Santa Monica left 339 public comments out of the thematic summary for its airport park survey. The city disclosed the decision in a footnote that does not name who ordered it or why.

The Airport Conversion Project survey drew 4,206 responses between Feb. 18 and April 26. But when staff analyzed 1,774 written comments, 115 favoring keeping the airport open and 224 calling for housing on the site were removed from the summary, according to a footnote in the city's report, as Patch first reported.

The footnote attributes the exclusion to "due to direction." It does not say who gave the direction or why those topics were separated from the rest. Patch reported that the city had not responded to questions about the exclusion by publication time.

The excluded comments amount to roughly 19 percent of the 1,774 written responses the city reviewed. Both topics touch directly on the site's future: Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to close Dec. 31, 2028, and the city plans to convert the property into parks and open space.

The pro-airport viewpoint has vocal supporters. Ben Marcus, co-founder and president of Spirit of Santa Monica, told the Westside Current in July that the airport is "a one-of-a-kind asset in our community."

Who responded

The city acknowledged in its own analysis that survey respondents did not mirror Santa Monica's population. Among those who reported a racial or ethnic identity, 73.5 percent were White, compared with 62.1 percent citywide. Hispanic or Latino and Black residents were underrepresented. The survey also skewed older: 70.2 percent of respondents who answered the age question were 45 or older.

Responses came from 118 ZIP codes. Fifty-six percent of completed surveys came from Santa Monica, and 21 percent came from adjacent Los Angeles ZIP codes.

What the included responses showed

Among the comments the city did summarize, active recreation topped the list. Participants called for sports fields, youth facilities, aquatics centers, pickleball and tennis courts, playgrounds and skate parks.

Traffic and parking dominated concerns. Residents worried that 32nd Street, Ocean Park Boulevard, 23rd Street and Bundy Drive could see more traffic, and that neighborhoods near Clover Park and Sunset Park could absorb visitor parking. Respondents from neighboring Los Angeles communities raised similar worries about cut-through routes.

Immersive Nature drew the strongest support at 77.9 percent. Urban Edge drew the weakest at 56.9 percent, with more than a quarter of respondents neutral or unsure.

Some respondents questioned how the park would be funded, staffed, secured and maintained.

What comes next

The project is now entering Phase 4, which will refine the broad framework into a more detailed master plan. No date for a City Council hearing or public vote on the results has been announced.

The 339 excluded comments remain unaccounted for. The city has not said whether those responses are still part of the underlying data.