Century-old US airport to shut down to make way for taxpayer-funded park as critics push for housing

A California airdrome that has operated for much than 100 years is acceptable to adjacent — and not without controversy.

The 227-acre Santa Monica Airport tract is expected to beryllium converted into unfastened greenish space, sports areas and taste facilities, according to the metropolis of Santa Monica.

The metropolis precocious secured astir $500,000 successful backing to statesman readying the translation of astir 20 acres of the airdrome tract into parkland space, including trails, fittingness areas and different nationalist amenities, according to Los Angeles County documents.

TSA OFFICERS SKIP WORK AS PAYCHECKS STOP DURING SHUTDOWN, AIRPORTS FACE CHAOS NATIONWIDE

The airdrome is scheduled to adjacent Dec. 31, 2028.

The closure follows decades of ineligible disputes and pushback from section residents, the metropolis noted.

Santa Monica Airport is acceptable to adjacent connected Dec. 31, 2028, aft years of ineligible disputes and nationalist pushback.  (FG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

The airdrome has already operated nether strict limitations successful caller years, including restrictions connected late-night activity.

"Although arrivals are permitted 24 hours a day, pilots are requested to debar each operations betwixt 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday done Friday oregon until 8 a.m. connected weekends," the metropolis said.

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In 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the metropolis reached a colony that allows Santa Monica to adjacent the airdrome astatine the extremity of 2028 aft continuing operations done that date, the FAA said.

The statement besides allowed the metropolis to shorten the runway arsenic portion of efforts to bounds airdrome activity.

The airdrome successful Santa Monica already limits late-night flights, asking pilots to debar operating overnight contempt 24-hour arrivals. (iStock)

Once closed, the tract volition beryllium redeveloped into a large-scale nationalist space. 

Officials accidental the extremity is to make a destination that serves some residents and visitors — portion preserving unfastened abstraction successful a densely populated area.

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Community input has played a large relation successful shaping the proposal, with the metropolis hosting dozens of nationalist meetings and collecting thousands of survey responses.

The connection has sparked statement online. 

The metropolis precocious secured backing to statesman readying the conversion of astir 20 acres of the airdrome into parkland with trails, fittingness areas and different nationalist amenities. (iStock)

Residents took to the r/SantaMonica subreddit to dependable disconnected connected the decision.

Some residents voiced enactment for a ample park, pointing to the deficiency of akin greenish spaces successful Los Angeles.

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"Compared to different large cities, L.A. is lacking this benignant of curated municipality park," 1 idiosyncratic wrote successful a treatment astir the project.

"Having it beryllium a premix of high-density lodging and a parkland would beryllium great."

Others argued the onshore should beryllium utilized successful a antithetic way.

"We desperately request much housing," different commenter wrote, suggesting the tract could accommodate some a parkland and residential development.

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A 3rd commenter said, "Would emotion a amended mode to link to Ocean Park by ft oregon motorcycle without 23rd St. Having it beryllium a premix of high-density lodging and a parkland would beryllium great."

Yet different nonmigratory suggested it could beryllium utilized for "a half-dozen super-tall residential towers, with mixed commercialized and retail uses connected the archetypal fewer floors, and the remainder a ton of nationalist parkland abstraction with trails and motorcycle lanes and recreation fields."