The Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday night to accept more than $10.5 million in state and county grants to advance planning and development of the future Great Park at the site of the Santa Monica Airport.
The funding includes a $10 million grant from California’s Proposition 4 Climate Bond program and a $499,149 Measure A Competitive Grant from the Los Angeles County Regional Parks and Open Space District.
According to city documents, the Measure A funding will support feasibility studies and pre-design work for the first 20 acres of the future park, helping move the project from long-range planning toward implementation. The much larger Proposition 4 grant will fund land restoration and environmental improvements as the city prepares for the airport’s closure at the end of 2028.
Supporters say the grants represent an important milestone for the project, which has been shaped through years of public engagement and planning.
“Tonight’s action shows that the great park is no longer just a vision, it’s becoming an investable reality,” said Patti Braun, a board member of the Santa Monica-Malibu PTA and the Great Park Coalition.
The Great Park Coalition also praised the city for successfully competing for the funding, noting that the grants will strengthen Santa Monica’s ability to secure additional state, federal, regional, and philanthropic investments in the future.
Plans for the Great Park include habitat restoration, expanded access to nature, recreational amenities, sports facilities, arts and cultural spaces, and environmental improvements designed to address extreme heat, improve stormwater management, and increase biodiversity.
The airport is scheduled to close on December 31, 2028.
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