Santa Monica, CA - Tenants Banking on City Against Synagogue

Santa Monica, CA - A synagogue is planning to displace dozens of tenants so it can demolish what may be a historic, 28-unit apartment complex and replace it with a combination of subsidized housing and high-end condominiums for Jewish refugees persecuted in the Middle East.

Tenants of Teriton Apartments, many of whom are seniors, learned about the plan during a meeting with property owners Or Khaim Hashalom, an non-profit, religious organization that is requesting City Hall make a determination as to whether the complex should be considered a historic landmark.
If so, Or Khaim Hashalom would be prevented from demolishing it and from evicting tenants, something which would create a significant financial hardship for the group and deprive it of full use of the site, said members of Hashalom’s executive committee, some of whom were dressed in traditional Hasidic garb - long black suits and wide-brimmed hats - with fluffy beards and dangling sideburns.
“If we are not allowed to demolish the building, then we are stuck with what we have today, which is an annual loss of $500,000 a year,” said Rosario Perry, a real estate and land-use attorney in Santa Monica who is representing Or Khaim Hashalom in the development process.

Or Khaim Hashalom would like to build 38 to 40 units, including some for sale, a synagogue for worship and possibly a day-care center, Perry said.