50 feet by 150 feet deep) makes sufficient parking extremely difficult to provide cost-efficiently. The City of Santa Monica recently developed such a site with a lower land price, and has said that it would not be interested in such project here. • Hold onto the lot for future expansion needs. This is not feasible given the cost of renovating the other facilities unless we can find a way to generate income from the parcel with relatively low improvement costs. Financial realities The $1.265 million purchase price, including closing costs and broker’s commission, came predominantly from about $770,000 raised from the capital campaign held 2001 to 2003, and $473,000 from the Morgan bequest. Even with about $284,000 in outstanding pledges to the capital campaign, we don’t have enough money for the new construction we need to accommodate the building program goals. Even the most modest reuse proposal – upgrades to the old house, new construction behind it, and accessibility upgrades – is estimated to cost over $1.47 million in improvements alone. This implies some combination of another major capital campaign, a major loan, and sale or lease of the 17th Street lot. Sale of 17th Street would substantially close the funding gap and allow us to move ahead with options M1 or M2. Option R1 would require additional financing. In order to move ahead to realize our dreams of better facilities, we need to engage in an open discussion about these financial realities and choices. Some evaluation criteria These options represent a range of choices, and could be combined in various ways to yield a “master plan” for our building program. Here are a few of the key criteria for making our final selection: • Net cost per square foot of new space including land purchase and sale after 2004. • Net cost for renovation of existing space. • Quality, proximity and practicality of administrative office space for staff, ministers and volunteers. • Quality of social hall and kitchen space, including adjacent outdoor space. • Quality of religious education space: number of classrooms, shape/size, access to play-yard, safety/access, toilet and changing facilities for infant/toddlers. • Phasing options for capital campaigns and minimizing construction disruption. • Options to preserve future flexibility or allow future growth. • Possibility of upgraded facilities providing increased rental revenue. Next steps: Over the next two months, the following key meetings are scheduled to discuss building options. • Special town hall meeting on Wednesday, June 2, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. • Workshop on Saturday, June 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. at de Benneville Pines. • Town hall meeting on Sunday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. — Alison Kendall, Building Committee May, 2004Back to the Drawing Board as Plans are Made for 18th StreetRalph Mechur, architect for our 17th Street building project, is optimistic about chances that the Santa Monica Planning Commission would approve our future plans for the house next door to the church. That house, at 1248 18th Street, a four-bedroom blue craftsman built in 1914, was purchased last month for nearly $1,265,000, including closing costs and broker’s fee. Plans for a new religious education building on 17th Street, across the alley from Forbes Hall, have been shelved. "It is exciting to think about expanding onto the adjacent property in lieu of onto the 17th Street property," Ralph said. "Clearly, it provides an opportunity to provide a more secure and integrated campus with more open space. We will look at several concepts over the next few weeks." Renovating the craftsman house will help preserve a part of Santa Monica’s history, he pointed out, adding, "This, coupled with the possibility of providing staff parking on the site should make the expansion an even stronger project for the community." The Santa Monica Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for the 17th Street project at the first hearing on March 3. “The Santa Monica city staff and the planning commission carefully evaluate projects for any potential negative impacts on neighborhoods,” commented Ralph. “That the planning commission approved the project at the hearing shows how important the church is to the community and how reasonable the expansion project really is. They clearly understood that the church’s goal is to remain in the community and to continue being a communitywide resource in many ways. “Returning to the planning commission with a project of similar scope should receive the same support and approval” he added. — Paula Bernstein April, 2004Our Church Made a Presentation to Santa Monica's Planning CommissionBuilding committee chair Barbara Kernochan made a report to the members of the committee the day after the March 3 planning commission meeting: Congratulations to us! Thanks to this team’s hard work, and with a lot of help from friends and architects, our applications for a parking variance and conditional use permit were unanimously approved at last night’s planning commission hearing. All who were present came away, I’m sure, with the sense that our congregation is truly heard and appreciated in our community. The speakers waxed heartwarmingly eloquent about our good work, and even the one neighbor who felt compelled to bring up parking problems did so with great reluctance. Bravo, and thank you, Barbara. (The full text of the statements presented at the meeting is below.) March, 2004Statements of Judith Meyer and Barbara Kernochan to the Santa Monica City Planning CommissionJudith Meyer:
Barbara Kernochan:
February, 2004Building Additions, Improvements Estimated at $1.8 MillionThe congregation met on Sunday, January 25, to review plans and status of the building program. The good news is much progress has been made toward realizing a better and more usable facility for the congregation. Everyone who spoke also emphasized there is still much work to be done. The Rev. Judith Meyer said that the Building Committee has done tremendous work toward making additions and improvements a reality. Carol Kerr, board president, opened the meeting citing three truths: first, the congregation still must approve final plans, budget and process before construction can begin; second, design and costs will change, based on changes requested by the city and by cost considerations identified by the contractor; and third, the true cost of the building program will not be known until the last invoice is paid, because this is just the nature of construction projects. Current project estimate is $1.8 million. Barbara Kernochan, Building Committee Chair, described the process as a small building project with the complications of a large project, mostly the result of its urban setting. She said that Wednesday, March 3 is the tentative date for presenting the project to the Planning Commission and hopes that the congregation and neighbors will come out then to support the project. Barbara said the church has received a very supportive letter from UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. She anticipates a second Planning Commission appearance before the plan can be approved. Barbara said there is much planning still to do, including determining whether to overlap construction of the 17th Street building with additions and changes to the church and Forbes Hall, which may shorten construction time but would impose other logistics issues. Architect Ralph Mechur presented plans and drawings describing the interaction that must take place with the city and then with the contractor before construction can begin. If every step goes perfectly, construction might start this summer and would take between 10 and 14 months to complete. —Nels Hanson January, 2004Next Stop for Our Building is the City of Santa MonicaMany of you may have seen recent articles in the local Santa Monica papers about complaints from local businesses about the slowness of the Santa Monica planning department. Well, that’s what we are waiting for and waiting and waiting. But we are making progress and have been told by the planners that we will “probably” get to the planning commission the end of January. The architectural review board will follow. The planning department continues to find issues we must address as we go along, the latest being some changes they want in order to preserve the “historic” south façade facing 18th Street. We are continuing to work with the contractor to refine the cost estimates, which is hard to do at such an early stage of development of the drawings. But soon we hope to be able to report back to the congregation some more updated cost information. Ultimately, we will not know the exact cost until the final bids are in after completion of the working drawings, which will begin after the project is approved by the planning commission. We are also starting to plan our presentation to the planning commission. We will let everyone know when that will take place, as we will need to have a good turnout of supporters. Come to the January 25 Town Hall meeting for a complete update. — Barbara Kernochan November, 2003Santa Monica Planning Commission is Working on Our Building ProposalThere is still no date on our signboards, but city planner Laura Beck has deemed our application for a conditional use permit and parking variance complete. She tells us to expect our hearing before the Planning Commission by early February. Questions remain, of course. One example: our 18th Street property appears must be reviewed and approved by the city’s historic consultant. We are meanwhile considering various landscape and hardscape ideas, with the guidance of Fran Hotchkiss. We remain very pleased with the work of our architect, Ralph Mechur. He is conversant with the sometimes arcane workings of the city approval process and is a familiar face to many at the city offices. He continues to give generously of his time, meeting with the Building Committee and various subsets as needed. The recent bequest to the church comes at a most opportune time. Although one million dollars has been pledged by our members toward the building program, this princely sum would suffice to build only one building, not both. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Earl Morgan, completion of the full building program is once again a realizable goal. With a still considerable gap of about $300,000 remaining, we must continue working to bring in additional contributions and perhaps finance a small amount. The congregation has taken on an ambitious program of facility enlargement
and improvement in order to keep our church -- Barbara Kernochan, for the Building Committee September, 2003We Get the City’s First Green Light to Start Our Building/RemodelingHave you noticed the large signboards in front of the sanctuary and facing 17th Street? They represent a giant step forward in our building process. We have officially submitted our building proposal to the Santa Monica city planners, applying for a conditional use permit and parking variance, and those signs indicate that the city process has begun. As is customary, alas, our application was deemed incomplete. The city has posed additional questions about very specific architectural details and even the types of trees we anticipate planting, and our architect and others have been busy responding to those remaining queries. Once our revised application has been deemed complete, the city will give us a date for our hearing. You will know this step has been taken when a date appears on those big signs. Meanwhile, we have requested an itemized breakdown of costs from our selected construction company. Our next decision points will focus as much on our financial picture and the will of the congregation as on the city’s approval process. Stay tuned. — Barbara Kernochan for the Building Committee July, 2003Suppose We Gave a Party...and Nobody Came?The building process has reached the point where we have invited the neighbors in to explain our plans and to deal with any objections. We mailed out more than 300 invitations to the surrounding neighbors and invited them to the church Sunday afternoon, June 8, for a presentation and Q&A session. We displayed drawings, illustrations and models of the new building. We prepared refreshments. The architect and the building committee were present, ready and eager to resond to any questions or objections. No neighbors showe up: zero, nil, nada, zilch. Paradoxically, we are satisfied with the results: it means that the project is progressing. It means that currently there is no active opposition. It means that we can demonstrate that to the city. It means we got to eat all of the brownies. -- Len Adler, for the Building Committee June, 2003Plans, City Approval, and Costs are on Building Committee AgendaMay was a slow month for the building committee. We met only once, while our architect, Ralph Mechur, reworked his drawings to incorporate the congregation’s preferences elicited at the March 23 meeting, and our attorney worked to complete the “findings” to submit to the city. Ralph is also waiting for appointments with the city planners. This month we will have a reception to introduce the project to our nearby neighbors. Our new design utilizes the existing building at the back of our 17th Street property, adding a new classroom/meeting room building, a bridge connection to the renovated existing building, an elevator, and bathrooms. The plan leaves considerable outdoor space along the south side of the new building and in a plaza between the buildings. The sanctuary plans remain essentially the same, widening the sanctuary into existing office space, with offices moving upstairs. We want to reconfigure the Forbes Hall building somewhat, shifting one staircase to the north end and opening part of the south end for storage. The new plan meets our congregation-identified need for a large gathering space (the expanded sanctuary), accessibility in both buildings, a dedicated nursery, and larger, more flexible classroom and meeting spaces. The congregation’s response to this new design direction has been very positive. Financially, the project remains uncertain. As we work closely with an estimator and/or contractor in the coming months, we will explore ways to address the need for funding additional to the one million pledged thus far if we wish to complete the entire building program. Steering the project through the city process and informing the congregation’s financial decisions will be the focus of the coming year’s work. --Barbara Kernochan May, 2003Architect Answers Congregation's QuestionsA congregational gathering held March 23, after the second service, reinforced both the need for building enhancements and the support of the congregation for the design direction we are pursuing. The opening salvos of the war in Iraq underscored for many of us the importance of a physical space to serve our membership and the larger community through outreach, essential dialogues, and the worship that takes place in our church home. Our building program will contribute to a brighter future for liberal religious thought and activity on the West Side. We have been listening to the ideas and advice of many individuals, including Jay Gobus, Kris Langabeer, Kathy Cook, Julie Hill, Warren Mathews, and Fran Hotchkiss in order to help our new architect design to our needs. We have also gathered recommendations from subcommittees and task forces on kitchen facilities, possible Forbes Hall improvements, technical subsystems and maybe even a labyrinth or meditation maze on 17th Street. We've received comments on a possible new chancel design and choir placement as well. Thanks to all who are helping move our design process forward and to those who offered their comments at Sunday's meeting. Our architect, Ralph Mechur, walked us through his design, including a refinement of his original concept for 17th Street and some changes to the main building. New costs could be added for some very desirable improvements to Forbes Hall that were not included in his first conceptual design. We are awaiting solid line-item cost estimates for this new design work. Meanwhile, we are at the point of submitting our application package to the city planning office. Our proposal will include our full wish list as shown on current plans, even though we are uncertain whether we can achieve all of our goals with our current financial picture. The city process is a lengthy one, but we hope to return to the congregation in the coming months for a vote on our next steps. Ralph elaborated on his latest design work. His most recent schematic drawings, as well as his biographical information, are on display on the kiosk in Forbes Hall. We hope everyone will take a look at these recent developments. The building committee stands committed to this project under the wise guidance of our architect, and wants to express thanks to all who helped us with their questions and comments. Excitement is, indeed, building. -- Barbara Kernochan April, 2003Architect Busy Preparing DrawingsThis past month, the building committee has been meeting almost every week to review the plans being drafted by architect Ralph Mechur. Here are some of the plas that were presented to the congregation: After a trial run of placing the choir on the level of the floor, the congregation was surveyed for feedback on the sound and aesthetics of the location. The vast majority of respondents found the music to be somewhat better or no different. Only a few thought it was negatively impacted. The replies on the aesthetics were hard to judge because at the last minute the piano had to be moved in front of the choir so the pianist could see the choir director. (The results of the survey are posted on the building kiosk in Forbes Hall.) The new plans have the choir director standing on the chancel while the choir seats are at floor level. At the back of the chancel is a small room that will house the controls for the microphones and other sound equipment. The organ and piano will be on the chancel, off to one side. The current configuration has a mix of pews and chairs, with the sanctuary seating 213. The big change in the Forbes Hall building is the moving of the stairway from the front to the back. This will comply with fire codes, and give us additional storage areas upstairs and downstairs. The administrative offices will be on the second floor. The existing building across the alley will be connected to the new buidling. The area between has been designed with a dramatic stairway encircling an outdoor patio. The solid back of the stairway created a dark area in the hallways below and behind it, so the back was changed to a lattice design. The stairway takes up a lot of room, but the fire code does not allow it to be placed in a less conspicuous location. The possibility of creating a permanent laybrinth in the area between the buildings is being studied. The 17th Street property will have seven classrooms in the two buildings, plus a spacious nursery. There is also a space for a teachers' room. While Ralph is working on the plans to present to the city, Barbara Kernochan is revising Judith Meyer's "case statement" to reflect these new plans. This describes who we are: our mission, history in the community, a description of the project, and our reasons for undertaking it. About a month ago, Ralph met with the city and was told our parking requirement is spaces for six cars. This is based on our increased needs due to the added sanctuary space. The parking does not have to be on site, so the committee is exploring nearby neighborhood locations we might be able to use. March, 2003Town Hall Meeting PlannedOn Sunday, March 23, after the second service, there will be a presentation of the work done to date by our architect, Ralph Mechur. From the time he took over the project until the end of January, all his attention was focused on the 17th Street property and working with the city. In February, he turned his attention to the sanctuary building and Forbes Hall. At our March town hall meeting, Ralph will present his ideas to the congregation and members will have an opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions. In addition to Ralph's plans, there are also some very preliminary plans drawn by our member, Fran Hotchkiss, who is a landscape designer. The focus of the design is the courtyard between the existing building on 17th Street and the new building. After the presentation to the congregation, we will consider plans for making a presentation to our neighbors. Finances are an important element in the building equation. The capital campaign we had last year went pretty well and we appreciate so many members and friends supporting the program. We do still have additional funds to raise if we are to successfully complete the full scope of the building program. On March 23, Jim Cadwell, the chair of the capital campaign committee, will give a brief update of the status of the campaign. January, 2003UpdateFollowing a holiday hiatus, the building committee met on January 5. Some members had walked an area covering the few blocks surrounding the churcha nd found about a dozen parking lots that might serve as alternative or backup to the hospital garage. The owners will be contacted. Our topographic survey has been completed, identifying setback lines, existing trees slopes, and other features. The architect has been developing the open area, or plaza, between the buildings on 17th Street as the focal point and main design opportunity for the property. With design progressing well, albeit the city progressing slowly, we look forward to a presentation in the congregation on March 23, followed by an event for the neighbors. -- Barbara Kernochan December, 2002Parking and Building Code RequirementsThe building committee reports it is pleased with the progress of our architect, Ralph Mechur, and has signed a "Phase 1" letter contract for the conceptual, schematic, and detail design necessary to obtain acceptance by the Santa Monica planning commission, architectural review board and building department. Critical issues are parking and building code requirements. This phase represents about 15% of the architectural work. Our timing in this phase is determined largely by the city. A definite contract for the remainder of the architect's work is being negotiated. A preliminary services agreement with a building contractor (Dreyfuss) is also being negotiated. Three proposals for a topographic survey of the 17th Street property have been received. The committee has selected the low bidder, subject to the architect's comments. Sufficient and assured Sunday parking continues to be a concern. The committee will investigate the possibility of obtaining offsite parking near 18th and Arizona. Suggestions from the congregation are welcome. November, 2002Pre-Application ReviewOn September 26, members of the church's building committee met with representatives of various Santa Monica city departments for a pre-aplication review meeting. Each city staff member reviewed the potential issues from their department's point of view. It is still too early in the process to evaluate the city's potential response to our proposed project, but there were some hopeful signs. The big issue is, of course, parking. One hopeful sign is their indication that no new parking spaces would be required for the new classrooms since we are building the same number of classrooms we have now, even though they are larger. So their initial take on this is that parking will be required only for the increase in office space and the increase in the number of seats in the sanctuary. They have asked for additional documentation on the exact increase we anticipate. The committee, with the architect, will be working on this information. The other good news is that the city staff feels we will not be required to prepare an Enviornmental Impact Report, which would have been time-consuming and expensive. The other items discussed with the city were about various building code and fire department issues, all of which can probably be solved. There was a brief discussion about the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) laws and the possible effect on our project. The RLUIPA passed by Congress in 2000 benefits churches in their rights to expand facilities regarding local zoning restrictions. We have received nothing definitive from the city but have gotten some indication that this law may be beneficial in our case, and that it could help us obtain some concessions on the parking demand. The committee is working with the architect to resolve his contract to complete the design phase through approval by the city. The architect, Ralph Mechur, was once a member of the Santa Monica planning commission and has been very helpful in maneuvering through City Hall. The attorney, Chris Harding, is well known in the development community of Santa Monica, and has been very generous with his time in advising the building committee and attending the meeting with the city. It will still be many months before getting to the planning commission, and knowing just how much or what we will be able to build, but everyone remains hopeful and enthusiastic. -- David Denton August, 2002Cost-Saving ChangesIn our capital campaign, we raised a lot of money, and interest in our building program continues to run high. At our June 30 congregational meeting, the focus of discussion was seeking ways to live within our means while holding true to our aspirations. To realize both of these goals, we found, will require a new architectural direction and a continuing hard look at our bottom line. Construction estimates for the building design we have been considering these past months came in at or near $1.5 million, as anticipated. Adding permit costs, professional fees, insurance, contingency and other indirect costs, we would need close to $2 million to fund the project. Having raised under $1.1 million and recognizing the imprudence of taking on a large debt burden, we had to acknowledge that this scope of work is simply beyond our means. As a result, the building committee began to look for ways to significantly reduce the program costs. We looked at several possibilities, from selling the existing 17th Street building on the alley in order to rebuild Forbes Hall, to scaling back plans on both properties. We decided that our most promising path was to devise a more affordable design concept for 17th Street, perhaps using the existing building on the alley. We began working with a new architect, Ralph Mechur, who came to us with extensive experience with non-profit organizations, as well as eight years of service on the Santa Monica Planning Commission. He rose to the challenge and designed a plan that brings savings in construction costs and additional reductions in some soft costs. Approximate costs for the new design, including sanctuary expansion, are $1,450,000. This new plan does not give us quite the cost reduction we had looked for, but it puts us in the ballpark of what we might afford. If we cannot borrow or raise the shortfall, we might still have to build in phases. Nevertheless, there is real confidence that our new plan is the right direction for us. Judging by the reaction of participants in our meeting, the congregation is pleased with Mr. Mechur's response to his challenge. (Early drawings are posted on the Forbes Hall kiosk.) Much remains to be done. With our new plan under development, the building committee is turning its attention to parking and city requirements. A business meeting, perhaps in late fall, will allow the congregation to decide our course. How grand it would be to break ground next summer! May, 2002Pledge Milestone!
April, 2002 Congregation Discusses Choir Location;
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After
the groundbreaking ceremony in September, a construction contract to move and
rehabilitate the cottage at 1248 18th Street was signed on
October 24, and construction fencing was erected
three days later. This culminates long-term planning
that in a sense began in 1966, when the 17th
Street lot was purchased for future expansion.
Then, in the early 1990s, focus group meetings reached
a consensus to significantly improve church facilities.
A capital campaign was planned in 1999, launched in
2000, and extended in 2005 after building plans were
switched from 17th Street to the lot next door. Finally,
we have begun the procedures of bringing all of our
church facilities into the 21st century.
We currently have Planning Commission approval to expand the sanctuary, to
remodel into administrative offices the space upstairs from Forbes Hall, and
to build a new RE facility on 17th Street. Commission approval includes measures
to reduce church impacts on street parking. To actually build upon the 17th
Street lot and make the changes to Forbes and the sanctuary we would have to
obtain Architectural Review Board approval, prepare construction drawings, develop
a parking management plan, and obtain building permits. 
Phase 1: Move bungalow
closer to 18th Street and renovate for administrative offices. 
Phase 1: Move house
toward 18th Street and renovate for use as RE classrooms. Build single-story
nursery and two classrooms with adjacent play yards, plus two parking spaces.
Phase 1: Remove bungalow
and excavate site for underground parking. Construct about 17 spaces per level
of underground parking on new lot. Construct two stories of RE classrooms on
rear of new lot above parking. Construct new social hall, kitchen and meeting
rooms above parking. 
We're now
celebrating the $1 million mark in pledges for our building and capital
campaign! Thanks to all who helped us get to this point...and if you haven't
pledged yet, it's not too late. Ofelia Lachtman and Carol Kerr will be in Anderson
Courtyard after every service in May to discuss with you how best to contribute
to the capital campaign.