FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:
October 12, 2009
CONTACT:
Jean Bellman, Architecture Services,
Public Works, City of Santa Monica, (310) 458-8225, jean.bellman@smgov.net
Santa Monica — Just steps from the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by
world-famous destinations, 7 acres of Santa Monica land is ready to be
developed for public enjoyment. The City of Santa Monica is seeking
qualifications from innovative design teams interested in partnering on the
creation of gathering spaces that will enliven Santa Monica’s Civic Center
through design of the highest caliber. The project includes a new 6-acre
public park, an adjacent 1-acre town square and the adjacent streetscapes for
both parks.
As part of the vision for a new Civic
Center adopted in 1993 (revised in 2005), the City of Santa Monica has
dedicated land and funding to create two new parks – Palisades Garden Walk and
Town Square. These parks and surrounding streetscapes will provide a pivotal
link between Santa Monica’s Civic Center and its major cultural, natural and
economic assets. The parks are in close proximity to Santa Monica State
Beach, Santa Monica Pier, Palisades Park, Santa Monica City Hall and the Third
Street Promenade. In addition, Palisades Garden Walk will serve as the front
lawn for the future Village mixed-use housing development designed by
award-winning design teams. The project also coincides with the redevelopment
of Santa Monica Place Mall.
The Civic Center Specific Plan set forth a
comprehensive vision for Santa Monica’s Civic Center area, including new
housing, recreational, cultural and educational resources. It spurred
relocation of the RAND Corporation to its new headquarters on the southernmost
portion of its 15-acre campus, construction of new public safety and parking
facilities, and purchase of the highway-adjacent Sears property for use as the
terminus stations for the Exposition Corridor Light Rail Line that will connect
Santa Monica to Los Angeles.
Qualification
statements will be accepted until 5:00 pm on November 20, 2009. The
City-led selection panel includes reviews by noted landscape architect Ken
Smith; Qingyun Ma, Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture;
and Marc Fisher, Campus Architect for the University of California, Santa
Barbara. For a copy of the complete Request for Qualifications, please visit
the City of Santa Monica website at http://vendors.planetbids.com/SantaMonica/bidsearchform.cfm?StateID=52.
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