Airport2Park has been invited to be the guest host for this Sunday’s (March 9) MVCC Green Tent at the Mar Vista Farmers Market from 8am-2pm.

http://mvccgreentent.blogspot.com/2014/03/airport-to-park-march-9.html

You are invited to come out to say hello and to find out more about Airport2Park’s efforts to create a grand park to replace the Santa Monica Airport.

We will be talking about the many recent city developments that are moving us one step closer to making this a reality. Come to find out about the results of our recent Finance Panel that was held at the Santa Monica Public Library as well as recent exciting new design ideas for the park that are now under development.

Find out about how a sustainable new park can be a benefit to individual health and pubic well being; effect a reduction of smog and help solve the global warming crisis by effecting change in our own back yard.

We are looking forward to talk to you and answer your questions, as well as to get your ideas about what you feel should be incorporated into a new community park that will make it more meaningful, exciting and fun. We are also looking to meet our many volunteers that are making this a reality and to let you know how you too can volunteer and become a part of Airport2Park to make this happen.

So join us at this Sunday’s Mar Vista Farmers Market. which is without a doubt one of the most nicest farmers markets anywhere!  Buy your fresh organic vegetables, have a great brunch and say hello!

The MVCC Green Tent is a project of the Mar Vista Community Council Green Committee who are one our Airport2Park coalition members that now include the Friends of Palisades Park, the Friends of Sunset Park, the North Westdale Neighborhood Association, the Westside Neighborhood Council, the Venice Neighborhood Council, the Mar Vista Community Council, the Palms Neighborhood Council, and the Sierra Club.

For more information contact: melissa.stoller@marvista.org

At the same time that the City of Santa Monica is exploring all options to confirm its rights over the land it owns at Santa Monica Airport, so that it can close the airport in 2015 when its 1984 Settlement Agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expires, unnamed pro-airport groups are using the controversial technique of “push-polling” to promote a ballot measure that would prevent Santa Monica from challenging the FAA about noise, pollution or safety at the airport, and force the City to keep the airport open in perpetuity.

Former Santa Monica Mayor Michael Feinstein received a call this week from a pollster supporting the ballot measure. “This week I received a push poll in support of a potential measure that would prevent Santa Monica from changing from aviation uses to a public park at SMO, without it being decided in an election by a public vote,” Mr. Feinstein said. “The measure would also permanently prevent the City from any further legal efforts to regain control of the land.” He said the call came from the 719 area code, from an organization identifying itself as Insight Research, and was told “some citizens support a ballot initiative” that would require the city to continue to operate the airport, prohibit new park uses there, and forbid the city from filing any lawsuits against the FAA.

“Santa Monica residents bought and paid for this land with a park bond in 1926. Whomever is behind this poll, seems to believe that the residents shouldn’t pursue their legal rights to the land. Incredible,” Feinstein said. “The fact is, SMO is a local/regional health, safety and environmental hazard, that operates for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of everyone else.”

To try to sell their arguments, Mr. Feinstein said, in what made the call a “push-poll,” the pollsters used a fear-based approach, which is strategic when you don’t have the facts on your side. According to Mr. Feinstein, “the way they phrased their questions was to scare residents to continue to operate the airport, lest the city develop a giant commercial/residential complex there instead. They were like the ‘astroturf’, fake-green groups pretending to be in favor of the environment, when in reality their practices are not.”

At the present time the sponsor of the poll has not come forward. According, however, to John Fairweather, chair of Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic (CASMAT), the poll was reminiscent of another push-poll (see here) conducted on behalf of the Airport Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in 2011 when Santa Monica was initiating its review of airport operations in anticipation of the expiration in July 2015 of its 1984 Settlement Agreement with the FAA (see here and here). While AOPA initially denied involvement in the polls, the national organization of aviation businesses and pilots later admitted paying for it (also here). At the time, CASMAT and other anti-airport groups soundly criticized the methodology of the AOPA’s poll and the validity of any results from it.

Airport2Park.org, the group that residents formed in 2013 to turn the airport into a great park, recently sponsored a panel discussion at the Santa Monica Main Library, which Feinstein hosted (see here). At that panel, it was demonstrated how Santa Monica can develop and operate the park without new commercial development. Video of the panel is available here: Airport2Park event videos.

“The City’s obligations to operate the airport end in 2015, and it is time to start planning for a greener future there.” said Gavin Scott of Airport2Park. “Furthermore, such development as projected by pollsters is never going to happen. The one time a past City Council tried to approve new commercial development at the airport, residents gathered 8,000 signatures to qualify a referendum against it, and the Council backed down and rescinded the project (see here). Fortunately Santa Monicans can build and operate a park without new commercial development.”

NOTE:You can see the full script of the latest survey side-by-side with the 2011 survey on CASMAT’s post.

“This isn’t going to stop Santa Monica getting its park,” A2P spokesman Frank Gruber said in response to the ruling. “The decision was on narrow procedural grounds, and doesn’t alter the fact that the people of Santa Monica bought this land through a park bond a century ago. We are quietly confident that when the dust has settled, it will be the wonderful green space residents are hoping for.”

Naturally, we at Airport2Park.org, like nearly everyone else in Santa Monica and neighboring cities, regret that Federal Judge John Walter has granted the FAA’s motion to dismiss the City of Santa Monica’s lawsuit, but we have full confidence that ultimately the City will succeed in closing the Santa Monica Airport. This lawsuit for declaratory relief would have clarified the City’s rights over the land at the Santa Monica Airport, land that the City has owned for almost a century. The FAA’s motion and the court’s decision only delay the determination of the City’s rights over its property.

Disappointed as we are in this delay, it is important to note that Judge Walter’s decision was based solely on narrow procedural grounds relating to a specific statute, the Quiet Title Act, and technicalities about the proper court for certain claims and the proper timing for others. In his decision, Judge Walters emphasized numerous times that the decision did not have anything to do with whether the City’s claims themselves were valid.

Sooner or later, in one court or another, Airport2Park fully expects that the City of Santa Monica will have its rights to control the destiny of the airport land confirmed, either on the basis of claims made in this lawsuit or on other grounds. Unfortunately, the FAA was able to use delaying tactics to postpone this decision.

Airport2Park wants to thank the Santa Monica City Council, Santa Monica City Attorney Marsha Moutrie and her colleagues, and the City’s outside counsel at Morison & Foerster, for their hard work and fine efforts to gain control of the airport land and return it to uses that benefit everyone rather than a few. We have full confidence that ultimately they will succeed.

Santa Monica, CA –Millions of dollars in rental income could be available to pay the operating costs of the Santa Monica Airport Great Park once federal restrictions on airport rents are lifted, Airport Commission Chairman David Goddard told a public meeting at the Santa Monica Main Library on Thursday, January 30^th.  Goddard was one of a panel of experts brought together by Airport2Park.org to discuss how to raise funds to turn the airport into a park. Alternatively, according to Goddard, the income could be used to finance revenue bonds to pay for building the park.

“At present we are obliged to rent out airport buildings at below market cost as a result of restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1984,” Mr. Goddard told the meeting, “I estimate that when leases expire in 2015 and we can charge current rents for the buildings, rental revenue could increase by $6 million dollars annually which could be used to cover the costs of maintaining the park.”

Significant state and federal money could also be available to cover the costs of the park conversion if is designed and built as a regional resource, according to another panelist, Esther Feldman, President of Community Conservation Solutions, who has herself generated over $3 billion for parks across Southern California. “Cities increasingly need wild places,” she said, “where we let nature reclaim our over-organized environment. The Airport Great Park may be in Santa Monica, but if we promote it as an asset for the whole region like Griffith Park or The Presidio in San Francisco it could attract both California and national funds.”

Feldman continued: “We need oases of peace and beauty in our urban lives. Places where we look around us and see natural habitats, and feel our souls relax. Restoring the site of the airport to the way it was before Columbus could catch the imagination of people across the country. We need to think big.”

Both philanthropists and philanthropic organizations are also primed to give financial support to a park on the site of the old airport, said Neil Carrey, former Chair of the Recreation and Parks Commission, who said that non-profits and private foundations would attract many donors interesting in funding particular facilities in the park.

Sherrill Kushner, who chaired the successful campaign for the city’s library bond in 1998, gave practical advice on how to build a coalition to put through a bond for capital costs, and said she was confident such a bond could succeed.

Moderator Frank Gruber of Airport2Park pointed out that the biggest cost of a park had already been taken care of when the City of Santa Monica bought the land a century ago, and noted that one very low-cost model for converting a former airport into recreational space is Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport, where, once the airport was closed, the gates were opened and the public was allowed in to have fun on the former runways.

“Most of the green space on the Westside consists of private golf courses which ordinary people can’t use,” he told the meeting. “Turning the airport into a park will give us a park for everyone. And the message of tonight’s panel is that we can do it.”

Former Santa Monica Mayor Mike Feinstein chaired the event and told the audience that it was a significant milestone in the journey to reclaim the land now used by the airport. “This is an idea whose time has come,” he said. “I think tonight’s panel has proved that.”

Currently the City of Santa Monica is in litigation with the Federal Aviation Administration over the City’s right to control the airport land once a settlement agreement the City entered into with the FAA expires July 1, 2015. The City has sued the FAA to confirm the City’s right to then close the airport.

The panel discussion, open to the public and entitled “Airport2Park, an Investment for the Future”, took place Thursday evening, January 30^th, in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Auditorium, at the Santa Monica Main Library.

The panelists were:

Esther Feldman, President of Community Conservation Solutions, has a long history of pioneering new conservation initiatives that successfully address challenging environmental problems, and is adept at leveraging funds to ensure the longevity of the projects she directs. She is responsible for generating over $3 billion in public funds throughout Los Angeles County, California and the United States to protect parks, beaches, rivers and natural lands, and provide urban recreation facilities. The National Public Finance Program she launched at the Trust for Public Land has created $35 billion in new conservation funding nationwide. As President of Community Conservation Solutions (CCS), a non-profit organization that tackles the challenging problems created where people and nature intersect, Ms. Feldman conceived of and spearheaded the two-square mile Baldwin Hills Park Project in the heart of urban Los Angeles, launched wetland restoration efforts in Upper Newport Bay. She is leading a restoration project on the Los Angeles River, and has developed a metrics-driven ‘Green Solution’ tool to help decision-makers solve stormwater runoff and water supply problems and is working to develop regional funding solutions to implement runoff capture projects. Esther has a B.S. in Soil and Water Science from UC Davis, and is an avid outdoorswoman.

Neil Carrey was a Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner for more than 12 years and served as Chair or Vice-Chair for a number of years. Projects planned while he was a commissioner include the Virginia Avenue Park expansion, Airport Park, Euclid Park, the Annenberg Beach House, Tongva Park and the Universally Accessible Playground. Mr. Carrey is an attorney with the law firm of Baker Hostetler; among his areas of expertise are forming and representing nonprofit organizations and private foundations, and he has also sat on many nonprofit boards, often in an officer position. Mr. Carrey chaired the committees formed to campaign for three successful bond issues for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and has chaired many advisory committees for the district.

David Goddard, a 16-year resident of Santa Monica, is the Chair of the Santa Monica Airport Commission and has served as a Commissioner since 2011. He is a founding member of Airport2Park.Org and a member of Friends of Sunset Park. He has 30 years experience in the institutional financial services and real estate industry as both a chief operating officer and a chief financial officer.

Sherrill Kushner, 35-year-resident of Santa Monica, chaired the campaign for the city’s library bond in 1998 that passed with 81% of the vote to fund the building of a new main library and make improvements at the branches. She is also a board member of the Santa Monica Conservancy and Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, and works as an immigration law attorney.

Check out the following press report on the meeting:

Airport park backers talk money (Santa Monica Daily Press, Feb 6, 2014)

Video of the meeting is available here.

Last Thursday evening, Jan. 16, at the monthly meeting of the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission, Airport2Park presented the commission with a report on what we have been doing — and why. A2P had requested the chance to advise the commission, which will have a lead role in the public process that the City of Santa Monica will conduct for the planning of a park on the airport land, on what we were doing, and the commission and its staff had graciously agreed to hear from us.

The audio-visual presentation was prepared by a committee of A2P and delivered by Frank Gruber. It was very clear that the commission paid close attention. The presentation started with a reminder to the commission about how big Santa Monica’s parks deficit is — Santa Monica has 1.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents, when the standard is 10 acres.

We then gave the commission a summary of the history of the airport and of Santa Monica’s ongoing attempts to close it over the decades. The City is now suing the Federal Aviation Administration to confirm Santa Monica’s rights over the airport land, most of which it purchased with a parks bond in the 1920s.

We pointed out to the commission that from between 165 and 190 acres of the airport land could likely be turned into a park, which would more than double the 130 acres of parks that the city currently has.

After going over the events that A2P has hosted since its beginnings last summer, we shared with the commission preliminary findings from the surveys we have distributed asking people about what features and uses they would like to see in a park. These include water features, hiking and biking trails, sports fields and playgrounds, gardens and natural habitat; along with an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and plays, and cafes, and historical and educational facilities.

Finally we discussed the financial issues of building a park, and invited the commissioners to attend the panel discussion on financial issues that A2P is hosting at the Main Library Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. Our main point to make to the commission at this stage is that the most expensive single cost of the park — the cost of the land — has already been paid for and that it would be wrong to waste such a valuable public asset when it could be turned to a use the serves all.

The commissioners had several questions that indicated general support for building a park on the airport land, but on their agenda the item was, for them, informational only and they could not take any action.

We promised to keep the commission informed of our future activities.

Airport2Park, the coalition formed to turn Santa Monica Airport into a park, has announced its next event:  we will be bringing together experts on public finance and economics for a public panel discussion to explore how the park can be paid for.

“There’s an overwhelming demand from residents to replace the airport with a park,” said Frank Gruber of Airport2Park, “But some critics claim we can’t afford it, so we’re bringing together the most knowledgeable people we can find to take a hard look at the facts and clarify how we can make this once in a lifetime opportunity come to fruition.”

The panel discussion, open to the public and entitled “Airport2Park: an Investment for the Future,” will take place Thursday evening, January 30^th, in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Auditorium, at the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica. Doors will open at 6.30 and the program will begin at 7:00.

Topics will include capital and operating costs, park bonds and the availability of governmental grants, possibilities for philanthropic contributions, and the social and economic benefits of a park.

Background: On Oct. 31, 2013, the City of Santa Monica sued the Federal Aviation Administration to confirm the City’s right to close the airport after July 1, 2015, when a 1984 agreement with the FAA expires. Airport2Park.org was formed in summer 2013 to explore a positive vision for the future of the airport land.

So what is the deal about parks? Why are they needed? Why are they so valued and valuable? Is it because they enhance the quality of life; to sooth the mind or just to give us more space to breath? So what is a better time than now, to explore all the values and ways that parks can enhance our lives. So which is the most important? Is it public health? Environmental?  Clean air?  A reduction of global warming? How about the the ways parks contribute to education? What about the way that parks drive economies, or is it the way that parks contribute to community values and a sense of place?  Maybe it is ALL of these things!

Check out the video above by the Trust for Public Land www.tpl.org that for 40 years has been conserving land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places for generations to come.

We had perfect weather for the picnic in Clover park which was attended by a group of intrepid and playful park ‘visioners’, and led by internationally known urban planner James Rojas. Tarps were placed on the lawn for the creators, and another tarp contained our stash of building materials, thousands of small every day objects such as hair rollers, buttons, plastic bottle tops, game pieces and much more that were provided to promote creative thinking.

The first exercise tasked each participant to build a model of their favorite childhood memory, and then explain it to the group.  We each had twenty minutes to self-reflect and build by choosing from hundreds of small objects.  Clearly this was designed as an icebreaker, and after a few bewildered looks, the scene soon looked like a children’s play group as colorful, but to others unidentifiable, memories emerged.  We were given no constraints and quickly began choosing and assembling pieces.  Some went for a minimalist approach, others constructed complex scenes full of symbolism.

After ten minutes the flurry of activity slowed down as people became satisfied with their models. We began to talk and look around at the others dioramas created, pulling out our cell phones to take pictures of our masterpieces.  Shortly thereafter we were told to stop and the explanation phase began.

It turns out many of the participants were from the United Kingdom while others were natives of Santa Monica. We heard great stories of far off places, and local stories of places long gone.

• One woman’s memory was an Australian beach where her family went camping every year for Christmas and opened their presents.
• One man created a muddy Welsh beach where he and his friends would walk and get filthy.
• Another man created a forest near his school in England that was littered with WW2 trenches and pillboxes.
• One Santa Monica native created her walk to the beach and a place where she played volleyball.
• One man created the marshy Santa Monica ball field were he played with some Dodger greats.
• One man created an natural amphitheater in a Philadelphia park were he and his friends listened to free concerts.
• One woman spoke about her car trip through Chicago and the strange contrasts between ugly tall buildings and the neighborhoods.
• One man created a ditch covered by a door in a vacant lot were he would play, and at one point got trapped.
• One man created a tree where he would sit for shade and hear the airplanes from the local airport.
• One woman created a train where she went on trips with her dolls.
• One man created a ravine in a Pasadena Park where he played as child.

We all listened with enthusiasm to each other’s stories and once we had all finished, Mr. Rojas pointed out that nearly everyone’s favorite memory involved the outdoors in some way, and that clearly this is why nearby park and open un-developed space is so critical to a community.  It seems many of the participants had ‘free range’ childhoods allowing them to roam around and discover the wonders of nature.

Next the participants were placed in teams and asked to create their ideal park together. Participants pulled together their best ideas compromising and building off each others inputs. Another twenty minutes of team activity building larger more complex park models based on the airport layout followed.  Once completed each group presented their concepts to everyone else.

Lessons Learned

• People have an easier time building their ideal place rather than talking about it.
• Park and open un-structured land is a critical part of favorite childhood memories.
• Physically representing a park out of what is mostly junk, forces an abstract approach and avoids drowning in practical details.
• Park building through play provides a visual language and breaks down typical barriers such as language, age, etc.
• Hair rollers are not particularly useful building blocks for park building.
• Playing and building with a pile of toys and junk in a public park definitely attracts attention.

Airport2park would like to thank James Rojas for organizing and running this exercise.  Hopefully he will come back and do it again some time so that others, particularly kids can enjoy it like we did.

“Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport” Community Picnic this Sunday at noon!

We are looking forward to seeing all of you this Sunday Nov.2 at Noon in Clover Park for an Airport2Park Community Picnic and “Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport” a creative community engagement project facilitated urban planner James Rojas.  This is potluck so bring your own food, drinks, utensils and blankets for a chance to meet other people who are interested in transforming Santa Monica Airport into a grand park for all.

As you might have heard, the City of Santa Monica has filed a lawsuit against the FAA to resolve issues of control over the future use of the airport land. This is a major move by the city and if successful would move the city one step closer toward helping us realize our dream of a new park.

We will have lots to talk about for sure.

We will meet at 12:00pm, look for the Airport2Park banner and around 12:30pm we will have a few very brief words and then introduce you to James Rojas who will lead interested participants through a fun process that will help you envision what a park could be in order that we can further capture your ideas for what we can do here in Santa Monica to create a healthy, sustainable great park open for everyone.

So come get involved and enjoy a Sunday in the Park and don’t forget to set your clocks back!

See you all there!

The City of Santa Monica on Thursday issued the following statement to the press regarding the future of Santa Monica Airport. The statement is published here in full, unedited. (also see post on Santa Monica Mirror)

The City of Santa Monica has sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the City’s right to control future use of the Santa Monica Airport property, which the City has long owned.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, asks the court to declare that the City holds clear title to the land. And, it also challenges, as unconstitutional, the FAA’s claim that the City must continue to operate the Airport indefinitely, even after contracts establishing the City’s Airport obligations expire.

In 1984, the City and FAA entered into a Settlement Agreement with the FAA that obligates the City to operate the Airport until 2015.

In anticipation of the expiration of that contract, the City undertook a three-year Airport Visioning Process, intended to identify options for the Airport’s future.

Hundreds of community members participated in this three-phased process – the largest ever conducted by the City. In April of this year, the Council received a comprehensive report on the results.

After considering the report and conducting a lengthy public hearing, the City Council directed City staff to report back in March of 2014 for further public discussion and a decision about the future use of the Airport land.

Meanwhile, the Council also directed staff to continue to explore any and all possibilities for a voluntary agreement with the federal government that might modify Airport operations so as to significantly curtail adverse impacts on the community.

Since then, City representatives have continued to meet with FAA representatives in Washington.

City Manager Rod Gould explains, “We met in Washington many times, and conveyed community concerns and proposed possibilities for changes, including operational changes, that could significantly reduce many of the Airport’s adverse impacts. The FAA representatives were polite and respectful.  But, they were simply unwilling or unable to agree to any changes that could bring significant relief to Airport neighbors.  They believe that the City is legally obligated to continue operating the Airport as it now operates and to keep operating it forever because of the post-War transfers.”

The City has owned and operated the Airport since the 1920′s.

During World War II, the City leased it to the federal government for a nominal amount in support of the war effort.

During the War, the City and the federal government worked together to expand and improve the Airport; and, after the war, when the federal leases expired, the Airport was returned to the City through an Instrument of Transfer.

The federal government claims that the Instrument of Transfer obligates the City to operate the Airport “in perpetuity” (forever) or forfeit its ownership interest to the federal government.

The City disputes this claim based, in part, on the City’s near 100-year ownership of the Airport land, the fact that the Airport was merely leased (not sold), and constitutional guarantees that prohibit commandeering property without compensation and forcing local governments to perform the federal government’s work.

Speaking of the lawsuit, Santa Mayor Pam O’Connor said, “We need to get these legal questions answered. The community expects us to protect their health, safety and welfare.  And, of course, the community’s demands for relief from Airport impacts have only increased since last month’s terrible crash. We need the court to decide whether the City has control over its land so that, next year, we can make a decision about the Airport’s future.  Because this dispute is unique and incredibly important, the City Council directed the City Attorney and her staff to partner with the best outside legal team they could find.”

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The City has now posted the full details on the lawsuit here: http://www.smgov.net/Departments/CMO/content.aspx?id=44740

This action was recommended to the Council in 2012 by the airport commission (‘declaratory relief’) and CASMAT subsequently ran a supporting petition which received 1,687 signatures from the public – see here for details.  We would like to sincerely thank the City Council for taking this essential step.

The same action was also advocated by Frank Gruber (one of Airport2Park’s founders) in an October 2011 article entitled “Air Tactics”.

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Related news articles:

City files lawsuit regarding the airport (CASMAT, Oct 31, 2013) — CASMAT constantly updating this with later news links

City Hall Sues FAA Over Future of Santa Monica Airport (SM Lookout, Oct 31, 2013)

Santa Monica sues FAA to gain control of embattled city airport (LA Times, Oct 31, 2013)

Breaking news: City Hall sues FAA to gain control of SMO (SM Daily Press, Oct 31, 2013)

Santa Monica Sues Feds Over Control of City Airport (LA Weekly, Oct 31, 2013)

City To Challenge FAA In Court Over Future Control Of SMO (SM Mirror, Oct 31, 2013)

Airport2Park, the coalition formed to turn Santa Monica Airport into a park, has announced its next event: a potluck picnic in Clover Park (2600 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, adjacent to the airport, bring your own food, drinks and utensils), Sunday, November 3 from noon to 2 PM. The picnic will be a fun follow-up to Airport2Park’s first highly successful event, its October 3 workshop where 150 members of the public envisioned what it would mean to turn the airport into a great park

Picnickers will participate in a creative community engagement project facilitated by well-known urban planner James Rojas, who will conduct one of his signature model building workshops in which participants use interactive models and colorful and tactile objects – such as wood blocks, tiles, plastic game pieces and jewelry – to translate conceptual planning ideas into physical forms and free their imaginations. Mr. Rojas has used this playful technique with great success in 250 workshops around the country.

In Mr. Rojas’ words, “Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport will harness the power of the collective community imagination through creative community engagement planning. Residents, tourists, visitors – the public – will reflect on, explore, experiment, and ultimately build their image of Santa Monica Airport Park. My approach allows participants to self-reflect by investigating their environment around them by using their hands and minds. This creative method will turn the airport into a canvas where people build their image of it. Interactive planning creates a powerful tool to bring together all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in creating a vision for the future park.”

James Rojas holds an MA in City Planning and an MS in Architecture Studies from MIT. He works as a city and transportation planner, and is the founder of the Latino Urban Forum, a non-profit dedicated to increasing awareness of planning and design issues facing low-income Latinos. He has written and lectured extensively about how culture and immigration are transforming the American front yard and landscape, and, through Place It!, has organized an hundreds of on-site model installations and interactive workshops.

You can download a PDF of the flyer if you want to print it out and post some or hand them out.

Also see: Featured Event: The Clover Park Creative Community Engagement Project (SM Next, Oct 29, 2013)

Airport2Park walked today with the American Lung Association’s 2013 Fight for Air Walk.  What can be cleaner than creating a new grand park on the site of the Santa Monica Airport?  Airport2Park joined the American Lung Association in the fight for healthy lungs and healthy air in order to save lives today and keep America healthy tomorrow. Hundreds of people took part in this year’s walk from the 3rd Street Promenade and along Palisades Park to promote Santa Monica as a clean and healthy community.  City Council member’s Bob Holbrook and Assembly Member Richard Bloom were on hand to lend their support in the keynote speeches.  Airport2Park’s banner received high fives and honks from passing motorists with many coming up to us to hear about our plans and to sign up for our mailing list.  Event sponsors included the South Coast AQMD, the United Long Term Care Workers and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Airport2Park kickoff meeting and park design workshop on Thursday October 3 was attended by over 150 people, and the energy, creativity, and excitement shown by those attending was truly inspirational.  The highlight of the night was a talk by noted landscape architect Mark Rios surveying what has been done to transform other post-industrial relics around the world into vibrant and unique community parks (Mark’s talk begins at 20:42 in the Part 1 video below).  After the talk, people broke up into ten small working group tables, each of which marked up a large map of the airport to reflect the park ideas of the group participants.  The evening ended with each group presenting its thoughts and design ideas.

This was an hugely successful first meeting, and we are heartened by the enthusiasm showed by all who attended, as well as the many elected officials or their representatives who turned up to show their support.

This park is coming, you can feel the energy!

Watch the videos here and see for yourself…

A reminder that our Community-Vision Workshop is tonight!

Please join us for our first-ever Community-Vision workshop on the ideas for park use at Santa Monica Airport come the end of its lease agreement in 2015.

Community Vision Workshop
Date: Thursday , Oct. 3rd
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Where: Mount Olive Church – Ocean Park & 14th
Everyone is invited. Free to attend.
Refreshments will be served.

At the workshop noted landscape architect Mark Rios, who recently designed Grand Park in downtown L.A., will give a talk about other great parks around the world that have taken the place of airports and other previously industrial landscapes. Mark’s talk will be followed by breakout sessions where members of the public can share their ideas about what a park at the airport could be. We will also be discussing financing options for the park.

We hope to see you there!

— Airport2Park.org

Between 50 to 60 people including adults and kids went on the Airport2Park bike ride today.  After assembling in Clover Park next to the airport, the group set off on a lovely sunny day making a series of stops around the perimeter of the airport to listen to Michael Brodsky and Frank Gruber outline the history of the airport, the pollution and health issues it causes, its costs to the city and taxpayers, but best of all to envisage its future as a great park.

The ride was very well organized and safe, despite the large numbers on some busy roads.  Our thanks go to Santa Monica SPOKE members who organized and led the ride and volunteered to make sure the rest of us amateur bikers came to, and caused, no harm.  They have posted pictures of the ride here.

Highlights of the ride included the ‘visioning’ talk from the flight observation deck at the airport while the riders got a clear sense of the massive scale of the land and the incredible and unique potential it represents.  At Clover Park we witnessed literally hundreds of people using the park for various sporting and other uses and the stark contrast as we looked through the wire fence over the virtually deserted concrete wasteland that serves the few (maybe a few hundred a day compared to literally thousands per day at the adjacent Clover Park which is less than 1/10 the size).  Despite the need for numerous pauses in the talks due to the deafening noise of jets and other takeoffs, participants learned many useful facts.  For example the airport currently drains the City coffers to the tune of millions per year, and has been loosing money for decades.   Once again the speakers contrasted the City’s losses on well over 200 acres at the airport, with the sustainable bike center in downtown which occupies virtually no space, serves hundreds of people each day, and is a net revenue generator for the City (around $200,000 in the last 2 years).  Even the Big Blue Bus makes money for the City.  Not the airport however.

Perhaps my favorite funny moment was when we were all milling around the Centinela entrance to the airport listening to a description of the huge costs to the City of subsidizing the airport and its users in order to keep it running.  In the middle of the talk, we all had to part to allow one of the subsidized airport users, to enter through the gate in a magnificent blue brand new convertible Aston Martin DB-9 (a car who’s base price is around $200,000).  It was a hilarious moment much appreciated by those present, and it did much to underscore how ridiculous it is that the City continues to loose money keeping the airport open.

Time to build a great park.  It will be a net revenue plus to the City of between 5 and 12 million dollars annually compared to the airport.

Santa Monica SPOKE -

Sunday September 15th,
10am, Clover Park.

Meet at the southwest corner, next to the Santa Monica Airport fence.

Come for a short 4.5 mile ride around the perimeter of Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in order to see and learn about some of the current issues relating to this facility and hear about potential creative new uses for this property.  There are two short hills. Bring a lock, helmet and picnic if you like.

Ride hosts will make presentations, offer views & options for this space at different stops along the ride.

Michael Brodsky, Professor at Loyola Marymount University

Frank C. Gruber, Attorney and blogger at http://thehealthycitylocal.com