Category Archives: Airport2Park

Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update: Community Workshop #1

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The City of Santa Monica is updating the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP), originally released in 1997. Join the City of Santa Monica on Saturday, August 25, 2018, for the first community workshop of the PRMP Update at the Civic Auditorium East Wing from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

The new Master Plan Update invites you to give input on future Safe Routes to Parks, improved pedestrian and bicycle access around the Santa Monica Airport (with the shortened runway). When the airport closes in 2029, the new Master Plan will allow us to create a truly Great Park with up to 200 acres of open space, community gardens and 3 miles of dedicated walking and bicycle paths with unobstructed views of DTLA, the Hollywood Sign and the Pacific Ocean.

After hearing from over 2,000 people this summer through an online survey, city-wide pop-ups, and discussions with community groups and boards/commissions, the City wants to share what they heard with you! The workshop will build on community-proposed ideas and spark inspiration for even more ideas. Help develop a shared vision of what Santa Monica want our parks, recreation, and beach to look like over the next 20 years. All residents and stakeholders are invited to participate in this public input opportunity.

Doors open at 9:45 a.m. and the presentation will begin promptly at 10:15 a.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Free bike valet will be provided. Free parking validation will be available for the Civic Auditorium Parking Lot (immediately adjacent to the Auditorium).

If you require any special disability related accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting, access to an amplified sound system, etc.) please contact Community & Cultural Services by calling (310) 458-8310 or emailing ccs@smgov.net at least 3 days prior to the workshop.

Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update Community Workshop #2 will be in January 2019.

For news, details, timeline, outreach, and project summary information on the Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update visit HERE

Memorial Park Master Plan Community Workshop #2

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August 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

The City of Santa Monica is planning to expand Memorial Park! All residents and stakeholders are invited to participate in this public input opportunity. Three master plan options will be shared with the community for feedback. A light dinner will be served. Date and time subject to change.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for advance viewing of presentation boards and Q&A with the project team. Presentation will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Parking validation will be available for the Civic Auditorium Parking Lot (immediately adjacent to the auditorium). A bike valet will also be provided.

If you require any special disability related accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting, access to an amplified sound system, etc.) please contact Community & Cultural Services by calling (310) 458-8310 or emailing ccs@smgov.net at least 3 days prior to the workshop.

Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update: Airport2Park!

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The City of Santa Monica is updating the 20 year Parks and Recreation Master Plan and has been hosting meetings with the community throughout the summer. The last planned event is this Sunday at the Summer SOULstice Festival – 11am to 1pm.

We encourage you to share your input via the online survey that will be ending soon! This is a great opportunity for all of us to give input and to reinforce community support for more open space and to replace Santa Monica Airport with a Great Park when it closes in 2029.

What kind of park do you want to replace the airport? Let the City know! Miles of protected bike and pedestrian paths? A Bike Campus with public bike repair facilities — a BMX track? How about coffee and snack concessions for people walking, biking and enjoying the park?

The online survey that will take 5-10 minutes and will ask you to drop pins on a map for your favorite beach and park and give feedback about existing recreational programs. Near the end of the survey you will be asked about LOOKING TO THE FUTURE. This will be your opportunity to drop a blue pin to focus on the Airport and put your ideas for a GREAT PARK!

Here is the LINK to the SURVEY: https://app.maptionnaire.com/en/3892

Join us in supporting a Great Park at SMO: More recreation? More Sports? More Nature? More Open Space? This is your chance! Do the survey!

For more information about about the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, here is an update: http://www.canyon-news.com/future-of-parks-in-santa-monica/78530

Update: Santa Monica Airport

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Last Tuesday Airport2Park was up late at a City Council meeting advocating for more parks and a new Parks Master Plan which would include the 12 acre Airport Park Expansion and ultimately a Great Park to replace Santa Monica Airport when it closes at the end of 2028.
The agenda item was passed!

On the very next morning our community and neighbors were rewarded with peace and quite for the first time in years with the airport is CLOSED for runway shortening. Additionally now a federal judge this past Monday dismissed a case challenging the agreement between the City of Santa Monica and the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the immediate shortening of the runway at Santa Monica Airport and the closure of the airport after 2028. Link

Have you noticed how quiet it has been? We sure have!

Click image to find out more about Airport2Park

The runway shortening process will create a runway safety area where there is currently none to make our community safer. This current temporary airport closure will last until December 23rd to complete construction. When the airport reopens this will exclude some of larger jets from using the airport and move the runway’s ongoing harmful impacts 750′ away from people’s home. Though obviously there is more to be done, we are excited to see this step in the right direction .

One next step is to continue the process by advocating for the City Council’s vote to remove all the excess asphalt at the ends of the shortened runway and replace it with grassy open space that could include pedestrian and bicycle paths.

This is yet one more in a series of important step towards repurposing SMO into a future Great Park that EVERYONE can enjoy.

We continue to stand with Airport2Park.

For now — Enjoy the peace and quiet!

 

Progress Report: Airport 2 Park

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Santa Monica is moving forward with two positive projects which should improve the quality of life for our community.

1st the City is currently shortening the Airport runway by 1500′ so that it will become safety compliant and to exclude larger jets. This runway shortening project might also provide the opportunity for additional new park access space at the ends of the runway.
SMO is now closed to all air traffic from 9pm-7am and will close ENTIRELY for two weeks at the end of the year until the runway shortening project is completed.
2nd the 12 acres of the Airport Park Expansion currently being designed by noted park designer Mark Rios, has moved forward to the important Environmental Impact Report stage. The park design will include full size playing fields, pickle ball courts, community gardens, playgrounds, walking paths and will provide much needed new recreational resources and opportunities for our community.

GREAT NEWS!

Meanwhile the six acres of “Interim Open Space” is now open for everybody to use! And it is getting used!

This new public space is located adjacent to the current Dog Park on the future site of the Santa Monica Airport Park Expansion while it is being planned. It is the perfect place to walk, jog, ride a bike, skateboard or push a scooter without any obstruction or traffic. It is especially perfect for kids learning to ride a bike. The 6 acres are open sunset to sunrise. Enter from the lot behind the playing fields. Check it out!

The Environmental Impact Report is now available for you to review:
https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Environmental-Reports/Airport-Park-Expansion-EIR/
Your comments are invited and may be submitted, in writing, by 5:30 PM on Monday Dec 11, 2017 to:
Rachel Kwok
Environmental Planner City Planning Division
1685 Main Street
Room 212 Santa Monica, CA 90401
Email: Rachel.kwok@smgov.net