New Impacts on the Horizon for the Civic Lot Construction

March 29, 2018 11:01 AM
by Constance Farrell

The Santa Monica Civic Center is going through some changes in order to bring you the best facilities and services. Many of these projects have been in the works for many years, so we are excited to share updates with you and want to keep you informed. Here is a summary of projects happening at the Civic Center:

City Services Building

BEGIN: SEPTEMBER 2017 | END: APRIL 2020

The City Services Building fulfills a vision to bring all core municipal operations onto one City Hall campus. By adding a modern building in the rear courtyard that preserves our landmark City Hall, we will eliminate all leased space and offer a centralized hub of public counter services. It is designed to be a “Living Building” that produces its own energy and water and will be a model of Santa Monica’s commitment to both fiscal and environmental sustainability. For more information, check out the project site.

Civic Center Multipurpose Sports Field

BEGIN: JANUARY 2020 | END: JANUARY 2021

By March 2020, the City of Santa Monica will begin construction of the Civic Center Multipurpose Sports Field, east of Santa Monica’s landmark Civic Auditorium. The City Council has approved funding for the full $8 million project cost. A parking study to be released later this year will help guide the City’s efforts to reduce parking demand and manage the remaining Civic Center parking so that everyone is able to access our public buildings and the new field. Go to page 3 of Seascape for more information about this exciting development, or visit the project site.

Early Childhood Lab School

BEGIN: MARCH 2018 | END: SEPTEMBER 2020

Construction will begin this month on the Early Childhood Lab School, a partnership between the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College (SMC), which will be operated by the Growing Place. The Lab School will serve Santa Monica residents and employees with subsidies for lower income families. It will also provide a state-ofthe-art facility for SMC’s highly regarded Early Childhood Education (ECE) program and for parent and teacher training classes. Turn to page 6 of Seascape for more information on the Lab School and an interview with one of its champions, early education pioneer Betsy Hiteshew, or visit the project site.

Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project

BEGIN: APRIL 2019 | END: NOVEMBER 2020

The Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) is a key component in helping the City achieve its water self-sufficiency goal, and it’s coming to the Civic Center Parking Lot. The SWIP will bring new water into the existing purple pipe distribution network, the system for non-potable water used for irrigation and toilet flushing across town. The Civic Center will see the installation of a water treatment plant to treat wastewater from the sanitary sewer, as well as stormwater from a massive 1.5 milliongallon cistern. The cistern will be fed by the Pico/Kenter Stormdrain during rain events. The entire project will be located below grade in the Civic Center Parking Lot. The Civic Center facilities will connect with the Clean Beaches Project now underway adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier, and the system will eventually expand to include a stormwater cistern to be built at Memorial Park.

Authored By

Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager