Draft Safety Element Revisions Page 2-52 through 2-53
SMO was the center of legal and political disputes for many years until 2017, when the City entered into a consent decree with the FAA in 2017. Under the consent decree, the City is required to maintain continuous operation of the airport as an aviation facility and subject to certain federal laws and regulations until midnight December 31, 2028, after which the City has the indelible right to close the Airport, pending Council action. The anticipated closure after December 31, 2028 of SMO and the conversion of its lands to other uses, such as parks and open space, will require thoughtful and thorough consideration of the wide range of effects these changes will have on surrounding neighborhoods and infrastructure.
With 2028 approaching, the City is looking to past and current land use patterns, and future undertaking planning feasibility efforts to master plan new uses on the SMO property, focused on a “great park” three scenarios as directed by City Council on January 28, 2025. In determining a future for the Airport, a public process will be undertaken that engages the community in a discussion of the land’s potential to address the future needs of the community. In 2014, City residents voted and approved Measure LC, which established land use regulations for the Airport land where recreational, educational, and cultural uses are allowed and focuses the project on a “great park.” In addition, there are other internal and external pressures that will play a role in determining the site’s future, such as park space type and availability, library locations, senior centers, municipal facilities, other community needs, supportive uses, and improved integration and navigation of the Airport land into the neighborhood network.
The Airport currently provides storage facilities for the City’s emergency equipment and supplies and emergency aviation transport when necessary and feasible. The postclosure airport planning process will need to take into consideration the need to support the City’s emergency operations, such as emergency supply storage, communications control, and other emergency evacuation and response capabilities. The airport decommissioning planning process will require several measured steps to ensure that onsite and nearby land uses are not adversely affected by potential on-site contamination.
Among other considerations, issues that must be addressed include assessing the vulnerability of proposed uses to the legacy of prior and current uses and potential soil and groundwater conditions from past and current uses.