Airport Conversion Project moves into next phase with new community survey

March 11, 2026 10:06 AM
by Amber Richane

*Updated March 16, 2026*

The city of Santa Monica has released a draft Framework Diagram for the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, following nearly two years of public outreach and engagement. 

The Framework Diagram builds on the five Guiding Principles unanimously adopted by the City Council in January 2025 – Start with Nature, Inspire Wonder, Balance Economics, Amplify Versatility, and Celebrate Place – and synthesizes the input gathered through 87 public meetings, 20 small group discussions with over 370 participants, more than 12,100 online survey responses, and over 50,000 project website visits.  

The Framework Diagram brings these many ideas together to find common ground about what should go where and what types of uses belong in different areas of the site. It establishes the park’s overall structure by identifying distinct districts, their defining characteristics, potential uses, and accompanying precedent images. 

It represents the most comprehensive distillation of community preferences for the future of the airport land to date. 

Following July 2025 direction provided by the City Council to proceed with a Measure LC compliant plan for a Great Park, the Framework Plan organizes the site into eight distinct but interconnected districts, each with its own character, uses, and identity. 

• Immersive Nature, a calm ecological landscape on the western portion of the site prioritizing native habitat and biodiversity 
• Active Sports, a structured regional athletic destination on the east side of the site 
• Arts & Culture, a dynamic district organized around food, performance, and creative expression 
• Urban Edge, a connected district along the north side of the site that extends the park into the surrounding neighborhood through adaptive reuse of existing structures 
• The Stroll, a welcoming green gateway serving as the park's front door from the Clover Park area 
• The Lawn, a flexible central gathering space serving as the "living room" of the park 
• The Meadow, an intimate community-focused landscape with adventure play and neighborhood-scale gathering 
• The Heart, a magnetic civic core where architecture, landscape, and movement intersect. 

The Framework Diagram is intended to build shared understanding and consensus on the major locations and relationships before moving into more detailed design, providing a strong foundation for the Framework Plan in the next phase. 

Members of the community are invited to review the Framework Diagram and share your feedback through our online survey, open through April 26. Both the survey and the Framework Diagram presentation are available on the project engagement website at: SMACproject.com. 

• Use this link to access the survey in English 
• Use this link to access the survey in Spanish 

In addition, the Framework presentation will be shared at the following upcoming public meetings (meetings in bold are confirmed): 

Santa Monica Boards & Commissions 

• March 11: Urban Forest 
• March 16: Arts 
• March 18: Planning 
• March 19: Recreation and Parks 
• March 23: Airport 
• April 20: Sustainability & Virginia Avenue Park Board

Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils 

• Venice – April 21 
• Mar Vista – April 23

Authored By

Amber Richane
Principle Design and Planning Manager

Categories

Arts, Culture & Fun, City Parks, Community Events, Strategic Priorities, Your City Hall