12/17/23
City Council agenda item 11-A - Future of Santa Monica Airport
TO: City Council
The future of the 187 open-space acres of formerly Clover Field Park (appropriated by the federal government for an airport in the 1940s) is one of the potentially most impactful land-use and development issues our City will ever face. Recognizing this, a decade ago the community mobilized to pass an initiative (LC) which requires our city to return this valuable public land to park and recreational uses, or should Council wish to upend the voter’s wishes, that a new public vote be taken.
Santa Monica voters have said what they want on airport land. We hope City Council will respect the results of that democratic process, even if some may disagree with the outcome. That is democracy.
Now it’s time to start the important planning process for restoring the site for park, recreational facilities, and the maintenance and replacement of existing cultural, arts and education uses as spelled out in LC.
SMCLC supports the retention of Sasaki Associates as well as the hiring of a principal design and planning manager to focus on the conversion of the site into a “Great Park.” We envision a planning process which involves the City and County of Los Angeles, whose residents live in close proximity to this site and who, like Santa Monica, also would benefit from a Great Park. We’re repeatedly told that Santa Monica has the least amount of park space for a city of our size in California and this disparity will only grow given the rapidly increasing density resulting from thousands of new multi-family units that are in the pipeline. Our City is already in need of additional open-space and parkland. Our coming population growth will require even more.
We look forward to the planning process and widespread community engagement.
