2010 Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) Santa Monica, California, 2015 Amendment

Embedded in Santa Monica’s general plan, the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) provides an integrated land use and transportation strategy that unites new housing and job opportunities with expanded transportation options.

The LUCE is a key component of the Santa Monica General Plan and in 2010 it was updated to incorporate a variety of environmentally sustainable components. In 2015, the LUCE plan was amended to further focus on linking open spaces to enhanced transit systems as well as directing residential development to areas well-served by transit, particularly along the Expo Light Rail line, which connects Santa Monica to the greater Los Angeles region.

Excerpts from the LUCE 2015 Revised Planning Document below:

The LUCE is an integrated land use and transportation plan that unites new housing and job opportunities with expanded transportation options. A key component is the Expo Light Rail, which connects Santa Monica to the greater Los Angeles region.

• Shifting away from the commercial emphasis of the 1984 General Plan, the LUCE focuses on relieving development pressure in the residential neighborhoods and directing it to areas served by transit, particularly along the Expo Light Rail line.
• Weaving land use and transportation strategies into a single framework is a key concept put forward by the LUCE, as is creating new housing opportunities on commercial transit corridors and along the Expo Light Rail line.
• Linking open spaces to enhanced transit systems has the potential to yield major benefits.The LUCE proposes decking over the I-10 Freeway at the nexus of Downtown and the Civic Center to create additional usable open space.

The LUCE was adopted in 2010, revised July 24th, 2015