CIM Group’s 47-unit project clears appeal in Santa Monica

The CIM Group can thank the state’s so-called “anti-NIMBY law” for clearing the way for its 47-unit apartment complex in Santa Monica.

The Mid Wilshire-based developer used the Housing Accountability Act last Tuesday to defeat an appeal from residents, who complained the project at 2903 Lincoln Boulevard would create more traffic headaches, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported.

The CIM Group’s 3-story, 59,300-square-foot project would replace a series of single-story retail shops, including an auto garage and a plumbing supply shop, along a stretch of Lincoln Boulevard between Ashland Avenue and Wilson Place, in the eastern part of Santa Monica.

Four of the units would be set aside for low-income renters. The project would also include ground-floor retail shops and an underground garage for 151 cars and 87 bikes, according to the city.

The Housing Accountability Act bars local governments from reducing or voting down a residential project with an affordable component if the project meets local codes and there’s no other way to mitigate concerns. In this case, residents said the project would bring too many vehicles to an area already inundated by traffic. Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer agreed, calling it a “freakin’ mess” at the meeting.

The developer owns two other development sites in the area and is active in nearby West L.A., where it is building a 147-unit project on Santa Monica Boulevard and filed plans last year for another across the street.

The Lincoln Boulevard project will now go to the Architectural Review Board for further assessment. [SMDP] – Dennis Lynch