You can try and drag up a conspiracy theory as to why it was passed so quickly, but lets be realistic here. You can say what you want about Apple, but their stores are always extremely well designed, and always take into account the architecture around them. They are not a company who knock down a building, and build a stock Apple design from scratch, they always work around what is there and make it look like it belongs. They respect the design of the original building and/or area it's in. In some cases such as that old tube station, they even rejuvenate the area around the new building! Which is exactly why i think they deserve this kind of easy access when it comes to planning permission. That's not even mentioning the tax revenue and other monies Apple bring in just by being there.
Thank you for this post. There is no conspiracy theory. I am an urban planner and I cannot agree more. I have worked for much smaller communities than Santa Monica, but if their procedure is anything like other communities, there was no reason not to put it on the consent agenda.
Here is a very simplified version of most community's process for development approval.
1. Receive a phone call from a real estate agent or developer (corporation) asking about a piece of property. Usually there are questions of what is this property zoned, is it in any special districts, etc.
2. Developer files an application for development approval. This application includes site plans, architectural renderings, landscape plan, parking plan, etc.
3. A planner in the Planning Department will review the application to see if it complies with all ordinances (landscape, architectural, parking requirements).
4. Planner meets with developer to discuss any deficiencies in application.
5. Developer resubmits plans. Planner completes another review and writes their staff report. If the proposed development meets all of the requirements, staff will recommend to the Planning Commission approval.
6. Some communities have a consent agenda where everything that already meets all of the requirements is placed on. Any Commissioner has the right to call something off the consent agenda if they want to discuss it.
I would bet that Apple met all of the development requirements so there was nothing to discuss. Apple is not like Burger King or Walmart where they have a stock store design and that is what they try to build regardless of what a community's ordinances are. Except for their indoor mall stores which are more of a stock design, Apple tries to work with the particular conditions to design their outdoor stores to work with the individual requirements each site may require.
