Media outlets are beginning to report on the growing momentum and enthusiasm around the planned closure of the Santa Monica Airport and the opportunity to create a Great Park. Much of this recent reporting follows a press release from the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project team about the Draft Framework and the $500k of Measure A grant funding, awarded to Santa Monica to support early planning efforts.
This media coverage captures growing community excitement about the plans for our Great Park and what the 192-acre airport site can become.
From the start, the Great Park Coalition, our community members, advocates, and local leaders have been amplifying the progress toward the Great Park, and the media is now introducing that progress to a broader audience across the LA region. We wanted to share a few recent segments and a short film that help illustrate how this story is being covered and understood more widely.
First, a brief overview clip from KABC News captures the big picture:
Another outlet focuses on the scheduled closure of the airport at the end of 2028. KTLA’s coverage highlights that timeline and looks ahead to the transition of the site:
Watch the KTLA segment and read their coverage
Coverage from Mirror Media, featuring reporter Juliet Lemar, offers an early look at how our site could take shape. The scale of the 192-acre property comes into view, along with the range of possibilities being explored through the Draft Framework.
Watch the Westside report on Facebook or Instagram
Last, a new film by Gavin Scott and Kelvin Jones brings the Draft Framework into focus and centers the voices of community members and neighbors. They share what resonates with them about the future of the 192-acre airport site and speak to proposals that could continue aviation use or introduce housing in ways that would carve up our publicly owned land.
The short film captures both the excitement around expanded open space, nature, recreation, and gathering places in our park-poor region, and underscores the importance of ensuring that community priorities are fully realized. “Great Park at Risk” brings into focus the rare opportunity to create something truly special that will serve our community for generations, but warns that the park could be reduced or ultimately lost without continued pubic engagement and vigilance:
Great Park at Risk (Framework Film)
It should be noted that progress toward our Great Park is driven by the thoughtful work of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project team. Through the Draft Framework, they have created a structured approach that organizes and reflects years of community input. The Framework is distinctly rooted in this place, reflecting the history, character, and culture of our community, and its priorities.
As more people begin to understand the scale of what is possible, it becomes clear why every acre matters and why preserving the full site is so important to meeting Santa Monica’s present and future needs. This recent media coverage is helping to broaden that understanding across the LA region. With the Framework now publicly available and the first Measure A grant awarded for initial planning and design, the plan for our Great Park is moving from aspiration toward implementation.
The Great Park Coalition will continue advancing this work; we invite you to explore the Draft Framework, share your input, and be part of shaping what comes next.
