A presentation scheduled for this week's meeting of the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board unveils a new look for a proposed development from GRT Portfolio Properties.
The project, which would replace a bowling alley at 216-234 Pico Boulevard, calls for the construction of a three-story building featuring 105 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments - including eight affordable units - atop 10,803 square feet of ground-floor retail space and two-level, 231-car basement parking garage.
The design of the proposed development Frederick Fisher and Partners splits the project into two clusters of buildings framing a central courtyard. Shops and restaurants are planned at street corners, and residential units would line the ground floor along the sides and rear of the property.
Following feedback from an earlier presentation to the Architectural Review Board in August 2018, the project team made several alterations to the design, including greater differentiations between the building clusters and the addition of more vertical elements and wider gaps to break up their mass.
In light of the design changes, a staff report to the Architectural Review Board recommends that the project should receive approval.
Just a few blocks away at the intersection of Pico and Ocean Boulevard, two similar mixed-use developments are planned for a pair of surface parking lots.
