Well, it’s official: The proposed ballot initiative to allow housing at Santa Monica Airport will not be on the fall ballot, but a similar measure could appear on the 2028 ballot if supporters gather enough signatures. Any signatures gathered in the last several months will not count towards a future measure, even if the language of the measures is identical.
Despite the support of Unite Here! Local 11, the leadership of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, and other civic groups, the measure always faced a difficult road. In June, Next reported that supporters had given up on getting enough signatures, earning a rebuke from organizers, who said they were still committed to getting their proposal on the ballot, either this fall or in the future.
“The failure to come up with the needed signatures is not surprising. The community remains committed to the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project and the public process of creating a great park. The Draft Preferred Scenario is expected soon and will reflect the extensive community engagement that has already shaped the SMAC Project’s Draft Framework,” wrote the Great Park Coalition in a statement.
But yesterday was the deadline for signatures to be submitted for a measure to appear on this fall’s ballot. With no signatures submitted, it’s on to the 2028 ballot.
Specifically, the initiative was a proposal to redevelop a portion of the Santa Monica Airport site after its planned closure in 2028. The measure would have reserved roughly three-quarters of the property for parks and open space while allowing up to 3,000 permanently affordable homes on the remaining land, along with limited neighborhood-serving commercial uses.
The proposal quickly became one of the most consequential land-use debates in Santa Monica in decades. Supporters, including housing advocates, labor groups, faith leaders, and Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), argued that the airport site represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the city’s housing shortage while still creating a major regional park. They contended that dedicating a portion of the land to affordable housing would help ensure that teachers, service workers, seniors, and young families could continue to live in Santa Monica.
Opponents, including some longtime airport-closure activists, open-space advocates, and even some housing advocates, argued that the land should be preserved almost entirely for parks and recreation. Many saw the proposal as conflicting with the vision that had united voters during the campaign to close the airport.
Full Statement from Great Park Coalition
The failure to come up with the needed signatures is not surprising. The community remains committed to the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project and the public process of creating a great park. The Draft Preferred Scenario is expected soon and will reflect the extensive community engagement that has already shaped the SMAC Project’s Draft Framework. $10.5 million in state and county grant funding is already supporting the planning and pre-design work necessary to turn community vision into reality. This land was purchased with a parks bond in 1926. We have a responsibility to future generations to honor that original public investment by reclaiming the land for a great public park. Offering immersive natural landscapes, much-needed sports fields and courts, community gardens, walking and cycling paths, expanded tree canopy and habitat, and vibrant arts and cultural spaces that bring the community together, our Great Park will benefit the public for decades to come.
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