Santa Monica Favors Park Space Over Residential Development
Future Plans For The Santa Monica Airport
Early July, the Santa Monica City Council (SMCC) concluded a years-long process to determine the future of the century-old Santa Monica Airport (SMO), voting in favor of turning the space into a large public park after the airport closes December 31, 2028. Landscape Architects, planners, urban designers, and architects from multinational interdisciplinary firm Sasaki have been leading the planning effort and community engagement process.
This discussion is an example of the ever-present debate regarding land use, specifically the dichotomy between the benefits of public access to green space and the real need to house growing populations. In all this, Landscape Architects are primely positioned to not only lend their expertise in the decision process but also to find creative solutions that meet the needs of the entire community.
According to local news outlet the "Santa Monica Mirror," the SMCC July meeting was full of tension as community and council members deliberated over converting 192 acres of the airport's land into a public open space or into housing.
Those in favor of a park spoke of limited existing sports and recreational facilities in the city, stating that a park of this size would preserve green space and provide opportunities for generations to come. On the other hand, housing proponents cited the lack of affordable housing in the region and the responsibility for the city to meet the need for shelter before recreation. Both groups shared a desire to engage in the adaptive reuse of existing structures: recreational and educational facilities if it were to become a park or local amenities and housing if it were to become a residential development.
Various existing projects were considered in the array of development options, from the minimalistic conversion of Templhof Airport Park in Berlin, Germany, to the new residential zoning on Governor's Island in New York City, to Southern California's own Great Park in Irvine.
Jesse Zwick, the only councilmember to vote against the park proposal, noted, "We're not planning to tear down buildings; we're talking about adaptive reuses of existing structures, so let's study what a mix of uses, including housing, would look like on sites that have structures."
He continued, "Public land is the only chance we have [to address housing], and I cannot consciously give up all these acres without devoting at least one acre to this desperate need."
Even the lone opponent to the park measure conceded that having public open green space was important, voicing his consent to dedicate land to both. The SMCC is not the only governing body facing questions of this sort, as cities around the country - and even the world - assess the use of one of their most limited resources: land.
Landscape Architects are becoming increasingly valuable in this conversation, providing the know-how and creativity to balance a community's holistic needs. LASN is publishing one such example in the recent Hardscapes Issue with Reservoir Park designed by Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated (RHI). Go look at that feature and others that have been submitted to LASN touching on this exact discussion.
To read more about the Santa Monica Council meeting, go to: https://smmirror.com/2025/07/santa-monica-council-votes-in-support-of-park-centric-future-at-airport-site/
To read more about the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, go to: https://www.smacproject.com/
To learn about the history of the site and it's recent developments, go to: https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1352&MediaPosition=&ID=5303&CssClass=#Why
Do you have a project that deals with the unique use of public land? Submit your project to editorial@landscapearchitect.com today!
