Economic Growth & Cultural Vitality: Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project moves forward
January 30, 2025 10:53 AM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 30, 2025) – The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday approved guiding principles for the Airport Conversion Project and authorized staff to move into the third phase of a two-year community engagement process to determine the future of the airport site.
At Tuesday’s study session, the council heard robust public input on the project as well as an in-depth summary of outreach efforts and planning progress to date. View the presentation and council discussion here. Read the staff report here.
“I want to thank everyone who came out to share their thoughts with us last night and throughout the first part of this community engagement process,” Mayor Lana Negrete said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform a major piece of land in our city and create a space for the community to cherish and enjoy for generations to come. I look forward to continuing to move forward toward that vision.”
Tuesday’s action marked the culmination of more than nine months of community outreach and engagement that included two community workshops, eight pop-up events, dozens of smaller community group meetings, targeted youth outreach, three virtual education sessions and three online surveys.
Thousands of community members participated in these meetings, events and surveys, and from this feedback staff developed the five guiding principles for the project:
- Start with Nature — consider environmental impacts, build community resiliency against climate change, provide spaces to immerse in nature, support biodiversity and animal habitats
- Inspire Wonder — provide a space for community connection that’s welcoming to all, with spaces for events, celebrations, athletics and to showcase creativity and art
- Balance Economics — achieve economic equilibrium by balancing revenues with construction, operations, maintenance and programming costs
- Amplify Versatility — prioritize amenities for daily use, support active recreation, balance active and passive spaces, provide space for performing arts and big events
- Celebrate Place — embrace the layers of the city’s history and share stories of the place and the region, celebrate innovation and inspiration, foster a sense of community and collective ownership
With council’s approval of the principles and direction to move forward, the project will soon enter its third phase, where the guiding principles will shape the feasibility of three alternative scenarios (Phase 3a) for the potential future of the Santa Monica Airport site.
The three alternative scenarios of Phase 3a will be presented for community feedback through a similarly robust public engagement process of events, pop-ups and surveys, anticipated for late spring. The comments on the three scenarios will then inform the creation of the preferred scenario for Phase 3b and will be brought back to the community and City Council for input in early fall.
Phases 4 and 5 of the engagement process are expected to take place in the fall and winter of 2025 and include outlining the path forward to implement the community’s vision for the airport site.
The Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project is a multi-year planning effort for Santa Monica to create a preferred scenario for the future of the airport site once aviation operations end in 2028, centered on a great park and consistent with Measure LC. There are five distinct planning phases within a 21-month process, anticipated to conclude with the adoption of a preferred scenario by the Santa Monica City Council by the end of 2025.
For more information, visit smacproject.com.
Media Contact
Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer
Tati.Simonian@santamonica.gov
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