On December 31, 2028, Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to cease operations. With that one far-off date now approaching, Santa Monica officials have released a draft illustrative plan to convert the airport property into a massive public park.

The 200-acre property, which spans between Bundy Drive and 23rd Street, is limited to use for recreation and public open space under the terms of Measure LC, which was adopted by Santa Monica voters in 2014. While City officials have previously explored options which would have involved commercial development on a portion of the airport site, potentially accelerating its conversion to park space, the Santa Monica City Council voted last year to move forward with plans for the property which will not require voter approval.

Different zones in the draft illustrative planSasaki

The draft plan, developed by design firm Sasaki, divides the property into distinct zones, with passive recreation areas oriented toward the western side of the site and sports facilities toward the eastern part of the airport. 

Planned features toward the western side of the park include a dog park, a flex lawn, a 1.5-acre wildflower meadow, an arboretum, water features, and a nature education center. This section of the park property would feed into the existing footprint of Clover Park, opening onto Ocean Park Boulevard to the north.

The HeartSasaki

The eastern section of the park would consist predominantly of sports and athletic fields, as well as the existing Airport Park at Bundy's intersection with Airport Avenue. Plans show various multipurpose fields, baseball diamonds, a rock climbing wall, basketball courts, and a recreation center.

Existing structures and spaces along the northern section of the airport site would be retained and converted into approximately 500,000 square feet of leasable space to potentially generate revenue for the project. Those existing structures would be interspersed with new linear spaces. Meanwhile, the southern portion of the site adjacent to Airport Avenue would be used for food, performance, and cultural events.

Immersive NatureSasaki

Moving forward, the project is expected to enter the environmental review phase from Spring 2027 through Summer 2028, leading toward the airport's closure on December 31. Detailed plans would then be developed through 2029 and early 2030s, and then implemented depending on the availability of funding.

While the airport will not incorporate commercial development under the current plan, officials with the the labor union United Here Local 11 have suggested placing a ballot measure to require a quarter of the airport land for redevelopment with affordable housing - though an attempt to place the measure on the ballot this year did not move forward. Likewise, developers have eyed office parks surrounding the airport as potential opportunities sites for new housing in recent years.

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