Zoning Change Will Allow 2 Theaters on Main Street

After a raucous months-long debate, the City Council has approved a zoning change that will allow two live-performance theaters on Main Street.

“We don’t have a lot of live theater in Santa Monica. These theaters will boost cultural use and complement nearby restaurants,” said Mayor Pam O’Connor.

Architect Mario Fonda-Bonardi, who lives on Second Street behind the proposed theaters, said he feared the change “will have a domino effect” on the area, encouraging other businesses to come in.

Second Street, which is lined with residences, will then become “a back alley to Main Street and suffer from noise, vagrancy and trash” generated by the crowds, he said.

However, Edgemar developer Abby Sher pledged that “If we find neighborhood fears are coming true, we intend to take measures to mitigate them. The idea here is to enhance the neighborhood, not to reduce the quality of life.”