Santa Monica's airport-to-park conversion advanced to Phase 4 of a five-phase planning process after more than 4,200 people weighed in on the park's layout.
The project will now move from a broad framework into an Illustrative Masterplan, a more detailed document showing how the former airport site could be organized, Santa Monica Next reported Thursday, Aug. 27.
The advancement follows Survey 3B, which collected 4,206 responses between Feb. 18 and April 26. Of those, 2,003 were completed surveys. Respondents came from 118 ZIP codes, though most lived in Santa Monica or nearby Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Eight districts, broad but uneven support
The proposed framework divides the future park into eight districts: Immersive Nature, Active Sports, Arts & Culture, Urban Edge, The Stroll, The Lawn, The Meadow and The Heart.
The Stroll drew the strongest backing at 74.3% support. Immersive Nature followed at 72%, Active Sports at 70.7% and Arts & Culture at 69.5%.
Not all districts fared equally. The Heart received the weakest support at 59.6%, though still a majority. Urban Edge came in at 61.4%.
Traffic, homelessness top resident concerns
Among 1,774 written comments, the most common request was more active recreation: sports fields, pools, pickleball courts, skate tracks and playgrounds.
But traffic and parking dominated the worry list. Respondents questioned where visitors would park and whether new access roads would burden surrounding neighborhoods. South-side residents from adjacent Los Angeles ZIP codes specifically asked that louder uses be placed farther inside the park, away from homes.
Santa Monica residents raised safety and homelessness concerns alongside calls for more trees, shade and native plants. Funding and long-term maintenance also drew questions, including whether revenue-generating uses would be needed to keep the park running.
Some respondents said the eight-district structure felt over-programmed and called for clearer priorities.
Survey skewed older and whiter
The city acknowledged the survey was not fully representative. Among those who identified their race, 73.5% were White, compared with 62.1% citywide. Hispanic/Latino and Black residents were underrepresented. Respondents also skewed older, with 70.2% over age 45.
Four commission meetings in September
The planning team will refine the masterplan through fall and winter 2026. Four city commissions will take up the plan in September:
- Planning Commission, Wednesday, Sept. 16
- Recreation & Parks Commission, Thursday, Sept. 17
- Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment, Monday, Sept. 21
- Airport Commission, Monday, Sept. 28
Mayor Caroline Torosis previewed the airport-to-parkland transformation in her July 2026 State of the City address, noting the airport's planned 2028 closure, according to Patch.
A community event and additional public survey are expected later in 2026. Residents can track the project at smacproject.com.
