Santa Monica City Council
January 27, 2026

Parks and Recreation
Master Plan

CITY OF SANTA MONICA
MARCH 1997

CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Parks and Recreation
Master Plan
Table of Contents
Introduction .............. ........1
Recreational Themes .........5
Trends and Community Preferences ....................9
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space .................... 11 Master Plan Strategies-Recreational Programs ....................33 Financing and lmplementation .........47
Appendices
l. Existing Resources-Parks ........ .............. A-1 ll. Existing Resources-Recreation Programs ............ A-21 lll. Community Demographics A-27
lV. Recreational Trends A-29
V. Community Priorities............ ............. A-31
Acknowledgements
List of Tables

1. Existing and Proposed Parks ........ 11

2. Existing and Proposed Gardens, Greens and Habitat............... .......21

3. Existing and Proposed Public Cathering Places .............23

4. Existing and Proposed Creen Streets, pathways and Community Forest............................27

5. Continuum of Existing Sports/Recreation Programs ........35

6. Preliminary Phasing of improvements ..........50

7. Preliminary/Conceptual Estimate of lmprovement Costs .................55 B. Eras of Development........ ......... A-2

9. Existing Park Acreage ............ .... A-4

10. Public Schools ..... A-11

11. Existing Parks and Park Facilities ............ A-12

12. Comparison of Intensity of Use of Recreational Facilities .......... ................ A-24

13. Current Sports/League Participation ........ A-25

14. Potential Collaboration Partners ............. A-29

15. Community Priorities lmprovement or Expansion of Facilities ............ ....... A-36

16. Favorite Leisure Activities ...... A-37
Table of Contents
Introduction
This is Santa Monica's first Parks and
Recreation Master Plan and it is intended to
guide the improvement of the City's parks and
recreational facilities over the next twenty years.

The Master Plan is based upon the Open Space
Element, which was prepared simultaneously,
and it sets forth specific actions to help
implement Open Space objectives and policies.

The nature of recreation is changing in the United
States. It plays a much different role in American
life today than it did at the outset of the recreation
and parks movement in the mid-I800's. That was
a time of large scale industrial transformation in
cities and early park-building efforts focused on
the introduction of nature in urban settings. The
development of Central Park in New York was a
historic act, because it advanced the premise that
parks and recreation were for the working as well
as leisure classes. Early efforts in New York and
elsewhere resulted in the creation of municipal
parks and recreation commissions entrusted with
the responsibility to provide public parks in cities
throughout the country. These efforts established a
tradition ofinnovation and advocacy that set the
standard for parks and recreational master planning
in the U.S. today.

Over the past couple of decades, the U.S. has
experienced an explosion of interest in
recreation. There has been a tremendous srowth
lntroduction
in demand for recreation, even though - contrary
to the projections of sociologists - leisure time
does not appear to be increasing for the average
American. Major changes in the economy and
working world have brought about a redefinition
of recreation. Now, recreation is framed not so
much in terms of leisure past-times, but in terms
of meaningful experiences that contrast the
everyday environment of work and school, add
to personal skill and competency and heighten
an awareness of the larger community.

In this Master Plan, recreation is not conceived
in terms solely of sports. Rather, it embraces the
broad range of experiences that are undertaken
in leisure and which bring pleasure to the city's
residents. These include active recreation, as
well as walking, sitting, viewing art, participating in cultural events, experiencing nature, and visiting with friends and neighbors. In the most
fundamental sense, recreation within a town like
Santa Monica has to do with establishing ties
between people and building a sense of
community by creating opportunities for
physical, social and cultural interaction.

Since its inception as a city, Santa Monica has
had a strong recreational identity, tied to yearround outdoor activities. This Master Plan reinforces these activities by proposing
improvements to serve a broad range of
{l
;'i
Since its inception as a city, Santa Monica has had a strong recreational identity. Pictured above: Santa Monica Beach and the Arcadia Hotel at the turn of the century.
ffi;i";rq
Recreation and Parks Master PIan, March 1997
residents and a wide diversity of interests.

While the early investment in local recreation
was primarily aimed at promoting the City and
attracting new visitors and residents, this Master
Plan is oriented to the range of public
improvements which will add to the livability of
the City now and in the future.

Today, there is a host ofproviders ofrecreation
within the City - including not only public and
private organizations but also nonprofit entities,
and the schools. This Master Plan focuses on
the public realm, and the role which the City can
play in the provision of services and facilities,
on its own as well as in cooperation with other
entities. It focuses on activities that the City can
best support within the limitations of space and
budget. The emphasis is placed on activities
which serve the greatest number and best
represent the recreational priorities of residents.

In the future, there are likely to be fewer and
fewer opportunities for park expansion. Land is
at a premium today, making expansion of public
lands increasingly difficult. As a consequence,
it is likely that the recreational role of existing
facilities will need to broaden in the future.

Public parks and recreational areas will need to
become more flexible, with the capability of
accommodating multiple uses. Increased
efficiency in the programming and scheduling of
activities will also be emphasized. Shared
arrangements with the schools and nonprofit
recreational providers will be more commonplace.

Never before has the City embarked upon such
an ambitious effort to preserve and enhance its
parks and plan new facilities and programs. This
Master Plan sets forth a comprehensive program
of improvements that recognizes that change
itself is one of the more predictable characteristics of recreation in America.

The challenge of the Master Plan is to set forth a
long range vision for the provision ofparks and
Introduction
Muscle Beach, 1950s.
recreation within a flexible framework that can
be responsive to changes in technology, life style
and recreational preference. This framework is
physical in nature and relates to the structure of
the City and the location and distribution of
parks; it is also social in nature and relates to
the composition of the population and its
specific needs for recreation. Together, the
places for recreation and the activities which
they support comprise the fundamentals of a
park and recreation program for the future.

This Master Plan is organized to first summarize
themes, trends, and community priorities and
then present strategies for parks and open spaces
as well as recreational programs. The Master
Plan is followed by five appendices which
provide background on existing resources (both
parks and programs) and more fully elaborate
upon community demographics, recreational
trends and community priorities that form the
basis for this planning document.

Recreation and Parks Master Plan. March 1997
Recreational Themes
Santa Monica has a strong recreational identity
that comes from its urban traditions, warm and
sunny climate, beachfront setting and the
recreational preferences of its residents. In the
early years of the City, recreation was focused
almost exclusively at the beach and along the
water's edge. The shores of the City were
intensely used by beach-goers and swimmers,
who flocked by the thousands to spend their
days in leisure. The attraction, for most, was
sitting, strolling, viewing, relaxing and
socializing in the sun. The most popular active
sport was swimming and, in addition to the
beach, salt water pools and bathhouses were
built along the coast. Recreation at the beach
was promoted in the late 1800s to help market
the City as an attractive resort and residential
destination, in much the same way that suburban
communities today have invested in major sports
complexes on large expanses of land at the
urbanized edge.

Today, recreation in Santa Monica is not
dominated by a single activity or set of
activities to the degree it was in the past.

Rather. over time. the nature of recreation has
become increasingly complex, diverse and
specialized, appealing to specific segments of
the population. As land has become more
limited, new forms of recreation have come
into being. These are not derivatives of more
Recreational Themes
traditional games brought to the U.S. from the
British Isles, but rather more modern
inventions, uniquely urban and uniquely
American. Such newer sports as skating,
jogging, and skateboarding are not confined to
a playfield or park, but rather embrace the
entire City as a playground.

City as Park
In this Master Plan, the "city as park" is
advanced as a fundamental theme, having
major implications on the role of the street
environment to meet the recreational needs of
residents and visitors. This idea is not directed
solely to the new urban sports, but to the
oldest and most popular recreational activity
in Santa Monica - walking. The Master Plan
takes a strong stance toward the improvement
of streets to accommodate the large and
growing number of linear recreational pursuits
- walking, bicycling, jogging, in-line skating.

The plan recommends that all streets be
designed as "pedestrian-friendly" with a
balance between roadway, pathways and
landscaped areas. Specific streets would be
designated as primary linkages to parks in
order to make the experience of getting to the
park as enjoyable as the experience of being
there. Through the redesign of City streets,
the plan can advance opportunities for social
This Master Plan places emphasis on recapturing the beach-the City's most valuable natural resource. interaction, resulting in a friendly community
comprised of residents that know one another
and are comfortable spending time in the
spaces along a street.

Reclaiming Lost Space
There are a range of other public spaces that can
also be reclaimed for greater park and
recreational use in the City. Some of these, like
Goose Egg Park or the sequence of parks
planned in the Civic Center, are conceived as
"punctuation marks" adding interest and
complexity to the urban pattern. Others may
involve the use of "lost space" or underutilized
public lands for recreation, such as the nonaviation lands at the Municipal Airport, the Mt.

Olivette reservoir, Woodlawn Cemetery, surface
parking lots and portions of the City Yards. The
Master Plan advocates the broader recreational
use of underutilized public properties, with more
6 efficient configuration of land and new
recreational facilities sharing space with other
City functions, while not compromising these
other essential public services.

Recapturing the Beach
While the Master Plan looks to urban recreation
within the context of the City as a whole, at the
same time, it places an emphasis on the city's
most valuable natural recreational resource - the
beach. The beach has grown through accretion
over time. To better capitalize upon this
valuable resource the Master Plan proposes the
addition of grassy lawn areas that can be used
for field sports, picnic areas, children's
playground and sitting and viewing areas. In
addition, access improvements are proposed to
facilitate getting to the beach from inland areas.

Parks and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
A Central "Seam" of Recreation
The Master Plan also recognizes and builds on
the large concentration ofpublic land centrally
located within the City and organized around the
City Yards and Stewart Street Park in the eastern
part of the City; the Memorial Park and Olympic
corridor connecting to Woodlawn Cemetery,
Santa Monica College and John Adams Middle
School in the center of the City; and the Civic
Center, Santa Monica High School and Municipal
Pier at the beach. It focuses on the intensification
of recreational activities and expansion of park
lands within this public framework.

There are a number of pathways and green
streets proposed to tie together these three
focal points of recreational activity in the
City. A number of streets and transportation
corridors will be improved to better link the
City as a whole with these centrally located
recreational facilities.

Enhancing the Role of Schools as
Neighborhood Park Sites
For many years (and still today), the schools
played a major role in youth sports. Santa
Monica established a reputation for excellence
and achievement, with many Olympic Gold
Medalists graduating from Santa Monica
High. Track, field, football, baseball and
swimming are all sports that residents have
learned through their school experiences,
developing physical competencies as well as
social skills through working together as part
of a larger team.

Many of the city's recreational facilities are
located in schools. For instance, all of the
Santa Monica public swimming pools are
within a school setting as are all of the
running tracks and football fields. In
addition, more basketball courts (23 versus 16
in parks) and gymnasiums (5 versus 3 in
Recreational Themes
parks) are located in the schools; and more
than one-third of the community's soccer
fields and tennis courts are located on school
sites. Since more than 90Vo of the families in
Santa Monica send their children to public
schools, the schools have taken on a role as
important focal points within the school
community and its neighborhood. In
partnership with the School District and the
community, the Master Plan calls for a greater
use of schools both for active sports as well as
social and cultural gathering places, helping
to satisfy neighborhood recreational needs.

This Master Plan advances strategies which will enhance the role of schools and streets for recreational activity.

Parks and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
Trends and
Community Preterences
This chapter highlights key facts and findings
that are presented in greater depth in the
accompanying appendices and in the
separately bound Community Voices report
(February 1996). Much of the information in
this chapter is summarized from documents
prepared by the City of Santa Monica, in
particular, work undertaken in the first phase
of this planning effort, including surveys of
recreational preferences and needs.

Santa Monica is a fully developed community
that is not expected to change significantly in
population size in the future. Looking toward
the next twenty years in the life of the City,
projections indicate relatively little population
growth. Currently, there are 89,194 people
living in Santa Monica and the population is
anticipated to grow by 4,000 residents (or a
population of 93,400) by the year 2OlO.

Although the town is not expected to grow
significantly, the demand for recreation is expected
to continue to increase. The following are some of
the factors influencing increased demand:
. As traffic congestion and mobility continue
to worsen within the Los Angeles basin,
access to natural resources and open spaces
will become increasingly difficult. Santa
Monica will gain in desirability as a place
Trends and Community Preferences
for recreation, not only for residents, but for
tourists as well.

There is increasing recognition throughout
the country and in Santa Monica in
particular of the role that parks and
recreational facilities play in contributing to
the quality of life in cities. The amenity of
Santa Monica - its streets and open spaces -
add value to the community as a whole. The
City is gaining national acclaim as one of
the best places to walk in the Los Angeles
region - not only at the popular Third Street
Promenade and along the beach but also on
the city's tree-lined streets.

Participation in sports is continuing to
expand, as a result of the growing popularity
of certain sports such as soccer and the
increasing participation of young women in
all forms of recreation.

There is a heightened awareness of and
commitment to good health and physical
fitness, that has focused greater attention to
exercise and recreational activity.

Improved health and longevity is enabling
older residents to participate more fully in
sports once more closely tied to
younger people.

Recreation Preferences
The following summarizes the results of a
community outreach effort involving over
3,000 residents, and undertaken in the first
phase of the master planning process.

Parks and Open Space. Santa Monicans are
active and frequent users of the City's public open
spaces and parks--on average, 3out of4 residents
visit the City's parks almost twice a week. Ninetythree percent of households with children are park users. Parks which are most used by the
community as a whole include Palisades Park,
Lincoln Park, Clover Park and Douglas Park.

High school students indicate somewhat different
park preferences, generally favoring the more
active parks, specifically Clover and Memorial,
then Douglas, Lincoln and Marine Parks.

Favorite recreational pastimes: walking and bicycling.
10 TheThird Street Promenade, the beach and the
Pier are the most used open space areas for all
age groups. Nine out of ten Santa Monicans
visit these venues regularly.

Recreational Activities. Walking is the most
popular recreational activity of Santa Monica
residents. Other favorite past-times include
bicycling, shopping, eating out, running/jogging
and playing tennis. Youth reveal somewhat
different leisure time preferences--while high
school students also rate walking highly, they
show a strong involvement in more active
recreational activities, such as swimming,
playing basketball, bicycling and skating sports.

Leisure activities that promote opportunities for
social interaction are also popular amongst high
school students--the most popular leisure activity
among this age group was "hanging out"
followed by eating, socializing and shopping.

Younger children preferred visualized field sports
and the demand for more playing fields was clearly
articulated during the projects outreach.

Recreation Facilities.In a telephone survey of
residents, improving existing parks and facilities
was identified as the top priority. Developing
more pedestrian-oriented streets and open
spaces was second, followed by developing new
parks and open spaces, and fourth, developing
more plazas and public gathering places.

With respecto specific facilities, bicycle paths,
swimming pools, offleash dog areas and
children's play areas are the facilities most often
identified as needing expansion.

Recreation Programs. Santa Monica residents
are very supportive of developing or improving
recreation programs, particularly those for
children and youth. The most highly rated
programs for children and youth are structured
summer programs at parks, disability services,
swimming programs, and structured after school
programs at the schools. For adults, cultural
events topped the list, followed by programs for
individuals with disabilities.

Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
Master Plan StrategiesParks and Open Space
This Master Plan sets forth recommendations
that will significantly increase the opportunities
for recreation in Santa Monica. It calls for the
largest expansion of the park and recreational
system in the history of the city. In the next
decade or so, up to about 57 acres of park will
be added - which represents more than a fifty
percent increase of the parks inventory. Adding
in the proposed public gathering places and
gardens, greens and habitat areas would bring
the total park and recreationalands to a total of
slightly more than 64 acres. Finally, the existing
length of pathways and green streets in the city
is expanded to more than 19 miles. Along these
streets and elsewhere in the city will be planted
7,000 trees, planned to become a part of Santa
Monica's communitv forest.

Parks and Recreation Facilities
There are currently about I 13 acres in parks.

Proposal would increase the total by up to 57
acres (see Table 1).

Expand the Community Park System
lmplement the open spaces planned at the
Civic Center. As part of the Civic Center
Specific Plan, approximately 13.2 acres of
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
Table 1
Existing and Proposed Parks
Park
Subtotal Existing Park
Proposed Parks
Airport Nonaviation Lands
Virginia Avenue Park ExPansion
Civic Center'
School Parks3
New Parkland Acquisition4 -
Stewart Street Park Expansion'
Beach Parks"
Acres
Existing Parks
Existing Park r2.71
112.7

1.0-25.0

2.9 13.2-15.4

8.0 5.0

1.0 6.0
Subtotal Proposed Parks 31.1-s7.3
Total 143.8-1 70.0
Notes:

1. See Table 9, Existing Park Aireage.

2. Assumes 13.2 acres specified in the Civic Center
Specific Plan plus 1.7 acres associated with possible
relocation of the parking structure to Santa Monica
High School.

3. Acreage includes field area only.

4. fusumes purchase of five acres of land.

5. Assumes acceptable relocation of some city yard
facilities; the feasibility of this action is being
considered as part of the City Yards Master Plan.

6. Assumes two parks at 250'x 500' on Santa Monica
State Beach. While this expands field space, it does
not add open space acreage.
11 Water is an important feature of the Civic/Cultural Park. land are designated for park purposes. These
parks include:
. The Main Street Triangle (0.6 acres)
. The Arroyo (2.1 acres)
. City Hall Square (1.6 acres)
. Courthouse Lawn (1.6 acres)
. Main Street Circle (0.6 acres)
. Civic/Cultural Park (6 acres)
. Village Green (0.7 acres)
Consideration should also be given to fuither
expansion ofthepark acreage to include nearly
two additional acres of land at the site of a
proposed parking structure, which could be
relocated across the street, occupying a site at
Santa Monica High School under the existing track
and field (which would be rebuilt in its existing
1)
location). Further study would be required to
determine the feasibility of expanding park use and
building parking on an adjacent site.

Build two North Beach greens. North of the
Municipal Pier, the beach is much wider than it
is to the south, with the sand extending several
hundred feet from the Pacific Coast Highway to
the water's edge. This area is less used than the
South Beach area, because there are fewer parks
and it is relatively isolated from the surrounding
City by the bluff and fast-moving traffic on the
Pacific Coast Highway. To better utilize this
area, two new beach parks, each approximately
three acres in size, are proposed, extending the
character and more inviting scale of South
Beach into the broad open areas to the north.

Improvements to the Beach Parks would
Park and Recreation Master Plan , March 1997
generally consist of new lawn areas that can be
used for informal field games, kite flying,
children's play, picnicking and a wide range of
activities. The new parks would further provide
another destination for bicyclists, joggers and
skaters on the Beach Trail. Implementation of
this recommendation would require
continuation of the long-term lease with the
State and would be undertaken along with
improvements to the pedestrian bridges over
Pacific Coast Highway to make the facilities
more accessible to local residents.

Develop new recreational facilities within
the nonaviation lands at the Municipal
Airport. Up to 25 acres of land are proposed for
new recreational functions on lands identified as
surplus to aviation purposes at the Airport.

Because of the site location at the southerly
limits of the city with limited access from
surrounding streets, it is not envisioned that this
new recreational complex would be oriented to
neighborhood use or pedestrian access, but
rather would serve citywide recreational needs,
in particular for new field sports. The study is
currently underway and altematives are
currently being examined; however, at the very
least, a recreational pathway is proposed which
would extend through the site, providing
facilities for walking, jogging, and cycling
within a well-landscaped setting. At the other
extreme, the most extensive alternative includes
the development of 5 new sports fields as well as
multiuse paved areas for court games, skating,
events and parking, and a l-ll2 acre off-leash
dog park with a jogging loop and programmable
indoor recreationaVcommunity spaces and
children's play areas.

Develop school parks at up to five locations
within the city. Given the key role that the
schools play in the life of families within the city
and their cenffal location within neighborhoods, it
is recommended that the school park concept be
implemented, focusing on five school sites within
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
the city. This concept should involve the
development of new fields on the school sites as
well as public gathering places (in front entry
areas), and would also potentially open up ce(ain
buildings to a broader community use in
afterschool hours. Essentially, the improvements
would result in a significant "greening" of each of
the campuses through the conversion of paved
areas into fields. In exchange for making available
their sites and facilities, the City and School
District would negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement with the City paying costs of
improvements as well as the added costs of
operations and maintenance.

Proposed Beach Park
North of Santa Monica Pier
t3
Existing Conditions
Proposed lmprovements
Replace portion of asphalt play area
wiih multipurpose pliyfi elds
Prototypical School/Park
Virginia Avenue Park and Expansion Area at Cloverfield
and Pico Boulevard.

Expand Virginia Avenue Park. A 2.9-acre site
at the intersection of Pico and Cloverheld is
being developed for recreational use, thus
expanding Virginia Avenue Park and providing
an opportunity for new facilities that will better
serve the surrounding community. The design
process is about to begin for this site and will
more specifically identify the recreational
program for the site, including the potential for
the continuation of the farmer's market use in
conjunction with a community outreach effort.

Expand Stewart Street Park. Stewart Street
Park is adjacento city-owned property at the
City Yards, and in fact, was originally a part of
this facility. To make the park more usable and
visible, the park should be enlarged by about 1.5
acres, if city functions can be consolidated or
relocated elsewhere. A City Yards Master Plan
process is currently underway and this proposal
is being evaluated in that context.

Convert street ends to park use. When the
freeway was built over the city grid, it
fragmented existing streets and made remnants
of blocks. It is recommended that these
fragmented streets be reclaimed for more
effective recreational and park use. On the south
side of the freeway, the street ends are somewhat
longer and are surrounded by residential uses.

On the north side, along the freeway the street
ends could expand the recreational opportunities
for urban sports associated with the recreational
pathway improvements. In both places, the
streets would be closed off, allowing only local
access as required.

Acquire new parkland. Acquisition of property
for parks would be undertaken as funds are
available or as opportunities allow, consistent
with the objectives and policies set forth in the
Open Space Element. Priority would be placed
upon centrally located parcels, which are
accessible by the broadest cross section of
residents. In particular, sites adjacento
t4
Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
Slope
igseaBgr
Santa Monica Freeway
c6
c)
'o- U
E
.
^
It
rll IVI
lil
Itl f
o
6 .99
-c
z
l,tl
ltl
lAr It
lll
North of Freewav Street Ends
. Community C'ardens
. Basketball Courts
. Skating Facility
Slope
Converted Street Ends
existing parks or schools would be desirable in
order to capitalize upon existing resources and
broaden recreational opportunities.

The acquisition of private property for new
parklands is very costly in a community such as
Santa Monica, where land values are among the
highest in the region. Currently, there is very
little vacant land within the city, and available
parcels are generally small - less than 10,000
square feet in size. Acquisition should be
targeted to larger parcels or towards the
assembly of larger properties. Sites in excess of
one acre and adjoined on at least two sides by
streets would increase functionality as well as
accessibility. New parks should be further
targeted for multiple use, not for the exclusive
use of a single recreational activity.

Reinvest in Existing Parks
Maintenance and Security
lmplement an ongoing parks facility
maintenance and repair program that ensures
the highest standard of care of parks and
recreation facilities. For many years, parks and
open spaces in Santa Monica have suffered from
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
deferred maintenance and from intensive use.

Recently public funds have been committed to a
program of improvement. The City is also
developing a long term maintenance program for
all of its public facilities, including parks and
recreation buildings. The current years Capital
Development Program reflects this commitment.

Replace restrooms and concessions in
existing parks. All of the public restrooms
within city parks are in serious need of
maintenance and repair. The concession stands
are also in need of repair. It is proposed that a
replacement program be established and
implemented. One possibility would be to
surround the restrooms in the larger parks with
concessions, creating a "presence" that could be
a deterrent to vandalism as well as provide a
possible source of revenue to help pay for
ongoing maintenance. Another possible
approach would be to consider the strategy used
in public spaces in San Francisco - which is to
contract with a private entify to build freestanding,
state-of-the-ar1 restrooms with a guaranteed high
level of maintenance funded through a negotiated
agreement to provide a specified number of
advertisements kiosks throughout the city.
t5
Looking north accross the Santa Monica Freeway to Memorial Park.

Enhance park lighting and signage to
increase user safety and access. Pedestrianscale lighting and signage are necessary not only to add to a sense of security and safety, but also
to allow for evening use of the parks. All parks
should be evaluated to ensure that park edges
and pathway lighting is adequate to increase
user safety. Signage should be used for
orientation to the parks system within the City.
lncrease the presence of park-based staff
teams in community and neighborhood park.

Successful experiences at Lincoln, Memorial
and Mrginia Avenue Parks indicate that the
presence of staff in the parks enhances the park
experience for all users. Park-based teams
become more invested in the condition and
programming of the park and the park staff
become a valuable source of "information and
referral" forpark users. This plan proposes an
16 incremental expansion of these teams to other
parks (for example, Joslyn Park).

Create an ongoing and systematic play
equipment inspection and repair program.

This plan proposes the maintenance of children's
play equipment at the highest standard of care.

Specialized training will be instituted for park
personnel and procedures developed for park users
to identify safety problems; response time
standards will be developed.
lmplement a comprehensive Turf Management Program to ensure a high level of field maintenance and renovation Fields should
on average be allowed to be taken out of
recreational use one year out of every four (or
three months out of every year). With an
increased field inventory, this plan proposes a
comprehensive program to achieve this standard.

Park and Recreation Master PIan . March 1997
Continue and expand field monitoring and
field scheduling. Develop computer system to
assist in the assignment of fields and to better
track maintenance requirements based on actual
field usage. Also, provide additional staffing as
required to assist in the task of assigning fields
during peak periods.

Park Revitalization
I mplement proposed improvements to
Douglas Park. There are a number of
improvements proposed for Douglas Park,
including restoration of the ponds and
watercourses, replacement of the irrigation
system and renovation of the play area and park
pathways which are slated to begin in the
coming year. Given its significance in the park
system, this should be a top renovation priority.
lmplement the improvements to Palisades
Park and South Beach parks. Planned
improvements as set forth by the Beach
Improvements Group (BIG) project should be
implemented as adopted by the City.

Lincoln Park Edge lmprovemenfs. Improvements to the edge of Lincoln Park along Wilshire Boulevard should include expansion of landscaped
areas to create a more open and welcoming
appearance along this major boulevard.

Develop a system of interpretative signage at
Palisades, Douglas and Lincoln parks. These
parks are the oldest parks within the City.

Signage and interpretative materials which
describe the histories of these parks and their
changes over time, consistent with changes in
recreational use in the City, should be
implemented to provide the community with a
larger understanding of their role in the
evolution of the communitv.

Park Redefinition
Redefine the role of Memorial Park. Memorial
Park does not currently live up to its potential as
a central focal point of park activities within the
City. It is necessary to consider the redefinition
and expansion of its role to better serve the
community and be more accessible by pathway
improvements in both the east/west and north/
south directions.

Redefine the role of Joslyn Park. Joslyn Park
is one of the hilltop parks developed along the
Ocean Park ridge. Over time, buildings and
structures have been constructed that obstruct
views and diminish a sense of place. A master
plan for this park would look to building upon
its intrinsic value as a hilltop setting, with scenic
views and with special recreational opportunities
for families and neighbors along the slope.

Redefine the role of Crescent Bav and Pacific
Street Parks. When a perrnanent location for
the dog park is identified (on nonaviation lands
at the airport or elsewhere) and this activity is
relocated from its temporary site at Pacific
Street Park, a defined neighborhood role should
be considered for this location. This could be
contemplative in nature or include more active
recreation. Crescent Bay Park should be
considered for staging small or informal cultural
events tied to activities at the beach.

Views of the City from Joslyn Park
Master PIan Strategies-Parks and Open Space 't7
lmprove and Expand Sports and
Recreation Facilities
Aquatics
Develop a new competitive and instructional
pool complex at the site of the Municipal
Pool. Ttre Municipal Pool was built nearly fifty
years ago and is currently in serious need of
repair and reconstruction. Located within Santa
Monica College, generally on axis with lTth
Street, the pool is owned by the City of Santa
Monica and is used for summer swim lessons as
well as by swim teams. Building a new 50-
meter pool at Santa Monica College would
provide an opportunity to share the significant
costs of development as well as ongoing
maintenance and operations.

It is recommended that the existing two pools -
the 25-yard by 33-meter pool and adjacent 35 by
60-foot diving pool - be demolished, and within
the existing site, a new 5O-meter (by 25-yard)
pool and instructional pool (approximately
2,000 square feet) be developed with added
bleachers and new pool building (including new
lockers, showers, and other support facilities).

Develop a new recreational pool in one of
the centrally located parks within the city. It
is recommended that a new community pool be
built along with associated lockers, showers and
support facilities. This park-based pool would
be an outdoor facility, and potentially could be
built with children's water play areas and
sculpture garden. It is envisioned as one of the
most exciting new additions to the complement
of community-oriented recreational facil ities -
the first aquatics facility to be built outside a
school setting within the city. Suggested sites
have included Memorial Park. the civic center or
the Pico/Cloverfield site.

Foster collaborative programming of all
commun ity-based pools. Collaborative
programming of all existing community pools
should be undertaken to ensure maximum access
by the community..

Children's Play Areas
Create children's play area that emphasize ageappropriate play opportunities and a range of p I ay expe ri ences. This plan proposes immediate
renovation of play areas at Douglas, Marine,
Clover Park
T8
Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997
renovations should include input from children
and parents and may include a public artist on
the design team, promoting these areas as active
and creative focal points of Santa Monica's
parks. A long-range plan for all park play area
renovations is recommended.

Field Sports
Develop additional playing fields in existing
park sites. Through reconfiguration of existing
park sites, a more efficient use of field space can
be achieved and additional ballfields placed,
with minimal overlays on other fields. New
ballfields are proposed at Clover, Los Amigos,
and at John Adams Middle School, contingent
upon School District approval.

Add playing fields at new community sites.

At the nonaviation land at the Municipal Airport
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
Recreational facilities in the Citv.
and on school sites, a number of possible new
fields have been identified. A total of four to
nine new fields could be accommodated at
existing school sites and at the Municipal
Airport, which could be shared-use or singlepurpose facilities. The additional fields would help satisfy the existing need for periodic
"resting" of turf. The overall increase in the
field inventory would allow for the expansion of
soccer, baseball, softball, flag football, rugby,
field hockey, and other such sports.

Skating
Develop a youth skating program at rotating
sites throughout the community. In a joint
effort with the Boys and Girls Club, a skating
facility is proposed accommodating roller
hockey and skateboarding, in roving locations
throughout the City.
19 Use South Beach parking lot areas for offseason roller hockey. Roller hockey is proposed within one of the beach parking lots in
the South Beach area during off-seasons.

Improvements include bollards and simple
pavement repair.

Court Games
Replace basketball courts in specific parks.

A number of basketball courts have been
identified within the City as in need of repair
and replacement. These include courts within
Clover, Joslyn, Ocean View and Marine Parks.

Build additional new courts throughout the
City. Alrhough locations have not yet been
identified, these may be well placed at the
beach, along the "street ends," in Pacific Street
Park, and in new neighborhood parks. In
addition, tennis and basketball could be
incorporated on rooftops over public parking
structures if and when they are built.

Build one new City gym. Currently there are
three gymnasiums in the City parks, and there is
a need for one additional facility to be located in
a centrally situated park. Expansion of the
Police Activities League (PAL) gym should be
considered in the parks master planning process.

Miles Playhouse at Lincoln Park
20 Off-Leash Dog Areas
Relocate the dog park from Pacific Street
Park to a permanent site. A potential
permanent location for the off-leash dog parks
has been identified at the Municipal Airport, at
the easterly edge of the property. Off-leash dog
facilities would be greatly expanded from .42
acres at Pacific Street Park to about one and a
half acres.

Enliven Parks and Open Spaces with
Cultural Facilities and Communitv Centers
Renovate Miles Playhouse.A hig; priority for
early action is renovation of Miles Playhouse at
Lincoln Park. This structure was damaged in
the earthquake and should be immediately
repaired and made operable again.

Construct cultural facilities identified in the
Civic Center Specific Plan. The Civic Center
Specific Plan calls for 55,000 square feet of new
cultural/community uses to be located on the
east side of Main Street. These uses should be
implemented and integrated with potential new
park lands at these sites.

Develop open air performance spaces in park
settings. As part of the landscape improvements
within existing and proposed parks, it is
recommended that consideration be given to the
location of open air performance spaces for
outdoor musical and theatrical events of a small
and informal nature, with stages and backdrops
built into the natural landscape of the parks. These
do not necessarily need to be permanent
installations, but spaces reserved with appropriate
support facilities to enable both performance and
viewing. Although specific locations would need
further study, it would appear that locations in the
grassy lawn adjacent to the Miles Playhouse in the
planned Civic Center parks adjacent to the Civic
Auditorium, adjacent to Bergamot Station or at
Crescent Bay Park, might be appropriate.

Park and Recreation Master PIan , March 1997
Renovate and expand park-based community
centers. Many of the existing community
centers were built in the early 1960s and are in
need of renovation, modemization and
expansion to better serve current needs. It is
proposed that improvements to existing facilities
be undertaken along with a programming effort
to determine how well they currently meet
neighborhood and community needs.

Evaluate future demand for new community
centers in collaboration with other community service providers. New community facilities are currently planned within the Civic
Center area and by several nonprofit providers in
the City. Future demand for community
facilities in the Civic Center and other areas of
the city should be identified as part of a demand
analysis and in conjunction with community
service providers. One goal in this effort should
be to site a community facility with a spring
wood floor, an essential amenity for popular
dance programs and classes.

Gardens, Greens and Habitats
There are currently about 34 acres in gardens,
greens and habitats, which would be increased
by the following actions to a total 39 acres (see
Table2).

Realize the Full Potential of Nonpark Open
Spaces to Support Gardens and Greens
Open Mt. Olivette to public use and scenic
enjoyment Mt. Olivette reservoir is a cityowned water reservoir site which is located below grade and is capped and covered with
open lawn. The reservoir consists of slightly
more than 2 acres of land atop a high ridge in a
residential neighborhood overlooking Los
Angeles. While it provides visual and scenic
value for passersby, it could be enhanced for
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
Table 2
Existing and Proposed
Cardens, Greens and Habitat
location Acres
Existing Gardens, Creens and Habitat
Main Street Community Carden
Park Drive Community Carden
Civic Center Demonstration Carden
Ocean Park Blvd. Demonstration Cardens
Mt. Olivette Reservoir
Woodlawn Cemetery

0.5 0.3

0.6 2.4

30.0 Su btotal Exi sti ng Carde n s,
Creens and Habitat
Proposed Cardens, Greens and Habitat
Riparian Wash Restoration
23rd Street Nature Carden
Street End Parks
s3.B

0.3 3.0

2.O
Subtotal Proposed Cardens,
Creens and Habitat

5.3 Total 39.1
Mt. Olivette Reservoir
Woodlawn Cemetery
even greater public enjoyment if the fences were
removed and seating provided.

Open views to the Woodlawn Cemetery.

The Woodlawn Cemetery is a 3O-acre Cityowned site that comprises part of the public properties extending from Santa Monica College
and John Adams Middle School all the way to
Memorial Park north of the freeway. As an
important part of this composition, the cemetery
affords an opportunity for open space continuity
and for recreational experiences of a scenic and
contemplative nature. Proposed for the
cemetery are the removal of portions of the
fence, in order to provide better views into the
cemetery, and the addition of benches and tall
trees to heighten the visual prominence of the
cemetery within the City.
lntegrate publicly accessible greens into the
design of renovated or new public facilities
fronting on City streets. There are a number of
new or renovated public facilities planned within
the community, including the Main Library
expansion, Madison School fronting Santa
Monica Boulevard, affordable housing projects,
and improvements to the Transportation Yard on
Colorado. All of these facilities should
incorporate a green or public commons area that
is accessible for use as a place for visual
enjoyment and when feasible, social gathering.

Expand Community Gardens. Additional
community gardens are proposed at the street
ends, adding up to one acre of additionaland
for this purpose. With three additional sites for
community gardens, the target set forth in the
Sustainability City Program would be met.
22 Park and Recreation Master Plan . March 1997
Celebrate the Natural Environment by
Establishing Demonstration Cardens
and Habitats
Create a Riparian Wash adjacento Marine
Park. To the east of Marine Park is an open
drainage - basically, a storm drain that has
"daylighted" before it drops into a culvert
beneath the Penmar Golf Course. It is
recommended that this drainage be restored and
become a part of Marine Park, with interpretative exhibits related to the natural environment underlying the city. This proposal would
involve coordination with regional as well local
stormwater and flood control officials.

Establish a special nature garden on the 23rd
Street Slope at the Municipal Airport. A
three-acre parcel of undeveloped slope adjacent
at the Municipal Airport (adjacent to 23rd
Street) should be developed as an enclosed
natural area for native plantings and butterflies.

Stabilize and restore Palisades bluffs.

Contingent upon federal funding, this plan
proposes the preservation and stabilization of
this important natural area and the introduction
of appropriate plantings to preserve its role as
the City's only significant plant life habitat.

Public Gathering Places
Create New Neighborhood Gathering Places
As illustrated in Table 3, the plan would add
two acres to the existing ten acres in public
gathering places.

Convert public areas in the Sunset Park
neighborhood to create a Campus Promenade. At the entry to John Adams Middle School, there is approximately one acre of
grassy flat lawn that is used on occasion as a
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
Marine Park Riparian Wash
Table 3
Existing and Proposed
Public Gathering Places
Cathering Place Acres
Existing Public Gathering Places
Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica Pier

2.4 8.5
Subtotal Existing Public Cathering Places
Proposed Public Gathering Places
Campus Promenade*
'10.9

2.O
Subtotal Proposed Public Cathering Places 2.O
Total
*lncludes Pearl Street plus the northwest corner
of John Adams Middle School, contingent upon
collaborative planning with the college and
school district.

12.9 23
Right-of-Way
Pearl Street at Santa Monica College - Existing
and Vehicular Access
100' Right-of-Way
Proposed lmprovements
Contingent on provision of additional parking elsewhere at Santa Monica College Proposed Campus Promenade
24 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
Existing Conditions
Pearl Street at Santa Monica College
place for family gatherings, picnics, and
informal or impromptu games. The restructuring of this green area with the possible addition of pathways, lighting, children's play equipment
and benches could establish a more meaningful
role for passive recreation and public gatherings.

Such improvements could help to satisfy the need
for parks and open space within this intensely
developed area of the Sunset Park neighborhood.

It is also recommended that the Pearl Street be
narrowed adjacent to the College to create a
Campus Promenade linked to the larger public
gathering space at John Adams Middle School.

This action would be contingent on the provision
of additional parking to serve college needs and
collaborative planning between the City, School
District, College and neighborhood residents.

Design the expansion of Virginia Avenue
Park at Pico and Cloverfield boulevards to
promote neighborhood gatherings and
events. The design process and community
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space
Proposed lmprovements
Contingent on expanded parking at college
involvement effort for this site is about to beein
and will more specifically identify the
recreational program for the site, including the
potential for the continuation of the farmer's
market at the site.

Green Streets, Pathways and the
Community Forest
There are approximately 8.2 miles of green
streets and pathways in Santa Monica; the
following proposals add 13 miles and 7,000
trees to the community forest (Thble 4).

Develop a Comprehensive System of Green
Streets and Recreational Pathways
Make all streets pedestrian friendly. All of the
streets within the city should be improved to
make them more pedestrian friendly through a
dedication of a more significant area within the
25 Carriageway
80'
Righrof-Way
Typical City Street - Existing
Carriageway
BO'
Proposed Pathway
Proposed lmprovements
right-of-way to landscape improvements. Very
often on local streets, ten feet or more can be
taken out of the roadway dimension without
reducing traffic lanes or taking away parking.

While the specific locations for street
improvements need to be considered, this
Master Plan calls for the improvement of ten
linear miles of "green" streets.

Develop a Recreational Pathway along the
MTA Corridor. The MTA corridor is located
within the Olympic corridor and extends along
residual rail lines from the City of Los Angeles
to Memorial Park. It is owned by the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is
planned as a light rail linkage into Santa
Monica, which is a long-range future project. In
the interim, it presents opportunities for
recreational use, in particular, for linear
recreation. The continuity of the easement is
particularly well suited for walking, jogging,
skating and cycling, and improvements are
recommended for the corridor which enable
these recreational activities without diminishing
the future potential of the corridor for transit. It
is recommended that a pathway be built along
the corridor within an allee of tall trees. such as
Table 4
Existing and Proposed
Green Streets, Pathways
and Community Forest
Creen Street, Pathway,
Community Forest Miles
Existing Creen Streets,
Pathways and Community Forest
Beach Promenade and Bike Path
San Vicente Boulevard
Olympic Boulevard
Fourth Street
Communitv Forest

4.2 2.0

1.5 0.5
28,500 trees
Subtotal Existing Creen Streets,
Pathways and Community Forest
Proposed Green Streets,
Pathways and Community Forest
Pathways
Street Medians and Parkways
Expanded Community Forest

8.2 miles
28,5O0 trees

3.0 10.0
7,000 trees
Subtotal Proposed
Creen Streets, Pathways
and Communitv Forest
'13.0 miles
7,000 trees
Total 21.2 miles
35,000 trees
la'1.

Pe0estrian Fath Rieht-of-W
Width Varies
Proposed MTA Corridor
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space 27
60'Carriageway
74'
Right-of-Way
Typical Freeway Bridge - Existing
Proposed lmprovements
Carriageway
74'
Right-of-Way
Proposed Freeway Bridge
2B Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997
poplars, to give greater amenity and visual
integrity to the corridor.

Establ ish recreational pathways extending
across the city in both an east-west and a
north-south direction. Pedestrian and bicycle
improvementshould be made in off-street
locations extending through the city in both
directions. The best candidates for a Class I
(separated) bikeway would be those streets that
have excess width in their carriageway, long
lengths of unbroken curb, and connections to
major parks and recreational facilities.

Establish a recreational pathway at the
southerly boundary of the city. Along the
southerly edge of Dewey Street is an unimproved section of roadway, about 30 feet wide, which extends from Marine Park to 23rd Street
adjacent to the Penmar Golf Course. Half of the
corridor is within the jurisdiction of the City of
Los Angeles and half is within the jurisdiction of
the City of Santa Monica. This area should be
improved as a recreational pathway which
connects to a multiuse pathway on nonaviation
lands at the Airport, as well as to Clover Park
along 23rd Street. As part of the Nonaviation
Lands Study, the ability to locate a traffic signal
at Dewey and 23rd is being investigated to
facilitate crossing the rapidly moving trafficway.

The pathway on Dewey should also connect to a
north/south pathway, which would link this area
to Memorial Park.

Prepare a master plan for selected citywide
streetscape i mprovements. Certain streets
within the city are identified as playing a far
broader recreational and open space role.

Although this plan attempts to identify how each
street could be redefined, it is preliminary in
nature, and further investigations along with
traffic engineering and impact evaluation will be
necessary prior to final decisions regarding
street improvements. Therefore, a streetscape
Residences Sidewalk Bikeway
Proposed Pathway at Southern Edge
(Existi
Right-of-Way
Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space 29
.1 Et,il ,=-. =={.! ,.t- 'i; ;i-6i**
Crossing Street
Existing Street Intersection
Carriageway
B0'
Righrof-Way
Carriageway
80'
amd Raised ' Pedestrian Zone
Right-of-Way
Proposed lntersection
Proposed Recreational Pathway Intersection
Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
Existing Conditions Proposed lmprovements
Enhance pedestrian bridges from Palisades
Park over Pacific Coast Highway to improve
access to the beach. Currently, the pedestrian
bridges are in disrepair and need improvement
to create more attractive linkages to the beach.

Improved lighting, fencing and stairway
improvements are included in this plan.

Expand the Santa Monica Beach Trail and
Promenade to reduce user conflicfs. The
Beach Trail has been extremely successful in
attracting pedestrians, skaters and bicyclists to
and along the beach. However, there is now the
need to expand the Beach Tiail through widening
or separated paths to reduce conflicts between the
Pier and Bay Street. The City recently received
County funding to supporthis project.

Prototypical Greenway Street Intersection
master plan should be prepared that implements
the broader recommendations for improvement of
ce(ain streets, including 10 miles of local street
narrowing, to implementhe City's goal for
additional recreational pathways in the future.
lmprove freeway bridges. Three bridges, at
l lth, 14th and 17th Streets, are proposed for
landscape and pathway lighting to invite
pedestrian travel in an area dominated by
vehicular traffic at present. Pathway lighting,
landscaping, public art and banners would
provide a more inviting and intimate experience
traversing Santa Monica's notorious "divide"
(the freeway) and present a visually appealing
experience for motorists and bicyclists as well.

It is proposed that parking be removed from the
bridges and that the streets be narrowed to create
a more pedestrian scale similar to the Civic
Center Bridge.

Master Plan Strategies-Parks and Open Space 3l
Enhance Santa Monica's Community Forest
lmplement an aggressive tree planting program
on City streets and in public open spaces. A
tree planting program is proposed as an essential
component in enhancing the community forest.

Currently, there are over 28,000 trees in Santa
Monica's community forest, and it is recommended that 7,000 new trees be planted in streets and public areas over the next 20 years. With the
planting of 350 trees per year, this would exceed
the goal contained in the City's Sustainable City
Program of 350 additional trees by the year 2000.

The majority of these trees would be placed in
streets (both along the existing curb and in
expandedparkways); however, some would be
used within parking lots and public properties
(such as Memorial Park). Aportion would also be
used as necessary for replacement of aging trees
within the community forest.

Develop a freeway forest. An intensive tree
planting effort should be undertaken along the 3
32 miles of freeway throughouthe City, not only to
add to the amenity and air quality of the City,
but also to help visually mend the urban fabric
through landscape improvements. Tree planti n g
would need to be undertaken with Caltrans
approval and cooperation.

Develop and implement a comprehensive
Commu n ity Forest Management Program.

With the hiring of the City's first Community
Forester, the City will develop a comprehensive
program for the care and enhancement of the
Community Forest.

Promote the involvement of community
residents in caring for the Community
Forest. Through urban forester and
community education programs and events,
the City will work in partnership with
residents, neighborhood organizations,
schools and businesses. Model programs,
such as the gardening angels program in Santa
Monica's schools, should be extended.

Park and Recreation Master Plan . March 1997
Master Plan StrategiesRecreation Programs
As with the physical parks and open space
system, this Master Plan also proposes a number
of strategies that will guide future decisions
regarding recreation programming. These
program actions respond to the results of the
Plan's extensive community outreach process,
in-depth planning by the City's recreation
program staff members, as well as trends that
have been observed in Santa Monica and the
recreation industry as a whole.

The City will play three primary roles in the
development and delivery of recreation
programs in Santa Monica:

Catalyst. For many years, Santa Monica has
supported local community-based nonprofits
and service providers, particularly in the human
services area. The support given by the City
serves as an "incubator" for programs or
community activities that otherwise may not
take place. This role should be extended to
recreation programs as well.

Facilitator. A majority of the physical resources
for recreation in Santa Monica are owned and
operated by the City. Consequently, most of the
major recreation organizations in the community
depend on the City to provide the fields,
program space and specialized facilities where
activities can take place. The City should play a
major role in coordinating and facilitating the
activities and events sponsored by numerous
community interests.

Coordinator and lnformation Manager. The
City coordinates, assesses needs, and promotes
collaboration between local organizations.

While no single entity can manage the entire
spectrum of recreational activities in a community,
the City should act as a clearinghouse and
information manaser in recreational matters.

Overall Recreation
Programming Concepts
All future City recreation program initiatives
should be based on four major concepts:

Promoting lnclusion. The City should foster a
"climate of inclusion" in all recreation programs.

Inclusion, and the desire to reach all residents,
emerged as a major theme through the community
participation process. Expanded awareness
through current publications and additional media
and increased participation through the removal of
physical and financial barriers must be fostered to
serve all Santa Monica residents.

Master PI an Strategies-Recreation Programs ??
Partnership and Collaboration. Given the
tremendous demand for limited recreational
facilities in Santa Monica, pooling resources and
working in collaboration with other local
recreational providers must play an important
role in satisfying unmet community demand.

Potential collaborative partners have been
identified along with the recommended program
actions, and are summarized in Table 11 in
Appendix 2. Collaboration may take the form
of program partnerships, facility sharing
arrangements, joint marketing strategies, and
other unified initiatives. This type of cooperation has additional benefits as well, as it clarifies niches, better integrates future plans, and
eliminates duplicative programming.

Providing a Continuum of Service. The
plan calls for community programming that
results in a lifelong "path" for individuals to
follow in recreational pursuits. For example,
a person interested in swimming should be
able to transition easily from learn-to-swim
programs at an early age to youth recreation
or competitive aquatics, then to adult fitness
and senior swim programs. Many recreation
activities, particularly tennis, swimming,
dance, general fitness, walking and biking,
cross all age groups, and program planning
needs to take this into consideration. The
current continuum of recreation programs is
summarized in Table 5.

Evaluation, Planni ng and I mprovement.

The plan recommends the continual review of
programs for appropriateness, quality, and
relevance to community needs. In this regard,
user surveys are an important tool, and will
continue to be used on an annual basis in
programmatic decisionmaking to identify
unmet need, duplication, and opportunities for
innovation. Staff training and communication
with other recreation organizations and the
public must also continue to improve through
ongoing review and evaluation. Identification
and accommodation of special needs, such as
the needs of persons with disabilities, must
also occur.

Recreation Program Strategies
This Master Plan proposes a number of actions
that will guide future decisions regarding
recreation programming. These program actions
respond to the results of the community
outreach process as well as trends that have been
observed in Santa Monica and the recreation
industry as a whole. The program options are
grouped into five broad areas that correspond to
the nature of the program audience. Overall
program access strategies are also included.

These five broad areas for recreation programs
are as follows:
34 Community Sports and Recreation
Programs- sports and sports-related
activities for all ages;
Community Programs-nonsports-related
programs, including educational, arts and
cultural programs;
Children, Teen and Family Programsprograms to strengthen families and youth; Recreation and Parks Master Plan. March 1997
Table 5
Continuum of Existing Sports/Recreation Programs
Aerobics PAL
Santa Monica Hish School
Badminton PAL
Santa Moniiu Hiel-, iihool
Baseball Wgmells Qq99!ql I A99ocia1io1
Sqltq Mo1!9a liltle lgqgue
Wg9!9 1n,Yo_qt h Qg1ebz{ |
PAL
Basketball
Bgryq qqd C_irts C!ltb
PAL
City Youth Spqlt_s
Santa Monica Q"jlgg"
St. Monica's
We st s! delp.e g tql Qly.pLc s
!e4qa{gqe" H isb sql-'eq!
YWCA - Cirls
Basketball Coed YMCA
Chabad House
Basketball Women's Citv of Santa Monica
BasketballMen's Citv of Santa Monica
Bowling
Westside
PAL
PAL
Cross Countrv Santalvlqqicar H igh Schoo I
lMl-Qell-eee
St. Monica's
Dance Class
H i5I!!!i EEiPSR$E
9?5"idsld.o
O\OOTFFFa{\O
PAL
Dod PAL
Exercise Class
Football - Flag
Football - Touch
Foursquare
YWCA
PAL
PAL
PAL
St. Jvlonica's
Santa Monica H
Chabad House
Citv Youth
Santa Monica Hieh School
Q4y Yo!{L'lsorll
and Cirls Club
Master Plan Strategies-Recreation Programs 35
Table 5
Continuum of Existing Sports/Recreation Programs
Golf
ial O
Cymnastics/Tumbling
Handball
ln line
Hocke
Karate PAL
Kickball and Cirls Club
Citv Youth
Paddle Tennis YMCA
First United Methodist
?b
;
;:
(\c
9(!
\O(Y)
N\.o
aqa
-.LLL
s383.33 tlttc/>
o0, ;;--:=R
k.) cO F ^:. .:. A
O\OOTFFF
Play
Rustic lelD/on Co-El
Children's Place
PAL
PAL
lliards PAL
Westside
YMCA
Downhill Westside
Soccer SMC Collegq ,--
_ctty_]oqblpi4!
St. Monica's
Bovs and Girls Club
!eqs-l4e!Eq ttebjgheo I
Westside
SmallTable Games PAL
Softball B,glpy lox
City Youth Sports
!ql!q r"lorycg _Hjgh -9!!9o-l
St. Monica's
SoftballCoed Citv of Santa Monica
Santa Jr4onica College
Westside Special OlymPics
Softball Men's Citv of Santa Monica
SoftballWomen's Citv of Santa Monica
T-Ball Citv Youth
Swimming
36 _ic_{Q
Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
Table 5
Continuum of Existing Sports/Recreation programs
YMCA
Santa Monica College
Sgnla Monlqq High School
Westside Special Otympics
Montessori Ctr. For Children - SM
Tennis l_e1ni9 Pa{qq9 oi 9M (Tqe1s)
Clqy Yo_u_th Spol_ts_
&!!e l,!q!rcq letullqb
!4ta Mqq1ge !:ligh lshopl
Sqlta !l91iqq Cqllqge
litf of Santa Monii-u
Westside Specigi OaFpi;a
PAL
Track & Field $ 1Ylonica's
YMCA
Cily_Y_9_g1t'lpe4sSanta Monica Col!gge
Santa Monica High School
Westside
Volleyball
YMCA
Citv Youthllpq4s
St. Monica's
yre{s,delpeq3 l !ly11p_!s:

PAL
V Coed Citv of Santa Monica
w Santa Monica Hieh School
g g E H H fi frS f;trg rr;+q{q 9?T"i\oor\oea
E
O\.oOTFFF(\I\O
Wei ghtl ifti n g/Tra i n i n g q4L
Santa Monica Hieh School
Wrestling PAL
Santa Monica Hi
Master Plan Strategies-Recreation Programs 37
. Programs for Persons with Disabilities-a
range of programs for individuals with
special needs; and
. Senior Programs-opportunities to promote
the well being of older Santa Monicans.

Community Sports and Recreation
Ensure that all Santa Monica residentsyoung and old-have an opportunity to participate in a continuum of noncompetitive
and competitive activities that will enhance
valuable leisure time.
. Develop a continuum of recreational
activities that includes informal and formal
skill development,eam and individual
opportunities, and traditional and nontraditional sports.

Develop comprehensive walking programs
for all ages, including walking clubs, mall
walking programs, and historical, cultural,
scenic and nature walks.

Develop neighborhood-based sports events
that involve the entire family and neighbors.

Develop collaborative skating programs,
events and trips to meet the increasing
demand for this emerging sport.

Develop an intramural sports program for
high school students.

Expand high school sports clubs to include
activities during the summer, spring and
holiday breaks.

Increase opportunities for adult sports
participation by allotting priority registration
to Santa Monica residents.

Aquatics
Provide a year-round affordable aquatics
program for youth and adults of all ability
levels that maximizes public facility use and
complements existing commercial and
nonprofit programs.

Conduct a comprehensive youth lesson
program that provides necessary skills
training to make Santa Monica children ages
2-17 years old water safe, and instill a
lifelong enjoyment of aquatics programs.

Provide ample opportunities for all ages to
have nonstructured recreational swim and
water play activities.

Provide graduated levels of challenging
competitive-based aquatics programs for
youth and adults to compare and improve
their skill levels.
3B Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
. Provide opportunities for swim instruction
to promote fitness and health maintenance
for all age groups.

Beach Sports
Develop a comprehensive approach to
recreational opportunities at Santa Monica
State Beach in coordination with capital
i mprovements and enhanced faci I ities.
. Coordinate programming with other service
providers at specific activity areas, including
Muscle Beach.
. Provide, or facilitate in conjunction with
other providers, beach sport programs such
as adult volleyball tournaments, youth beach
volleyball training, and soccer.
. Formalize protocols for skating and
bicycling, and provide written guidelines to
visitors and residents for skating, bicycling
and walking on the bike path and pedestrian
promenade. Facilitate the provision of
bicycle and skate maintenance and
instructional clinics with the beach
concession operator.
. Provide scheduling and program supporto
the planned roller hockey area.
. Monitor interest in beach sports such as
soccer, frisbee and kayaking, and identify
providers for onetime events or pilot
programs to test demand.

Sports Program Administration
Ensure that recreation providers will have an
ongoing mechanism for planning and
coordinating sports programs, and for sharing
physical resources.
#$wi Ii ;F"*.o'
. Develop a mission statement with guiding
principles for allocation of physical
resources, and establish an administrative
component to communicate the standards
and criteria to current and potential
organizations utilizing facility space.

Establish an ongoing mechanism for space
usage and fees.

Review the City's field reservation system to
ensure that it allows long-term permit
groups that reflect the diversity of Santa
Monica with respect to gender, ethnicity,
socioeconomic levels and ase.

Ensure time-appropriate scheduling
especially for children and seniors as new
facilities become available.

Develop an annual coaches orientation and
training event for all long-term permit
groups to improve coaching skills.

Partner with the City's Information Systems
Division to maintain access to the most
current computer technology for space
allocation and fees.
l: r:;* *ifrflil
Master Pl an Strategies-Recreation Programs 39
Evaluate existing facilities at Memorial, Los
Amigos, Stewart and Marine Parks, and
conduct a needs assessment for new
concession staffing and programming at
other locations; evaluate the use of
concessions carts in selected parks.

Provide opportunities for youth to be hired
and to learn important skills as employees at
the concession facilities.

Field Maintenance
Work with City departments, schools, and
field user groups to establish field maintenance guidelines. . Expand the City's field monitoring system to
ensure that the fields are being used properly
and as permitted.
. Develop a permit system for large groups
using nonfield park space.

Recreation Support Services
and Concessions
Provide opportunities for community and
City groups to increase revenues and
provide employment opportun ities through
park concessions.
40 Community Programs
Classes
Provide a diverse and eclectic mix of community
cl asses th at co m p I e ments exi sti n g e d u cati onal and nonprofit programs and addresses the
changing needs of the community.
. Refine the City's niche with regard to
community programming, and work with
other program providers to avoid duplication
of services.
. Introduce new classes that respond to
community and specific neighborhood
interests, such as walking groups, roller
skating, and fitness instruction. Target
increased programming in the Pico
neighborhood based on stated neighborhood interests.

Nature Programs
Provide programs that are directly related to
Santa Mon i ca's natu ral envi ronment.
. Offer or encouragenvironmental and
nature education programs for Santa Monica
residents, such as oceanography at the
beach, ecology at the proposed Marine Park
riparian wash, "Day Naturalist" and
Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
"Overnight Science" programs at Temescal
Canyon, and community-based programs
such as the Wilderness Flyfisher's "Trout in
the Classroom" program.

Develop and offer camping opportunities for
all ages at sites outside the City, such as the
Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area.

Expand community gardening activities with
periodic "opsn house" events featuring music,
food and/or temporary art installations.

Cultural Programs
Enhance and expand current cultural
offerings in the City.
. In public places, include more frequent
performing arts, open air concerts, poetry
and prose readings, performance art,
festivals and parades, and public art
installations (both temporary and permanent), including murals, visual art in community places, and chalk painting.

Establish a program of small-scale, intimate
cultural events throughout the year at city
parks and open space areas.

Create art and cultural programs that focus
on specific neighborhoods and populations,
such as seniors, families and youth.

Develop a citywide biennial art exhibition
for Santa Monica-based artists.

Provide opportunities for dance performances and instruction at facilities with proposed or existing sprung wood floors.

Explore the creation of a Santa Monica
playwrights' festival.
. Coordinate enhanced cultural offerings in
the City with the Santa Monica Arts
Education Foundation Proiect curriculum.

Programs for Children, Teens and Families
Ensure that every Santa Monica child has a
support network enabling them to become
a contributing and responsible member of
the communitv.

Collaborate with schools, businesses and
City departments to offer academic support,
including homework, tutoring, enrichment
and educational opportunities. Encourage
neighborhood residents and other adults to
act as role models to all children.

Recruit adults from the community and
adults who work in the City to serve as
mentors and friends to children and youth.

Master Pl an Strategies-Recreation Programs
Ensure that Santa Monica families have a
variety of program options to help them
prepare children for later social and
edu cati on al experi ences.
. Increase quality early child development
progmms in the parks and recreational
facilities. Create a park-based program for
infants and toddlers designed to enrich parentcaregiver/infant interactions that will enhance movement and sensory development.

Create family nights at parks and recreational facilities in order for parents/ caregivers (grandparents) and children to
come together.

Create new classes at the parks or facilities
for parents/caregivers tojoin together and
learn effective strategies to nurture their very
young children's self esteem or discuss other
child development issues. Establish
oppornrnities for high school youth to carry
out educational/enrichment opportunities for
children whose parents/caregivers are
attending the classes.

Develop a Low-Cost/Free Monthly
Children's Performing Arts Series in the
local parks/recreational centers with plays
and performances for young children 3-8
years old.
. Develop a Parents' Night Out for parents of
children ages 3-8 years to enjoy a Friday
evening out while their children enjoy arts
and crafts, games, cooking, movies, and
story time.
. Develop an intergenerational story telling
program for children ages 3-5 years.
. Create a Grandparents'Day. This day would
be for children 3-8 years old to spend time
with their grandparent or "adopted
grandparent" ata local park, nature center,
or other local venue.

Ensure that youth in Santa Monica learn lifeenhancing skills to help them make responsible recreation and leisure time
choices for the rest of their lives.
. Promote more diverse recreational
opportunities to support young people
between the ages of 1 1-14 years and 15-18
years. Expand recreational and cultural arts
programs for high school youth after school
and in the evening at the high school and/or
parks and recreational facilities. These
programs be planned by teens and will
include more varied and noncompetitive
programs such as, but not limited to, an
enhanced theater arts program, intramural
sport leagues, wilderness adventures,
camping, and frisbee leagues.
42 Develop a "Friday Night Live" program for
teens 14-19 years old to play basketball, use
computers, or participate in other formal
activities at a park and recreational center
community center and/or PAL program.

Expand the City's volunteer program or
other citywide community service programs
in order for youth (aged9-17 years) to get
more opportunities for firsthand experience
in the field of recreation.

Recreation and Parks Master PIan. March 1997
Coordinate programs on an ongoing basis Programming for Persons with Disabilities that will improve outcomes for young people
and their families. Ensure that individuals with disabilities are integrated into all City-supported programs
. Establish a teen advisory council that will based on reasonable accommodation needs. allow young people from a cross section
of the community an opportunity for . Develop a City interdepartmental team to:
ongoing involvement and to develop
leadership skills. The teen advisory o Establish a broad City mission statement council could be an arm of the Recreation with resard to accessibilitv. and Parks Commission with a formal
connection to the Board of Education. . Review the design of recreation facilities and parks for accessibility.
. Create a mini-grant program to assist young
people in developing youth-designed . Review City programs for inclusion. programs and community service projects.
o Research, gather, and provide
' Provide opportunities for youth to learn information to the community regarding important work skills as employees in fields programs that are available to such as recreation and education. individuals of all ases with disabilities. . Establish a youth "What's Up?" phone line . Develop a recreation and parks staff training staffed by youth to provide information on manual and plan for ongoing staff training youth events, support services, recreation regarding ADA compliance, disability programs, and volunteer opportunities for 7- information and awareness, accoffrrnodations, 18 year olds. Provide information about the adaptive equipment and communiry resources. phone line on the City's web page. Coordinate with other groups to implement a Staff Trainins Events Schedule/Calendar.
. Foster the development of a Youth
Opportunities Fund to provide youth with . Design and implement a volunteer "buddy" the financial resources needed to create and program based on model programs. Include participate in recreational, cultural and individuals with disabilities as well as youth educational opportunities that otherwise from school programs in the program might not be affordable. Involve youth development and implementation. organizations, such as the teen advisory
council, in the administration of these funds . Provide targeted programs for various d i sabi I ity popu I ati on s.
. Create a safe place for teens to informally
"hang out" that would be planned by teens . Develop a Program Development (within appropriate boundaries) and carried Committee, including individuals with out through a public-private partnership. disabilities, parents of youth with disabilities, members of organizations that
provide services for individuals with
disabilities. and Citv staff.

Master PIan Strategies-Recreation Programs 4J
. Conduct a survey regarding requests for
specialized classes, and research
specialized classes provided by other
entities and organizations.
. Plan and coordinate at least one specialized
sports clinic and at least one specialized
class based on findings of the community
outreach process. Such clinics or classes
might include: field sports, aquatics,
boating, fishing programs; and "Artist in
Residence" grant programs.

Seniors Programs
Coordinate and expand programs to promote
the physical, social, cultural and mental well
being and independence of seniors.
. Provide programming for seniors to
receive proper nutrition and related
nutrition education.
. Coordinate an accessible transportation
system that allows seniors to participate in
community programs.
. Coordinate programming to promote the
physical well being of seniors, such as
walking, swimming, aerobics, health
education and health screeninss.

Coordinate programming to promote the
mental health/well being of seniors, such as
rap (discussion) groups and peer counseling.
. Provide recreational opportunitiesuch as
dance, music, crafts, games and sports,
excursions and special events.
. Coordinate basic and unique types of
therapeutic recreation programming with
other community organizations in
conjunction with disability programming
goals and objectives.
. Develop opportunities for seniors to
participate in continuing education.
. Develop programs addressing key
"transitions," such as retirement, decreased
mobility, sensory losses, memory loss and
financial planning.
. Provide intergenerational programming and
opportunities to interact with children/youth.

Provide opportunities for seniors to obtain
leadership roles within the community.
. Provide opportunities for seniors to
volunteer their services throughouthe
community. Coordinate with other
volunteer programs.
. Provide formalized opportunities for seniors
to participate in the community in an
advisory capacity through involvement with
boards and commissions.
. Provide opportunities for seniors to obtain
employment within City government and
City-funded agencies.
44 Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
Community Access
lmprove communication between the City
and the public in order to provide notification of all City and other community recreation program offerings to the widest
audience possible.
. Promote the use of bilingual community
information materials to ensure the
broadest outreach.
. Install information kiosks at Santa Monica
Senior Center and the Santa Monica Pier.

Develop a parks signage program for
recreation information stations within the
City's parks.

Improve utilization of existing kiosks at the
Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica
Master Pl an Strategies-Recreation Programs
Library through the exploration of electronic
media, including PEN (Public Elecfonic
Network) listings and interactive digital media,
and more extensive City recreation program
information and promotional involvement.

Create a "Recreation and Leisure Programs
Page" on the City's web site for distribution
of all program information.

Use school district distribution vehicles for
dissemination of City program information
(e.g., PTA newsletters, elementary school
"weekly envelopes," etc.).

Establish an integrated information service to
promote recreation programs and services.

The information services mav include:
r Newsletters for specific populations
and audiences.
45 +o
Expanded and enhanced Seascape,
fl yers, pamphlets, informational
directories, videos, press releases and
street banners.

City "highlights" within other local
publications with reciprocal arrangements.
. "Cultural Visitor ltineraries" showcasins
the City's arts and cultural assets in
visitor guides to the City.

Work closely with City TV to promote
recreation programs and activities.

Explore other information dissemination
vehicles, such as slide promotions at Santa
Monica cinemas and the use of neighborhood./business district mailins lists.

Ensure accessible and responsive community
programs, classes and events.
. Promote and expand the City's scholarship
program to include all eligible residents,
regardless of age, tied to a strategy for
increasing revenue to supporthis program.

Devise a checklist to be used in program and
event planning stages to ensure accessibility
for persons with disabilities.

Foster a "climate of inclusion" to increase
participation by Santa Monica's culturally
diverse population.

Employ a multidisciplinary team approach to
ensure that a variety ofperspectives are
represented in programmatic decisionmaking.

Identify, target and develop marketing plans
for special audiences, such as families and
persons with disabilities, tailoring
programming to meet specific needs.

Ensure opportunities for participation by Santa
Monica-based artists in program development.

Coordinate with other City departments and
community organizations on collaborative
themes, linking programs and classes with
special events, exhibitions, and other
community-wide initiatives.

The implementation of these program strategies
will require the collaborative efforts of the City
and the rich array of community-based providers.

It will require the identification of the necessary
funding whether generated through participant
fees, special grants, City support or communiry
fund-raising. It represents the City's first
"blueprint" for the advancement of creative and
responsive recreational programming and will
serve as the basis for continued refinement and
important emerging community partnerships.

Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
Financing and lmplementation
This chapter presents project consultant recommendations for financing principles, capital and operating costs associated with the proposed
facilities and improvements, potential revenue
sources, and the elements of the financing
strategy for the Santa Monica Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Strategies will be refined by the City in the context of short and long-term
budget processes.

Financing Principles
The following sets forth financing principles
regarding future funding forparks and
recreation facilities.

Adequate revenues should be provided to
cover ongoing operations and maintenance
costs and asset replacement costs of new
facilities. While some of the proposed facilities
are not expected to generate additional operating
costs for the City, many proposed new facilities
will result in an increase in the parks and open
space operations and maintenancexpenditures.

Sufficient enhancementso the parks and open
space operating budget will be required from
future increases in General Fund revenues or
from a Community Facilities District (CFD) to
cover these additional annual operations costs.

F i nanci ng and I mplementation
Dedicated sources of funds should be used
where possible to offset the costs of new
facilities. The Beach Fund is largely selffinancing through the collection of parking revenues from the beach parking lots and from
beach concession revenues and rentals. This
fund may occasionally generate additional
funds, which could be used to finance the
construction and maintenance of new beach
parks and trails.

Funding sources should equitably share the
burden among all park and recreation facility
users. Everyone who lives and works in and
visits the City of Santa Monica benefits from the
amenities offered by the parks, beaches, and
various recreational facilities. Therefore,
funding used to implement the Master Plan
should come from all users of parks and
recreation facilities to the extent possible.

External funding sources should be
maximized wherever possible. The City has
historically been successful in securing
supplemental Community Development Block
Grants Earthquake Repair (CDBG) and County
Safe Neighborhoods Park Act (Proposition A)
allocations for recreational and park facilities.

The list ofproposed projects described in the
Master Plan can be used to seek external
funding sources, such as competitive grants
47 from state and federal resource agencies, and
private foundations and nonprofit groups.

Future state bond measures for parks and open
space may also present funding opportunities for
currently unfunded facilities identified in this
Master Plan.

The most cost-efficient methods of service
delivery should be used. The City is currently
preparing a review of park maintenance
operations, which will recommend strategies for
optimal delivery of park maintenance services.

The City should seek and maximize
opportunities for facility sharing and joint
operations of recreation facilities. The City,
the School District, and the College have several
opportunities to share existing facilities and to
gain greater use by converting paved areas to
playing fields. The City should continue to look
for such opportunities and seek agreements on
cost sharing for maintenance and operations of
these facilities where possible.

User fees should be increased to recover a
larger percentage of recreational program
costs. The City has recently begun to increase
the level of cost recovery for recreation
programs. Proposed increases in recreation user
fees will enable the City to reduce the net cost of
programs while still maintaining a policy of
providing affordable and accessible programs.

Existing revenue sources should be
maintained where possible. In order to assure
continued levels of service and to maintain and
improve the existing quality of facilities, the
City should maintain historicalevels of General
Fund allocations. New revenue sources should
not be used to substitute for ongoing revenue
commitments for recreation and parks facilities.

Recreation and Parks Facilities Costs
The proposed recreation and parks facilities
described in this Master Plan will result in a
onetime capital costs for acquisition, construction and improvement, and then ongoing annual operating and maintenance costs.

Capital Costs
Total capital costs over a 2}-year period for
acquisition, construction and enhancement of all
proposed park and recreation facilities are
estimated to be in the range of $ I 30 to $ 140
million. Net capital costs for acquisition,
construction and enhancement of all proposed
park and recreation facilities (after deducting
items with identified funding sources or other
funding strategies) are estimated to be between
$70 and $80 million.

The net capital costs associated with each of the
major types of recreation and parks facilities are
spread over a 2O-year period in four five-year
phases according to availability of specific
revenue sources and urgency ofneed. The
major types of facilities and improvements are
described below.

Land Acquisition and Improvements
The most costly item on the proposed list of
recreation and parks facilities is the acquisition
and development cost for five acres of parkland
over the 2}-year Master Plan. Limited funding
is available from development mitigation
settlements for designated neighborhoods and
from anticipated park impact fees from new
development. Given the high cost of land in the
City, parkland acquisitions must be made
opportunistically. The City should look for
opportunities to leverage funds by seeking publicprivate partnerships for joint acquisition and use of facilities ; by negotiating developer mitigation
agreements where possible; and by using the
4B Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
services ofland trusts or conservancies to assist in
brokering below-market purchases. The
acquisition schedule will depend on the availability
of funding and specific acquisition opportunities.

Facility Sharing
The Master Plan recommends an aggressive
program to maximize the opportunities for
facility sharing with the School District and the
College as well as local private schools and
nonprofit organizations. To this end, the Master
Plan includes replacement of the Municipal Pool
on the Santa Monica College campus,
conversion of several school paved areas into
new grass playing fields and the redesign of
entry areas as social gathering places. The
largest cost item is the Municipal Pool
replacement, which is substantially covered by
FEMA and CDBG supplemental earthquake
repair funding.

Expanded Recreational Use of Public Facilities
and Land
Given the high cost of land acquisition in the
City, the Master Plan proposes creative uses of
existing public lands and facilities to maximize
recreational use opportunities. This category
includes expansion of beach parks; development
of the nonaviation lands at the Airport for
recreational purposes; a new aquatics facility, to
be constructed within an existing city park; and
the implementation of the Civic Center parks.

The Civic Center parks are expected to be
funded by developer contributions and
mitigations.

Pathway lmprovements
Since walking and bicycling around the City and
on the beach has been identified as one of Santa
Monica residents' favorite leisure activities, the
Master Plan proposes the addition of bike lanes,
walkways and several streetscape improvements,
Financing and lmplementation
including a street tree planting program, which
are all designed to enhance and improve
pedestrian access and enjoyment. The most
significant costs in this category are the
downtown streetscape projects, which are
expected to be funded primarily by transportation funds; the citywide sidewalk and parkway widening projects; and a street tree planting
program. The street tree planting program could
receive funding from state and county tree
planting funds.

General Park I mprovements
The category of park improvements includes a
ran ge of park repair, renovati on and r ev italization projects as detailed in Table 6 and 7. The total cost represents a major commitment by the
City in improving existing facilities. It includes
such projects as Park Restroom and Concession
Replacement, the improvement and expansion of
Community Centers, improved and enhanced
49 Table 6
Preliminary Phasing of I mprovements
Item
>.
-
t)
E(!
-Y
at)
c|
U
L
I
(!
E
E
U
I
vl
rt\
Parks and Recreational Facilities
1 I
t-ilr
o
a a a
o
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
aI
a a
t-il a
;
a
1 I
ill
a
a a a a
a
;-
tv a a
t-tv a a a a
Ng-!q!!" n d_lrqqy"q" n t
Park Facility Maintenance and Access. Proiect
t-tv a a a a
a
a
t-lv a a a a
Park Restroom and Concession Replacement Project I
o
Marine Park Lighting I
a
Beach Restroom Area lmprovements I
a
Beach Maintenance Projecl t-tv a a
Play Areas Renovation I
a
Douglas Park lmprovements I
a a a
BIC Project I
a
;
a
_;
a
a
a
Lincoln Park Edge lmprovements ilt a
a
a
Memorial Park lmprovements il-il1 a
a
a
a o
_!_
ill
--|--
I
I
t!
I
I
I
I
I
1_
lt
I
il-lll
a
a
a
a
a
-t
a
a
o
a
a
-aa
50 Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997
Table 6
Preliminary Phasing of lmprovements
New Telnjs Cgurts
New volleyball Courts
Cardens, Creens & Habitats
Mt. Ol ivette I mprovements
\l{og! ! awy !:qptery 1 m provements
Marine Park Riparian Wash
Palisades Bluff Stabilization
23rd Street N"irr" C"ia"n
Public Places
Campus Promenade
lmprove N.W. Corner of Adams School
Green Streets, Pa & Comm. Forest
Sidgwa]kf qkway Widen i n g
\ o19y ! at!o1 e9!/sqe_91993p9
PqqLsf. YS{LU lLrnqg! " !o E!l'l
Olympic Boulevard Median lmprovements
!C!,v-! S=11" q99]9y.'{ ry9Q !9,$p 1ov9 mqq
D gwn t9ry1 !!r99tsqp9 rfg,eqs
Circulation Modifications
Transit Priority Streets
|ttgSt !ig[t, "gr rgldTqpllg and Fulqsh i ngg
Street Lighting, Landscaping and Furnishings
Yra -cg19glmppyeme1ts
Eq!t-wg+ Pat!'yq/
North-South Pathway
South Edgg Linear Park with Bike Lane
Pico Boulevard Slreetgcape Project
Recreation Pathways/Streetscape Master Pl an
Freeway Bridge Pedestrian lmprovements
Renovate Pedestrian Bridges over PCH
Beach Trail Project
Community Forest Planting Program
L
tet
.J1
E
bo
I
L
|! :
rtl
(1
L
U
v)
t!
(!
!
G
_!_
il
t-t I
I
I
t-tl
t-il
t-lv
il
il
il
I
I
I
I
I
t-tv
o
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
o
o
F i na nc i ng and I mpl eme ntation -)l
ballfields and other recreational facilities. Some
of these projects have already received funding
or funding has been requested for the coming
year. The remainder will have to be funded
through the range of funding sources detailed in
this funding section.

Park.Master Plans
Several park planning projects are expected to
be undertaken by the City in Phase I of the
program. Therefore, costs are included in the
Master Plan for the following planning projects:
a citywide Streetscape Master Plan; the Civic
Center Parks Master Plan; Josyln Park Master
Plan; and Memorial Park Master Plan.

Operating and Maintenance Costs
Operating and maintenance costs include the
costs of maintaining City swimming pools,
parks, landscaping, medians, street trees, parks,
trails and bike paths. If a facility was approved
in prior CIP budgets, it is assumed that the
operation and maintenance costs will be covered
by General Fund support. The operations and
maintenance costs of some facilities will be
covered, in part, by other public agencies, such
as the Municipal Pool, where the cost of
maintenance is shared with Santa Monica
College. Finally. some improvements,
replacements and enhancements can be covered
by existing budget appropriations and are not
anticipated to result in net new operating and
maintenance costs to the Citv.

New recreational program costs are not included
in the operating and maintenance cost estimates.

For the purposes of this Master Plan, it is
assumed that increased contributions from user
fees plus additional General Fund and grant
support will offset new program costs.
ldentified and Potential Recreation
and Parks Funding Sources
The City of Santa Monica is fortunate in
having a sound economic base with expected
increases in General Fund revenues over time
and the possibility of several potential revenue
sources available for acquisition and
enhancement of park and recreation facilities.

To the extent that adequate restricted revenues
are not available for specific projects, such as
Beach Fund projects, new unrestricted
revenue sources such as park bond proceeds
will be needed to make up the difference.

Capital Funding Options
General Fund Capital lmprovement Program
(CIP) Funds
The Capital lmprovement Program (CIP) budget
for parks and recreation facilities currently totals
$2.0 million from General Fund revenues.

Enhancementso the recreation and parks
operating budgets have also been approved over
time. For purposes of the Parks and Recreation
Master Plan, it is assumed that CIP levels from the
General Fund will remain constant. There are no
restrictions on how General Fund support can be
used, and the funds could be applied to any of the
proposed parks and recreation facilities.

Civic Development Funds
The Civic Development Fund receives onetwelfth, or 0.08 percent, of the City's Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues. Currently, the
fund has a surplus, which must be used solely
for improvements to the Civic Auditorium and
related projects in the Civic Center. This fund
represents asecure revenue source, assuming
that TOT remains constant and the tourist trade
remains strong in Santa Monica.
52 Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
Tax Increment
The City of Santa Monica has an established
Redevelopment Area (RDA) for earthquakerelated repairs and other revitalization projects.

A portion of the Tax Increment (TI) revenues
generated by the RDA may be available starting
in Phase II of the Master Plan for certain eligible
projects within the RDA. There will be many
demands on this revenue source, so parks and
recreation facilities will be in competition with
other maj or economic revitalization projects.

The Beach Fund
Beach Fund revenues from beach parking lot
leases and beach concessions and rentals must be
used for beach-related projects. A significant
portion of the Beach Fund pays for a summer
lifeguard contract with the County, security on the
beach and in the parking lots, beach cleanup and
maintenance, and ongoing repairs and enhancements to beach facilities. Due to the revenues received from increased beach parking and
activities, additional revenues may be available for
beach improvements proposed in the Master Plan.

Community Development B lock Grants
(CDBG)
The City is awarded an annual CDBG entitlement,
and has also received supplemental funds for
repairing earthquake-damaged facilities, such as
the Municipal Pool. CDBG entitlement funds
have historically supported park improvements in
low-income neighborhoods. The continued
availability of CDBG funds depends on ongoing
congressional appropriations to the federal budget
but has constituted a reliable capital funding source
for eligible projects for many years.

Park Impact Fees
The City collects $200 per dwelling unit for the
Parks and Recreation Fund from all new
F i n anci ng and I m pl ementati on
residential development. Recently, the City has
collected between $7,000 and $10,000 annually
from this fee. The City also has an Office
Development Housing and Parks Project
mitigation fee collected from new office
development in the City. The office mitigation fee
is currently $3.36 per square foot for the first
15,000 square feet of office development and
$7 .47 per square foot for office development over
15,000 square feet. Approximately 50 percent of
the revenues from this fee are allocated for parks
projects, and the remainder is dedicated for
housing projects. These funds are available for
any capital improvements or replacement projects
within the City. With appropriate nexus findings, it
might be possible to establish the fee for other
types of commercial uses.

Proposition A Funds
The City has successfully solicited and received
about $6.5 million from Proposition A, the Los
Angeles Safe Neighborhood Parks acts of 1992
and 1996. Proposition A has raised a total of
$859 million to buy new parks and natural lands;
improve parks, beaches and recreation facilities;
build facilities for at-risk youth and gang
prevention purposes; restore rivers and streams;
build trails; and plant trees throughout the
county. If subsequent county-wide park bond
measures are approved by the voters, additional
funds could be available. The City may be able
to secure additional existing Proposition A funds
for region-serving facilities such as beach
promenades and trails or for projects within lowincome neighborhoods.

Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Funds
The City of Santa Monica currently obtains 8.3
percent, or over $10 million, of its General Fund
revenues from a 12 percent Transient Occupancy
Tax (TOT) paid by all overnight visitors staying
in a Santa Monica hotel or motel room.
53 The City enjoys one of the highest occupancy
rates in Los Angeles County-74 percentwhich, in turn, can support relatively high Average Daily Room (ADR) rates. Future TOT
revenue increases could be used to help fund
region-serving recreation or park facility capital
costs and ongoing operations and maintenance.

Citywide Community Facilities District (CFD)
or General Obligation Bond
To accomplish all of the planned parks and
recreation improvements within the desired time
frame, it will be necessary to seek supplemental
funding for capital costs by issuing a citywide
bond in the amount of $10 to $15 million. This
issue may be combined with other funding
requirements in the City, such as school or library
improvement. If additional operating and
maintenance funds as well as capital funding are
needed, a CFD would be the most appropriate
mechanism. If only capital funds are required, a
General Obligation Bond would be the simplest
mechanism to raise the funds. Both methods
require approval by a two-thirds majority vote.

Summary of Proposed
Financing Strategy
The proposed financing strategy includes the
following elements:
. Ongoing commitment of General Fund
revenues for parks and recreation CIP
projects, and operations and maintenance for
ongoing and currently approved projects;
. Ongoing commitment of the Parks and
Recreation dwelling unit tax and the Office
Development Housing and Parks Project
mitigation fees collected from new
development in the City;
Commitment of available Beach Funds for
new beach parks and related beach projects;
Commitment of tax increment funds,
starting in Phase II, for park acquisition and
development projects within the Redevelopment Area;
Contributions from the Civic Development
Fund for enhanced or expanded Civic Center
parks and recreational facilities;
Ongoing Community Development Block
Grants (CDBG), to be used in the Pico
neighborhood;
Contributions from the General Fund due to
any increases in TOT revenues for regionalserving parks and recreation facilities; An aggressive approach to securing grants
and other external funding; and
A citywide Community Facilities District
(CFD) special tax, or General Obligation
Bond to fund parks and recreation capital
and maintenance, depending upon levels of
General Fund support for operating and
maintenance costs.

After accounting for all identified and potential
capital funding sources and assuming phased
implementation over 20 years, this funding
strategy could secure adequate funds to support the
estimated net capital costs of the Master Plan.

Because of the high level of community interest in
new and improved facilities in the near future, a
$15 million Santa Monica parks bond measure
would be needed to implement priority projects in
the first two phases of the plan. In subsequent
phases, the availability of additional resfficted and
nonrestricted funds would provide adequate
funding for remaining projects.

Recreation and Parks Master Plan, March 1997
raDte /
Preliminary/conceptual Estimate of lmprovement costs
Item Estimated Cost Acres Pq tkl qld _Recre_ationa I
Civic Center Parks
Main Street Circle
Civic Park
Village Green Park
City HallSquare
Arroyo Park
Civic Center Master plan
Beach Parks
Beach Park *l
Beach Park #2
Facilities
$10,415,500
$1,279,900
$2,365,100
$1,282,300
$3,512,400
$1,775,800
$200,000
$5,623,2OO
$2,811,600
$2,811,600
$1O,960,O22
$5,250,000
$1,050,000
$1,050,000
$1,050,000
$1,050,000
$1,050,o00
$2,100,000
$250,A00
$1,850,000
$1,129,490
$1,358,080
$458,080
$900,oo0
$19,602,000
$16,335,000
$3,267,000
$5,954,57O
$1,760,000

0.60 6.00

0.70 1.60

2.10 2.90

2.90 24.80
Nonaviation Area park Land (see note #1 )
School Parks
School #1
School #2
School #3
School #4
School #5
Virginia Avenue Park
Park lmprovements
Park Expansion
Stewart Street Park Expansion
Street Ends
New Street End Medians (South of Freeway)
Convert Street Ends (North of Freewav)
Acquire and lmprove New park land
Acquire New Park Land
lmprove New Parks for Recreation purposes
Park Facility Maintenance and Accessibility project
Park Restroom and Concession Replacement project
F i n anc i ng and I m plementation

1.20 1.20
r.20

1.20 1.20

2.90 1.50

0.30 0.80

5.00 5.00
55 Table 7
Preliminary/Conceptual Estimate of lmprovement Costs
Item Estimated Cost Acres
Marine Park Lighting
Eeach I mprovements/Maintenance
Restroom Area lmprovements
Maintenance Project
Play Areas Renovation
Clover Park
Marine Park
Ozone Park
Joslyn Park
Douglas Park
Douglas Park lmprovements
BIC Project
Palisades Park (Phase ll)
Beach lmprovements (Pier to Bay Street)
Cal iforni a I ncl i ne Repl acement
Pier Bridge Widening
Coastal Cateway 1ntersection of Pier, l-10, PCH)
Lincoln Park Edge lmprovements
Memorial Park
Park lmprovements
Park Master Plan
foslyn Park lmprovements
Park lmprovements
Park Master Plan
Pacific Street Park lmprovements
Aquatic Facilities
Municipal Pool Replacement Proiect
Park-based Recreational Aquatics Faci lities
$210,000
$538,780
$t 00,000
$438,780
$1,100,000
$610,000
$7,669,100 24.10
$903,000
$1,575,000
$1,500,000
$75,000
$350,000
$300,ooo
$50,000
$352,700
$B,255,600
$3,950,000
$4,305,600
o.70

0.50 56 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
I aDte /
Preliminary/Conceptual Estimate of lmprovement Costs
Item Estimated Cost Acres
Park-based Recreational Aquatics Faci lities
Additional Ballfields
Clover Park
Los Amigos
Adams Middle School
Skating lmprovements
South Beach Roller Hockey
Skating Facility
Miles Playhouse Renovation
New Athletic Courts
Basketball Courts
Tennis Courts
Volleyball Courts
Basketball Court Replacement
New Cymnasium
lmprovement/Expansion of Community Centers
_G_qCe!q c re9_19,4$ tl " b ilqtt
Mt. Olivette lmprovements
Woodlawn Cemetery lmprovements
Marine Park Riparian Wash
Palisades Bluff Stabilization Project
23rd Street Nature Garden
Civic Auditorium Landscape Plan
Public Gathe{J6 Places
Campus Promenade
lmprove N.W. Corner of Adams Middle School Campus
Grygn _Slreets, P4lhways & Comm, Forest
Streetscape lmprovements
F i na nc i ng and I mplementation
$4,305,600
$1,050,000
$350,000
$350,000
$350,000
$72,OOO
$50,000
$22,000
$1,233,147
$260,000
$80,000
$120,000
$60,000
$449,000
$2,B5o,oo
$3,000,000
$268,490
$::z,6co
$264,000
$5,800,000
$65,000
$40,000
$1,544,740
$210,680
$5,664,197

3.00 0.30

3.00 1.60

1.00 J,/
Table 7
Preliminary/Conceptual Estimate of lmprovement Costs
Item Estimated Cost Acres
Median improvements
Pearl St. Median tincoln to 16th)
Olympic Boulevard Median lmprovements
San Vicente Boulevard Median lmprovements
Downtown Streetscape Proiects
Ci rcu I ation Mod ificati ons
T ransit Priority Streets
Street Lighting, Landscaping and Furnishings
Street Lighting, Landscaping and Furnishings
Pathways
North-South Corridor
East-West Corridor
South Edge Linear Park with Bike Lane
MTA Corridor I mprovements
Pico Boulevard Streetscape Proiect
Recreational Pathway/Streetscape Master Plan
Freeway Bridge Pedestrian lmprovements
Project #1
Project #2
Project #3
Renovate Pedestrian Bridges over PCH
Beach Trail Proiect
Community Forest Planting Program
Nofes.'
l. For purposes of developing a financing strategy, the maximum recreational use scenario was used.

A final cost estimate will be developed upon finalizing land use recommendations.

2. All estimates are preliminary and have been developed for planning purposes only.

Estimates have been developed by the City of Santa Monica nd ROMA Design Group. lJpon determination of actual extent of improvements, a more detailed estimate should be prepared. $1,715,760
$870,1 50
$s90,000
$255,610
$16,493,800
$568,000
$4,422,260
$4,077,930
$7,425,610
$5,001,510
$681,840
$2,795,070
$B9l,OO0
$633,600
$3,670,460
$35o,ooo
$1,194,800
$367,080
$408,860
$408,860
$31o,ooo
$1,900,000
$3,ooo,oo0

0.30 0.50

0.50 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
5B
Existi ng Resou rces-Parks
APPENDIX 1 :

Santa Monica's park and recreation system
began with the establishment of the original
town, in 1875, and has generally experienced
three major eras of new development. There are
three parks that date back to the turn of the
century-Palisades Park, perched on a bluff
overlooking the Ocean, was an important part of
the founding vision of the city; Lincoln Park
(formerly Central Park built in 1892); and
Douglas Park (1916). The next major era of
park expansion took place in the years following
World War II, a time when Santa Monica
experienced rapid growth in residential
development. The parks from this era are
concentrated in the Ocean Park portion of the
city south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The
most recent era of park building, 1980 through
the present time, has generally focused on
completion of a linear greenway along the beach
south of the pier. The privately owned and
managed MGM Plaza Park, completed in 1992
as a part of a larger office development, may be
ushering in a new era of joint partnerships
between the city and other public and private
entities in providing open space and recreation
services. The eras of park development are
summarized on Table 8 and illustrated on Figure 1.

Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
Parks
Santa Monica has 24pNks, ranging in size from

0.16 acres (SchaderPark) to 26.41 acres (Palisades
Park). These 24 parks represent a wide diversity of
park types, uses and settings, each with varied
degrees of success with respect to its physical and
visual connections to the surrounding neighborhoods (see Thbles 9 and 10).

Historic Parks
There are three parks identified as historic
because of the role they played in the
development of the city. All three are located in
Santa Monica's original grid which extended
eastward from the Palisades. Palisades Park,
celebrated for its precipitous setting above the
Pacific Ocean, was identified as a city park in
1875 by Senator Jones, the founder of Santa
Monica. In 1892, Palisades Park was formally
designated as a park, known then as Linda Vista
Park. The name was subsequently changed to
Palisades (from the French meaning "a line of
bold cliffs") Park in 1915. Lincoln Park was
established in 1892-previously called Pueblo
Park and Central Park----originally envisioned by
Senator Jones as aplaza to serve the anticipated
hotel development around the park. It was
donated to the city as a city park when hotel
development occurred closer to the beach.

A-1
Table I
Eras. of Park Development
Palisades Park. Perched atop a high bluff
overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the spectacular
views and scenic quality of Palisades Park
contribute significantly to the image and identity
of Santa Monica. This park is the largest in the
City (excluding the beaches), comprising 26
acres in a one and one-half mile linear
configuration. The park includes an asphalt
walkway system throughouthe length of the
park used primarily for walking and jogging,
and benches for contemplation and enjoyment of
the scenery. In the newly renovated southem
portion of the park, a decomposed granite path
has been installed for jogging. Palisades Park is
home to the Senior Recreation Center and the
Santa Monica Visitor's Center, as well as the
historic "Camera Obscura," a pergola, rose
garden and public artworks. There are four
outdoor shuffleboard courts and two large
community rooms associated with the Senior
Recreation Center.

The southern portion of Palisades Park has
been recently renovated and plans are
underway to renovate the northern portion of
the park. The scope of improvements to
Palisades Park include replacement of the
irrigation system, drainage improvements,
lighting enhancement, improved pathway
treatments, landscaping enhancement, railing
replacement and new street and park furniture.

Lincoln Park.Lineoln Park occupies a city
block (5.3 acres) within the intensively
developed Wilshire Corridor, and has been
significantly developed with recreational areas
and community serving buildings including
Joslyn Hall (200 seats), the Card Room (100
seats), Miles Memorial Playhouse (with stage
and sprung wood floor), and park and
community-wide youth offices. The historic
Miles Memorial Playhouse, built in 1929 in the
Spanish Colonial Revival style by J. Euclid
Miles, a prominent Santa Monica realtor and
Year
Built
Before 1900
Palisades Park
Lincoln Park
1900-1 939
Crescent Bay Park
Douglas Park
Coose Egg Park
Hotchkiss Park
1940-1 959
tuhland Park
Beach Park #4
Los Amigos Park
Marine Park
MemorialPark
Joslyn Park
1960-1979
Pacific Street Park
Ozone Park
Park Drive Park
Stewart Street Park
Virginia Avenue Park
Clover Park
198G-Present
Barnard Way Linear Park
Beach Park #1
Schader Park
Ocean View Park
Clover Park Expansion
MCM Plaza Park
South Beach Park
1875
1892
191 1
1916
1 93s
1949
1949
1 950
1 9s8
1 961
1 963
1965
1971
1975
1978
1 983
1 990 't992
Source: ROMA Design CrwP
Douglas Park (formerly Padre Park) was
established on the site of the Douglas Aircraft
Company in l9l6 on land previously owned by
the Santa Monica Water Company. Until the
early 1930s, these three parks-Palisades,
Lincoln and Douglas-were the three major city
parks in Santa Monica.

A-2 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
:::Fdrmei:l
.inrl5ir6
ti!:ilEl:::::

G,OOSE::EGG
;l.i:,::,ttY,Reo,tt:,t

MARINE PARK
. 1949.

OZONE PARK
.1963.
1980 TO:PRESENT' '
FUTURE PARK oppoRruNtlEs 0.+999- 3000 o
@
BEACH PARK #4
H isto1y,,,,,of 'Park I m provement
w
ffi
T
ffi
BEFORE.l9OO
1 900 TO 1939
1940 TO 1959
1960 TO 1 979
civic leader, has been unoccupied since the
Northridge earthquake, and is awaiting federal
funding for its refurbishment. The reopening of
the Miles Playhouse will be an important
milestone for Lincoln Park and all of Santa
Monica. Recreational facilities include an
extensive children's play area, six lighted tennis
courts, four shuffleboard courts, two basketball
courts, a croquet court and a horseshoe area. The
City completed a renovation of the meeting
rooms, open grassy areas and children's play
area in 1995.

Douglas Park. Douglas Park similarly occupies
a city block (4.5 acres) within the Wilshire
corridor approximately 2 miles east of Lincoln
Park. This park contains two lighted tennis
courts, a children's playground, a lawn bowling
green with an adjacent park building and pond/
watercourse system, which is currently empty.

The park also has fourteen picnic tables within
an open lawn area. Improvements to the
children's playground and restoration of the
ponds and pathways are currently scheduled to
be completed within the next two years.

Beach Parks
The scenic beauty of the coastline has long been
a draw for recreational activity in Santa Monica,
contributing significantly to the image, identity
and quality of life experienced in the city. Santa
Monica State Beach is generally bisected by the
Santa Monica Municipal Pier, separating the
Appendix l: Existi ng Resources-Parks A-3
Table 9
Existing Park Acreage
Name Address Total Acres Turf Acres*

1. Ashland Park

2. Barnard Way Linear Park

3. Beach Park #1

4. Beach Park #4

5. Clover Park

6. Crescent Bay Park

7. Douglas Park

8. Coose Egg Park

9. Hotchkiss Park

10. Joslyn Park
11 . Lincoln Park

12. Los Amigos Park

13. Marine Park

14. Memorial Park

15. MCM Plaza

16. Ocean View Park

17. Ozone Park

18. Pacific Street Park

19. Palisades Park

20. Park Drive Park

21. Schader Park

22. South Beach Park

23. Stewart Street Park
1650 tuhland Avenue
Barnard Way
2600 Earnard Way
1642 Promenade
2600 Ocean Park Boulevard
20OO Ocean Avenue
2439 Wilshire Boulevard
Palisades Avenue
23O2 Fourth Street
633 Kensington Road
1150 Lincoln Boulevard
500 Hollister
1406 Marine Street
1401 Olympic Boulevard
Broadway and 26th
2701 Barnard Way
720 Ozone Street
145 Pacific Street
Ocean Avenue
2415 Broadway
1 425 Cloverfield Boulevard
Barnard Way
'1819 Stewart Street
o.4

3.2 4.6

0.1 17.9

2.3 4.5
o.7

2.1 2.5

5.3 3.1

7.O

10.4 3.5

5.7 0.7
o.4

26.4 0.3
o.2

1.8 3.8

5.8 0.3

3.0 o.3

0.1 '14.4

1.0 1.5
o.4

1.6 1.0

1.8 1.8

3.9 5.9

1.8 5.0

0.6 o.4

10.7 o.2

0.1 1.8

2.0 24. Yireinia Avenue Park 2200 Virginia Avenue 4.O
Total Acres
*Turf areas include sports fields and other landscaped areas.

Source: 'Community Voices' Phase t Report, Brady and Associates, lnc., February 1996. 112.7 63.6
A4 Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
area into two distinct units: the south of the pier
area characterized by beaches and shoreline
parks; and north of the pier area characterized
by a more vast expanse of sand and bounded by
Pacific Coast Highway.

In the south beach area.a necklace ofbeach
front parks has been developed along the
shoreline and forms a nearly continuous seaside
parkway. When viewed collectively, the six
beach parks form a chain ofover 17 acres,
stretching from the Venice Beach border to the
Municipal Pier-a distance of over 6,400 feet.

Except for a gap of approximately 1,500 feet
between Beach Park #4 and Crescent Bay Park,
the park land is continuous. A beach front bike
path is a significant feature, providing a focus of
linear recreational activities including walking,
bicycling and in-line skating. Four of the beach
parks are directly adjacent to the bike path
(Beach Park #1, Beach Park #4, Crescent Bay
Park and South Beach Park) and the remaining
two are across the street from the path.

The Beach Promenade and Bike Path are well
used, giving rise to conflicts between various
users, particularly at activity nodes formed by
the parks. There are several parking areas
along the beach, totaling approximately 37
acres in area. which allow vehicular access to
the beach and the Municipal Pier. Some
iiii:::i:i':i:,, .i. ..
, :
.. ":,.:,i:
,i : ti,,tH oi c h li i is, p A i k',',t. wa s, ii i n gt o i t'S c h o o ! Santa Monica ca. | 900, showing locations of parks and
schools today.

Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
parking areas double as areas for roller
hockey and skateboarding when available.

The beach parks enjoy a high level of user
amenities including food and concession
stands as well as bike and skate rentals.

There are a wealth of significant public artworks
located in and around the Beach Parks. The
"California Wash" memorial installation is
located at the beach at the foot of Pico
Boulevard; the "Obelisks" public sculpture is
located near Beach Park #1; the "Singing Beach
Chairs are located near Beach Park #4. ln 199'7,
a new piece, "Solar Web," will be installed.

Significant improvements are planned to the
South Beach parks as part of the Beach
Improvements Group BIG project. These
include an expanded and improved promenade,
a Chess Park, improvements to the children's
play area and the exercise equipment at Beach
Park #4 (Muscle Beach).

South Beach Park.Located at the southwestern
comer of the city, this popular I.J acre facility
includes a children's play area and a turf area
with picnic tables. The park is linked to both the
Beach Promenade and a beach parking area.

Ocean View Park. Ocean View Park is the next
park north on the shoreline chain of parks, and is
located on the cityside of Bamard Way. This 5.6
acre facility includes six-tennis courts, two
tennis backboards, and a full basketball court.

The tennis and basketball courts in this location
are very popular, to the extent that they are
considered overused. Reservations are typically
required in order to play tennis at this park. In
addition to active recreational pursuits, there are
more contemplative areas of open green located
along a rise that allows views out over the water.

Beach Park #1. This park is generally located
at the terminus of Ocean Park Boulevard on the
A-5
beach side of Barnard Way and is comprised of

4.6 acres of land at the beach. The park is
traversed by the Beach Promenade, which is
heavily used for in-line skating, strolling and
bicycling. There is also an active children's play
area and open lawn areas for picnicking at the
north and south portions of the park. There is a
parking area associated with the park, which is
used for roller hockey during offpeak periods as
well as a concession stand.

Barnard Way Linear Park. The Barnard Way
Park is located between Bicknell Avenue and
South Beach Park on the beach side of Barnard
Way. This park is a linear greenway consisting
of a sidewalk and open lawn area paralleling the
beach. The park is at a higher elevation than the
beach, which allows views over the ocean. There
are two stairways at Pacific and Strand streets
which provide access to the park and the beach.

Crescent Bay Park. This 2.3 acre facility is
located just north of Barnard Way Linear Park
occupying a small block bounded by Ocean
Avenue, Barnard Way, Bicknell and Bay streets.

This park is comprised of two open lawn areas
separated by a retaining wall which takes up the
change in elevation on the site. There is a
sidewalk along the eastern Ocean Avenue
frontage which is used by walkers and joggers,
and there is a trellised walkway along the
western edge of the park which provides
connection to the Beach Promenade. This
walkway is currently closed due to damage from
the Northridge earthquake, but will be repaired
pending funding from FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency). Crescent
Bay Park is in need of some redefinition to
promote better use and enjoyment of the park's
amenities. With its central location within the
City and near the beach, this park could be
reinvigorated as the setting for small concerts or
other performance art activities.

Beach Park #4. This beach, also known as
"Muscle Beach," is located on the beach
directly south of the Municipal Pier. Except
for a small area of turf (0.1 acres), most of the
facilities at this park are located within the
beach sand. The specific recreational
apparatus includes monkey rings, ring beam
and horizontal bars (leading to the moniker
"Muscle Beach"), a children's play area and
seven volleyball courts.

While once a bustling center of activity
associated with muscle sports and gymnastics,
this park, located in the shadow of the Municipal
Pier, has become somewhat overlooked and in
need of redefinition. Significant improvements
are planned to this area as a part of the Beach
Improvements Group (BIG) project. These
include: an expanded and improved promenade;
improvements to the children's play area;
expansion and improvement to Chess Park; and
exercise equipment.

View Parks
Two parks, Hotchkiss and Joslyn, are
distinguished by their location atop a topographic rise that affords views over the City.

Both parks serve as primary neighborhood parks
within Ocean Park. The two parks are roughly
two acres in area and are very different in
character: Hotchkiss is a largely open with large
trees, and Joslyn is developed with recreational
facilities, a dog run and community buildings
which obscure its hilltop character.

When the City acquired the Hotchkiss property
in 1935, it was the site of an abandoned gas
station and several dilapidated buildings.

Originally, it was the site of the Moody
Mansion, which was the home of Mary Jauch
Hotchkiss, whose first husband was murdered in
the mansion in 1884. The mansion was
regarded as haunted for many years, prior to
being torn down in the early 1900s.

A-6 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
Joslyn Park (formerly known as Kensington Park)
was constructed in 1958 on the site of the former
Walter G. McGinley estate. The estate was
purchased by the City with funds provided by
Marcellus Joslyn, who also provided funds for the
construction of the Douglas Park Bowling Green
and the Palisades Parks Senior Recreation Center.

Hotchkiss Park. Hotchkiss Park is comprised of

2.1 acres of gently sloping land along Fourth Street
between Strand Street and HollisterAvenue. The
park is dedicated to passive recreational use,
consisting primarily of open turf traversed by a
central pathway. The park is enclosed by mature
trees along each edge. Hotchkiss Park is the
setting of the public sculpture "Oneness."
Joslyn Park. This 2.5 acre park is located at the
top of a ridgeline and an eastern facing side
slope which affords vistas over the City. This
park includes turf areas along the slope face and
one basketball court, children's play area and
community center at the top of the hill. There is
a dog run along the northern edge of the park.

Joslyn Park contains murals describing Santa
Monica's history.

Multi-Use Parks
There are five parks which are used for multiple
purposes, ranging from active recreational uses
to passive contemplative uses, children's play,
and neighborhood gathering. The recreational
fields are in great demand and are heavily
used-not coincidentally, they represent
significant challenges with respecto maintenance of the turf fields. All of the City's parkbased athletic fields, including l3 baseball fields and 6 soccer fields, are located within these five
parks, as well as 13 basketball courts and I I
tennis courts.

Clover Park, adjacent to the Municipal Airport
of Santa Monica, was originally the site of the
Clover Field Airport, which included facilities
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
for the Douglas Aircraft Company. South of the
airport, in the general area of the Airport
Nonaviation Lands, the Santa Monica Municipal
Golf Course was developed in the 1920s, and
included tennis courts as well as rifle and
archery ranges. Los Amigos Park is the former
site of John Adams Junior High School, which
was built in 1913 and abandoned after the 1933
earthquake and subsequently rebuilt in its
current location. Following the use of the site
by the army and navy in the 1930s and 1940s,
Los Amigos Park was created in 1949. For
many years the park was the site of the Morgan
Community Theater, until it was destroyed by
fire in 1949. Memorial Park, originally the site
of the Municipal Stadium, was initially
developed as a venue for auto racing in the
1930s, and was later converted to a trailer park for
veterans returning to Santa Monica after World
War II. Stewart Street Park was developed in l97l
and was originally part of the CityYard, which is
currently located west of the park.

Clover Park. At 17.8 acres, Clover Park
constitutes the largest of the City's multiuse
parks, the second largest park overall (Palisades
Park is the largest at26 acres). This park is
located on Ocean Park Boulevard adjacent to the
Santa Monica Municipal Airport. The existing
facilities at Clover Park include two general
purpose fields which provide three baseball
fields and two soccer fields (overlapping), one
full basketball court, one sand volleyball courl,
two lighted tennis courts, and two children's
playgrounds. Two fitness courses circumscribe
the park. Administrative offices for the Parks
and Sporls Division are located within the park
as well as the Hill and Dale Family Learning
Center, a nonprofit preschool leased from the
City. Clover Park is used year-round by athletic
teams in the southem portion of the park and for
more passive recreational activities in the
northern portion of the park. The pathways that
circumscribe the park are often used by walkers,
joggers, and persons walking their dogs. The open
A-7
lawn areas in the northern portion of the park are
also heavily used on weekends for more informal
recreational activities such as reading, picnicking,
and sometimes croquet. Clover Park is the setting
for the annual Santa Monica Festival.

Los Amigos Park. Los Amigos Park occupies

3.1 acres of land adjacent to the new John Muir
Elementary School and Santa Monica
Alternative School (SMASH) between Fifth and
Sixth streets at Ocean Park Boulevard. The park
is used by the school while in session and by the
community during evenings, weekends, and
during summer months. After completion of
current school construction there will be one
lighted tennis court and one basketball court and
a playing field. This park is owned by the Santa
Monica-Malibu Unified School District. There is
no children's playground at Los Amigos Park, and
this was found to be a comnon desire among park
users in the communitv voices survev.

Marine Park. This park is located along the
southern boundary of the City and directly
adjacent to the Penmar Golf Course in Venice.

The park is approximately 7.0 acres in area and
accommodates one baseball field which doubles
as a soccer field, two basketball courts, three
lighted tennis courts, a restroom. a picnic area
with barbecues, and a children's playground which
includes a suspension bridge and other adventurefype play equipment. There is also an auditorium and child care center with a capacity of 53 children
located within the park. Child care services are
administered by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
School District. Marine Park is the site of the
City's sumner day camp program. There are two
murals located at this park.

Memorial Park. Memorial Park occupies 10.4
acres near the geographic center of Santa Monica.

There are six baseball fields within this park, four
of which double as soccer fields. There are also
four lighted tennis courts, a children's play area
and a gymnasium which accommodates basketball
A-B
and volleyball. The gymnasium is equipped with
showers and there are a series of community
rooms adjacent to the gym, including the Cultural
Arts Building, the Craft Room and a kitchen
facility. A second gymnasium which is a part of
the PoliceAtivities League (PAL) complex is
located at Memorial Park. The PAL facility is
home to the Virginia Avenue Theatre Project.

The gymnasium at Memorial Park is used by
public and private school groups, city classes
and leagues, and the general public. The four
north fields at the park are baseball fields with
soccer overlays and are used by Little League,
Bobby Sox, the Santa Monica Adult Softball
League, Santa Monica High School's junior
varsity team for softball and baseball, ani
periodically for football and flag football. The
southern fields at Memorial Park, which are
dedicated exclusively to baseball use, are
designed and used for Santa Monica Little
League games. There is also a dog run at
Memorial Park.

As with all of the multiuse parks, there are
issues associated with intensive use of the fields.

At Memorial Park, the use of the area by leagues
limits availability to the general public. There
are a number of issues that have been raised
with respect to the children's play area including
out of date equipment, and a better and safer
location closer to the fields. Other users have
noted that the fields are not conducive to
bringing younger children to watch the games
because access to the street from the fields is too
readily available. Many noted that more seating
is needed.

Outdated restrooms cause serious maintenance
and security concerns, and the need for a
complete restroom redesign with durable
finishes and fixtures. Many users stated that
they will not use the central restroom facility
because they do not feel safe and because the
restrooms are not clean.

Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997
Stewart Sfreet Park. This park is located on 3.8
acres of land along Stewart Street, just north of
the Santa Monica Freeway. This park includes
two children's playgrounds, one combination
baseball and soccer field, and one basketball
court. The relationship of the children's play
area and the fields has been noted as a positive
factor, as it allows parents to comfortably
supervise small children while also watching
soccer or baseball games.

Neighborhood Parks
Vi rgi nia Avenue Park. TheVirginia Avenue
Park presents itself as a more traditional
neighborhood park. This park, which is 5.8
acres in area, provides a significant complement
of community services to the neighborhood
through a community center as well as large
expanses of grassy areas. More specifically, the
park contains a children's playground, two halfcourt and one full-court basketball facilities. a sand volleyball court, picnic facilities, a
bathroom, and off-street parking.

Of all the city parks, the Virginia Avenue Park
perhaps best exemplifies the role that a
neighborhood park can play in serving the
recreational and social needs of the neighborhood. In keeping with this role, the park hosts many cultural events, including Cinco de Mayo,
the Corn Festival, and Santa Monica Festival
events. Programs at the Thelma Terry Center
provide educational and social services
including information and referral, workshops,
classes, activities and events. The center offers
services targeted to youth, families and seniors.

A park-based staff team which is comprised of
groundskeepers, custodians, recreation staff and
park rangers meets regularly to enhance
programming, security and maintenance at the
park. The Santa Monica Police Department also
has a station at Vireinia Avenue Park.

A 2.9 acre parcel adjacent to the park, located at
Pico Boulevard and Cloverfield Avenue. has
been purchased by the City for purposes of
expanding the park, scheduled to begin
construction in 1997. The site is currently used
as the Pico Farmers Market.

Vest Pocket Parks
There are six parks that are distinguished primarily
by their small size. In general, these parks do not
play a role for active recreation as much as they are
visual amenities that are often used for individual
exercises. All of these parks are less that one acre
in area and are noted for their strong connections
to their sunounding neighborhoods.

Ashland Park. Ashland Park is comprised of
approximately one-half acre of land along Ashland
Avenue. The park is improved with turf and trees
and is not heavily used, serving primarily as a
visual amenity to the neighborhood.

Coose Egg Park. This park, which is
approximately 0.7 acres in area, is situated
within the center of Palisades Avenue between
Fourth and Seventh streets. The landscaping
consists of turf with palm trees. The quiet
setting of the Goose Egg Park makes it
conducive to contemplative activity such as
Tai Chi, as well as providing visual amenity to
the neighborhood.

Ozone Park. Ozone Park is a linear park of
approximately 0.7 acres located along Ozone
Avenue at the southem boundary of the City.

The park has two children's playgrounds at
either end of the park. The eastem playground
is a newer design with the exception of the
swing set, and the older western playground
includes several unique facilities such as a shoeshaped metal slide and spring rocking horses.

The two playground areas are separated by a
fairly expansive turf area.

Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-9

FRAN(LIN K
e^pii i t{4!
t, lttj t::lt i l:.l,t l.ll]li:ll
ADAMS
scHooL
iniia;n p*x
Marine Park
Ozone Park
This park is periodically used by children
accompanied by adults. The central turf area is
used for informal sports such as catch and
croquet. In addition, many use the park for
walking their dogs. Most users walk to the park
from the surrounding neighborhood.

Pacific Street Park. Ttlre Pacific Street Park is
comprised of 0.4 acres of land at Main and
Pacific Street in downtown Santa Monica. Most
of the lot has been fenced in and is temporarily
in use as an off-leash dog park.

Park Drive Park. This park is located on 0.3
acres of land on Park Drive across from
Colorado Place/MGM Plaza. The park is
primarily comprised of a community garden
which provides l0 plots for residents to grow
various plants and vegetables. The community
garden is not accessible by the public and is
A-to
screened from public view by a slatted chainlink
fence. There is also one bench and picnic table.

Schader Park. TheO.2acre SchaderPark is
located along Cloverflreld Boulevard at the
terminus of SchaderDrive. Park improvements
include an elliptical walkway and wo benches.

Quiet enjoyment of this park is greatly diminished
by the busy traffic along Cloverfield Boulevard.

Quasi-Public Parks
MCM Plaza Park. MGM Plaza Park is
essentially a public park that is owned, maintained
and operated by a private entity, in this case MGM.

This 3.5 acre facility is located in the intensively
developed midtown core, within Colorado Place at
Broadway and 26ttr Street. The park contains two
tennis courts, a half-court basketball facility, a
children's play area, a volleyball court and a fivePark and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 Table 10
Public Schools
Edison Elementary
Franklin Elementary
Crant Elementary
McKinley Elementary
John Muir (new)
(Los Amigos Park)
Will Rogers Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary
John Adams Middle
Lincoln Middle
Santa Monica High
Olympic Continuation

4.8 5.0

6.0 1
1 2
1 2
2 2
7 I
1 1
1 1
2 1

6.5 5.32

8.2 5.5

16.0 9.6

25.0 4.O
Notes:

1. Total school acreage, including school plus outdoor play areas.

2. Includes Los Amigos Park.

Source: ROMA ksign Croup and "Community Voices' Phase t Report, Brady and Associates, lnc., February 1996. station fitness course. There is also a public
sculpture within the park.

The privately maintained park is secure and
relatively problem-free. It is, however, both
physically and visually isolated from the
surrounding streets and neighborhood, and is
therefore underutilized. Improving the physical
and visual connection to the neighborhood could
enhance the use and perception of this park as a
public park.

Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
Public Schools
There is a full continuum of public schools in
Santa Monica, including seven elementary
schools, two middle schools, Santa Monica High
School, Olympic Continuation High School, and
Santa Monica Community College. These are
shown together with existing parks on Figure 2
and Table 10.

Elementary Schools
Edison Elementary School. Edison Elementary
School, located on Kansas Avenue in the Pico
neighborhood, is the smallest school at 4.8
acres. This school contains a blacktop
A-tt
L
q
z
?;E
A ,.f.9P;'eA , 8g
5 * sE g r d3
? !.bE E E gE
.9 E*€g,a: g :: Ee Ee.lE; f E &t $gas?Ss S*? Eq f Srs.i},s ulil ?= E : E'€: t'a -6 =.Hf; E 5 E i $ €€IEF € g=E"lE E$
a 5 siddE S gFIEE I | :A
ssrIIoorlsau
nsaredg 3ug:ge4
TJJBIS pesB{'{rEd
s.IaSuea rgug
salq€I l!ur!d
tl
tl
ll
tl
tl
tl
a.l d
t, o, v,
llo\
tl\
lt\
e{loo
IF
trl
I
to, I
ll
tll\o
tt\
ttl
llr
ttl
ttr
tuIC
palqigl = (1)
Ernoc sluual
luq,ta11on
zllBqlelseg
rpla!J rarros
rpla!J llBqas€tr
punor8.{e14
s(uaJpFqJ
tl
ll
ll
ll
ll
tl
tl
rrJ lrx
t:
ls
tl
lcr
ll
tl
lrtl
llol
llo
ll
at
(J
(g
J
(!
(!
q
.:<
(g
g
.a .9
.G'X
ll
I
tll
ttl
ttl
tl
z
s
x
E
!
ir
'69. r
Or 0- Fe
E Ek E E b
= Eq H 3 :
4 (tJ.= O !) =
-i o.i di .+ ri
6 ?4
9bo
o=
\o Fo.s+
It 7, .F
.:ia*
9=5 ^v
tt f
o @o\
A-t2 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
HEaE
E? !=Gi
d F Sa H
8 5 ,sq d qo
N Z F E= , E E :

E 5 E Zz Hg g; 3
: Ea; P! E; f;I u; q E i
E*EBF ; E.H 3'E e p E E
Eag** : ?i= E;3. E E * i
E;E{=ai, E*535€'E,s €? EEi cei E E I
3::=ssEs sr :5H gC; : 5 r E
ttl
tttl
tttl
ttll
tlr
ttll
P\o I I
lll
atl
tttl
tttl
lotl
N
\
cl C-r .f
J
r tt t
yAa t d s i+ E
F'{ E #scq
i H E > E B€
fkb..oo';'i s i = =6dd

6..i d .+ ri .o r'- dj
t
J
_
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-t 3
>g
z
ssrIIfi)Jlseu
osacedg 8uJrye;
€JJefs pesBg-{rsd
s:aiuea:ge4
seIqeI rlurld
ru{C
palq8t-I = ('I)
sunoJ sluuel
pq,{a11o1
zllBqfo{sEfl
rplalJ retros
rple!d IIEqase{
puno.r3,{u14
s.uarpl!qJ
o
z
at
q,
(J
J
aG
=J
Y{
F=v
at .i
-a .9 .(!x
F I.IJ
o>
PE6
63c
ots
E-do io?
58'E
6Z: tLgf
:eii 6;Z u.a
;h
6-L
=--9
.=;c g09
d?g
:9-
I !.r
!>''=
Y'=E
EEO
c=E -
eE9
'-9
ErbE =c
,10E8 E'=H
8at gtu
.24.=
E:-{ .9 H, 3.

E'
3s9.
;,E€ I.=
t)-9
2;o
E F,3
e:or
.- ; tse&
E U Jz6 E
: ts ii99 0
: ., k.= a
q =: E
{ t E'=;
e h ;t -
= i o!1
=
; 6
q 9= EE.E.-
6?E-x b + 6I e
6 5 _. FE e
oogug;,9.
e b's .EE i:
€ O a uD o
= E e .!7 c
=oxE.-
i5 E = o= !
:6!!:a:tr
E # E €H.:
aJ E g 960 9
E E P bE 3
hd * E 9= o
HE R ; Ze E
H:; E F* E

JH ' E FE -C
a 6 oo; i'e o
4d E -i :; H Yo€o.Xd.- € 5 -: n E 7r €
.q;.E IE!3! Et ; I i i s =
8: E * ; E 3 i a
qg E E F:.9 Fi
A= - < ;i == E A
ei q F s EE [e
El x € A 8 e H s
- Y a 2 .E E Y ;:'
E3 E E i E=, E"3
E!3Llb9Eg
9 E ? ; E F9 EI
I F ? e E Y.9 I o
; ts I o ? cit :-g !.c t :;5E
u 8E # F eEsgt
6 Z:ciri+r;€
E3
:' g3 s
€ .E i€5 i'' 'E Eg€ /EE E leE
;nE5? E?e,,E € il EtE E{ E;$s; F€s E
.E | | | .teF Ef,E
v,:
{ "Fd I
A'v-q.lo
9&EEi
xbcatr.E H'oE!q.=
& E ; t po+<
E ,, a 3 SI
tlcrn lm.ri
t:
t\
@
lcnlvr
tt*
tm
l*l
t-l
tl
l*cr
Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
RFS*S
A-14
u
o
>O
z
,sllloorlsitu
osaredg 3ug:gre4
ellqs PesEg'tgBd
s.roSuea rye;
salqeJ r$t!d
Iu,{g
palq8l1= (1)
slrnoJ sluual
1eq,ta11o1
zlleqla{ssg
tplalJ rerros
rpla!d[ IIsqasBfl
punorS,(e1g
s{uarpl!qJ
u)
=
(!
J
a€
cre ltt
=J
5ootr

4.2 -(!X
o
E
z
\oqhia-
€.
a<
f:;
V)
=6aI
.F
bo3
oo qE
o ._ E*
tsE -u
d=
F'e EE
Eo. .se ,EE
.= ,i
Ea
i>,
otr
oeq
=4!a
x
.it
o-€.:!
T= E
F
=o_€
='c,E
ii
6O E E
E
.- = !2 ':. -s= E I
9!:=
lf; =
E s5 3 & =o=d a=F-o
.;:,f:

Eivx
a.=1E
:*E E i.b
OEd:J
q.=!*;
bH 7E
€
a F 6ih
:i
=dooE
iiJ =* I
'Ac..oi5=
+;X bc€
u q
; F"-, i 6
e U :.X; E 5
E H:3f .F:

E+r n6 5;
€
* E:EE t 2 E
E='iAg.Vn q'q:9o*J
= E .l: € i
?
;:f!€gs
!€EEZEE
2 E = F. E E
E o=ddj5Yy
F * E: E E
&
; € Ao- E s e
e I YJ >' d Z
; n FE b d
s
!2 .! A'{3 = i
6- E .= -q A t
:
!: Ez a v.: evE;.-2.=
.AFFFFF> 5 I ei f e
P
O-ol -o\
ooah?
boa3exqa! IdaaoI +oo
l)o
9) haFoI3ooI
6=
OJ
tsd
(JFJ
(!5o
'o
-YA L
a(!a
ar O
t9x
F
L
.=Ge
Es
:.{LX!:
^E
vd:P =: t.==
-bO '".9 E€
-9
e -Fa* -a.2 I
(EYX
Ffi 4r
Appendix l: Existi ng Resources-Parks A-t
5 playground with painted court games. A small
grass play area and an onsite parking area for 53
cars is also located on the site.

Franklin Elementary School. Franklin
Elementary School is a 5.0 acre school site
located on Montana Avenue in the Montana
Avenue neighborhood. It is developed with a
small turf baseball field and an expansive
blacktop area (approximately 58,000 square
feet) with a basketball court as well as other
painted court games.

Crant Elementary School. Grant School is
located on Pearl Street in the Sunset Park
neighborhood. Recreational facilities at this 6.0
acre school include a large blacktop area
(approximately 77,000 square feet) with
miscellaneous painted court games and a small
grass play area (approximately 18,000 square
feet). There is also an onsite parking lot of
approximately 42 cars in addition to a smaller
lot of 14 cars off of Pearl Street.

McKinley Elementary School. McKinley
Elementary is located on Santa Monica
Boulevard in the Mid-City neighborhood. The
school has a grass field play area (approximately
40,800 square feet) that is used for baseball,
softball and t-ball, and a large blacktop area
(approximately 63,000 square feet) with
miscellaneous painted court games. There is also
an onsite parking lot for approximately 50 can.

John Muir Elementary School/SMASH. The
new John Muir/SMASH school complex is
located on Fifth Street adjacento the existing
Los Amigos Park which will be utilized by the
school when it is in session.

Will Rogers Elementary School. Will Rogers
School is located on l4th Street in the Sunset
Park neighborhood. The school contains a large
blacktop play area with painted court games, a
grass play field and several basketball courts.

A-16
There is a large blacktop play area at the
southeast corner of the school property (33,000
square feet), adjacento l6th Street, which is
utilized for parking. A parking lot accommodating 28 cars is located on l4th Street adjacento the main entry to school. Will Rogers
Elementary School is 8.2 acres in area.

Roosevelt Elementary School. Roosevelt
School is located on Montana Avenue in the
northwestern Wilshire/Montana neighborhood of
the City. This 5.5 acre facility contains one
large blacktop play area (approximately 42,000
square feet) with miscellaneous painted court
games and a small grass play area (approximately 12,000 square feet). There are also two tennis courts and an onsite parking lot of
approximately 50 cars.

Secondary Schools
John Adams Middle School. JohnAdams
Middle School is located on l6th Street across
from Will Rogers Elementary and across Pearl
Street from Santa Monica College. This school,
the largest middle school at 16 acres, has a large
grass play area (approximately 240,000 square
feet or 5.5 acres) containing two lighted junior
baseball fields. The school also has two tennis
courts, five blacktop basketball courts and a
gymnasium. The fields at John Adams are also
used for soccer and football.

The fields are used by Santa Monica College for
football practice and for women's soccer. In
exchange for use, the soccer field is maintained
by the College. The fields are also used by the
Western Youth Baseball Organization, Santa
Monica Little League, Bobby Sox softball,
AYSO, Crossroads School, SAMOHI athletic
programs, the City Youth Sports Program, and
the Santa Monica Rugby league. The
gymnasium is used by the YWCA for a girls
basketball league.

Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
Lincoln Middle School. Lincoln Middle
School, located on California Avenue between
14th and 16th avenues. contains an outdoor
track with a grass infield (approximately 84,500
square feet), two tennis courts which double as
basketball courts, an enclosed pool facility
(discussed below) and a gymnasium. The
school is 9.6 acres in area. Fields at Lincoln
Middle School are used by the CityYouth Sports
Program and the AYSO.

Santa Monica High School. Santa Monica
High School (SAMOHI) is situated on 25 acres
bounded by Fourth Street, Pico Boulevard,
Seventh Street and Olympic Boulevard.

Recreational facilities on the school property
include one football field, one combination
baseball and soccer field, and seven tennis
courts. The tennis courts were recently
resurfaced by the Riviera Country Club in
exchange for their use in their youth tennis
camp. Also located at SAMOHI are the Bamum
Hall and amphitheater.

Community College
Santa Monica College. Santa Monica College
occupies 37 acres between Pearl Street and Pico
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
Lincoln JuniorTV
HighSchoolt:) r..tuh?,;at
:',::::: pafk
'ilii#iifi,@,.,:,rO
,
, lLos:Amiioi Park
Boulevard. The City's Municipal Pool is located
on the grounds and is utilized by both the city
and the College with operating expenses shared
on a pro rata basis.

The College has a gymnasium that contains
three full basketball courts, and is used largely
by college students, but also accommodates
some community functions during the summer
months. There is also a football field and track
on the grounds which currently constitutes the
only football stadium within the City. The track
is well utilized by the public. The college also
has eight tennis courts which were damaged by
the Northridge earthquake. The courts are
currently accommodating temporary classrooms
while permanent structures undergo repair.

Some of the college athletic programs utilize
field space at the adjacent John Adams Middle
School. There are also galleries, theaters and an
amphitheater located on the campus.

Madison Campus (formerly the Madison
Elementary School site). This campus of
Santa Monica College occupies a four acre
site on Arizona Avenue between 1Oth and I tth
streets. The school site does not contain anv
recreational facilities.

A-t 7
Santa Manica r:t
. Highkhool\J) O
:,;:... ',,
,: Los Amigos
'j::.. l : ..:.
i ,.,,. .:::.::::::
.
.i:::..:,:,::.:,,,
.

Existing Baseball Fields
Parks 1 3
Schools 4
Total 17
Des not include existing small non-event play fields at Ropers Schals and olanned fields at Cahhorri antl Cra
Franklin and
6)
Santailonica
Citf Collete
,'o '
Saqta'Monica
,,High khiiol
Other Recreational Facilities
ln addition to parks and school facilities, there are
a number of specialized recreational facilities that
are operated by the City and which play an
important role in the provision of recreational
services in the City. These include the Municipal
Pool, located at Santa Monica College, the Santa
Monica State Beach facility located at4l5 Pacific
Coast Highway, and the PoliceActivities lrague
located adjacent to Memorial Park.

Swimming Pool Facilities
There are three public pool facilities that are
open for public use (although one is currently
closed for repair due to earthquake damage).

Santa Monica Municipal Pool. Located on the
campus of Santa Monica College, the Municipal
Pool is 33-ll3 yards by 25 yards and varies from
2-112 to 5 feet deep, and includes a separate
diving pool which is 8 to 12feet deep. There is
also a smaller diving pool at this location. Of all
the pool locations, the Municipal Pool has been
the traditional site for swimming in Santa
Monica and is where many Santa Monicans
learned to swim. The pool is outdoors and
A_18
Parks
Schools
includes indoor lockers, showers and a
recreation room. Santa Monica Municipal Pool
is excellent for teaching children to swim and
for summer programs but the shallow end is too
shallow for competitive swimming. The pool
also requires extensive maintenance due to the
age of the facility (constructed in the 1950s).

Lincoln Pool. Lincoln Pool is an enclosed
facility located at Lincoln Middle School at l6th
Street and Washington Avenue. The pool is 24-
l/2yafisby l3-l/2 yards and varies from3-I/2
to 9-ll2 feet deep. This pool is good for winter
use, as it is indoors, but it is too deep for
teaching young children and the shallow end is
too shallow for diving. The pool allows 2l lap
swimmers at one time and has a small seating
area that can accommodate 30 persons. This
facility has been closed due to extensive damage
from the Northridge earthquake, but is
scheduled to reopen in late 1997 or 1998.

Santa Monica High School. The largest public
pool is the facility at Santa Monica High School,
and is for school and city/community swim
programs. The pool is 25 meters long by 25
yards and varies from 4 to 14 feet in depth. This
pool has a large seating area (500 persons), a
Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
knta MbAica
Hich School "o
{indar)
Existing Swimming Pools
Parks
Sclqqlt
Total
0 3
3 Virginia/-;\ Santa Monici
Avenuep;rk\!/ City College
''i'i;'{!Y#::,@ 6al
r.,O-,,r pfiaaa^sf
ng Gymnasiums
Parks
Schools
3 )
8 good diving area and is located indoors, which is
an advantage for winter use. The pool is generally
too deep for younger children's programs.

Santa Monica State Beach Facilitv
(41s PCH)
This facility is a remnant of the 1929 estate of
film actress Marion Davies. While the main
house was demolished in 1956, the remaining
facilities and clubhouse were operated by a
private operator and then the City for public day
use and event rental; however, the facility is
currently closed due to damage from the
Northridge earthquake. The entire 4.98 acre
property is designated as a point of historical
interest by the City Landmarks Commission, and
the North House has been designated acity
landmark. An analysis of use options for this
facility is currently underway.

Police Activities League (PAL) Facilities
The Police Activities League (PAL) Youth
Center is located on Olympic Boulevard
adjacento Memorial Park. The 19,000 square
foot facility includes a computer room,
gymnasium, classroom, dance room, kitchen,
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
lounge, arts and crafts room, counseling room
and office. Activities which occur at the gym
include practice and league basketball, volleyball,
wrestling, floor hockey, and badminton. The PAL
gymnasium is not regulation size, and does not
have room for bleachers.

PAL also operates a gym space at Virginia
Avenue Park. This facility is used primarily for
boxing, weightlifting and karate classes.

Public Gathering Places
Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Monica Pier
located at the terminus of Colorado Avenue is a
popular beach-oriented amusement center. The
Pier has a tradition of providing seaside
recreation and entertainment that dates back to
the tum of the century. It differs from other
piers in the region in that it provides low-cost
entertainment, including a carousel (25 cent
ride), video arcades, and off-pier fishing. It is a
regional recreational draw and also serves the
local community through a variety of citysponsored cultural programs, including art shows and concerts. The Pier is desisnated a
City Landmark.

A-19
Total 10
D@s not include 25 infomal beach couds.

Santa Monica State Beach. The City manages
approximately 209 acres of Santa Monica State
Beach through an operating agreement with the
State of California. This agreement has been in
effect since 1949. The City is responsible for
the care, maintenance, development, operation
and control of the Santa Monica State Beach
property through 2006.

Third Street Promenade. The City maintans2.4
acres of grounds at the Third Street Promenade,
which is a pedestrian-only street bounded at Third
Street by Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway. The
Third Stneet Promenade, which emerged as a very
popular destination in the community survey,
provides a valuable venue for community and
social interaction, as well as providing a location
for cultural events and programs and public art.

Civic Center. The Santa Monica Civic Center
area includes approximately 45 acres of land
that includes the Santa Monica City Hall, the
Civic Auditorium, a County Courthouse and the
offices of the Rand Corporation. Future plans
for the Civic Center call for developing the area
into a mixed-use center that is organized around
a system ofnew parks and open spaces,
pedestrianways, courtyards and gardens. In
A-20
total, redevelopment of the civic center site will
add approximately 13 acres of open space
within the 45 acre Civic Center area. The Civic
Center buildings contain an outstanding
collection of permanent and temporary artworks.

Gardens and Habitats
Community Gardens
There are 70 plots available within two
community gardens. There is cunently a
waiting list of more than 100 persons for garden
plots. To be eligible, individuals must be
residents of the city and pay an annual fee.

There is no limit on how long a resident may
hold a plot provided that the garden is planted
and maintained on a year-round basis. There is
a limit of one plot per household.

The two community gardens have been in
operation for over 20 years. All garden plots
must be well maintained and used exclusively
for growing fruit, flowers and vegetables for the
growers' personal consumption. No commercial
use of the gardens is allowed.

Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
:, ..,',,.''....,.,.,,,
:' : Plaia"'u Y':;Af-6:

Lincoln lunior.l;, (^ t96
Hig,h Schcrll\9 . . V,-, " Memor'a' tohn{dams
Park >cnoot
Park 27' (ts lighted) s-sLed{l!
Total 42
' Des not include S.M-C-
Main Street Community Carden. The largest
community garden, approximately one-half acre
in area, is located along Main Street and
provides l8-foot by 2O-foot plots for 60
residents. Views of the garden are somewhat
diminished by unattractive chain link fencing
that is placed along the perimeters of the garden.

Park Drive Community Carden. The Park
Drive Park community garden provides l0
garden plots within Park Drive Park. This
garden is not publicly accessible and is screened
from view by a slatted chain link fence.

Demonstration Gardens
Civic Center. Three examples of xeriscape
gardens are maintained within the Civic Center
area. These gardens are supplemented with
informational placards and a self-guided tour
brochure. At times, the City sponsors tours of
the gardens with school groups and other
interested organizations.

Ocean Park Boulevard. Tltere are additional
xeriscape pocket gardens along Ocean Park
Boulevard that were installed and maintained by
the City. While the gardens provide pathways,
the linear areas tend to serve more as visual
enhancements for neighbors and those traveling
along Ocean Park Boulevard.

Habitats
Twenty-third Street Hillside. There is a
sloping area of approximately three acres
adjacento the Municipal Airport along 23rd
Street that is currently fenced and informally
planted with wildflowers, perennials and shrubs.

Green Streets
There are several streets in Santa Monica that
contain significant land area dedicated to trees
and landscaping. These streets provide
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks
opportunities for linear recreational activity as
well as visual amenitv.

San Vicente Boulevard. The lush San Vcente
Boulevard median runs from Ocean Avenue to
26th Street at the northem edge of the City. The
median is 38 feet wide and approximately 2 miles
long and is planted with distinctive Coral trees.

The median totals 8.74 acres in area and is one of
the most popular jogging locations in the city.

Olympic Boulevard. The Olympic Boulevard
median, which runs from Centinela to 1Oth
Street, is 36 feet wide, approximately 3.5 miles
in length, and equates to approximately 6.5
acres in area. Like the San Vicente median. it is
planted with Coral trees.

Fourth Street. The existing median on Fourth
Street is 25 feet wide and runs from Montana
Avenue nonh toAdelaide Drive for a linear length
of one half mile, totaling 1.35 acres in area. This
median is planted with turf and palm trees and is
the setting for impromptu recreational activity.

Pathways
Beach Promenade and Bike Path. T\e Beach
Promenade runs south from the Santa Monica
Pier to Bay Street for a linear length of
approximately one-half mile. The Promenade is
a 20-foot walkway adjacent to a variety of
shops, restaurants, apartment complexes and the
carousel park. There is also a promenade which
runs north of the Pier to the I 100 block of
Pacific Coast Highway.

The Beach Bike Path is a part of the larger
Pacific Coast Bicycle Route which runs along
the beach from north of Santa Monica to
Torrance. The ponion of the path in Santa
Monica is three miles in length and is 15 feet
wide. Most of the route consists of a separate
bike path on the beach and is fully separated
from auto traffic.

A-21
The Beach Promenade and Bike Path are highly
popular recreational facilities for pedestrians,
bicyclists and in-line skaters On peak summer
days, over 2,000 pedestrians, bicyclists and inline skaters use the paths, causing conflicts among the various users. Widening the path, or
creating a separate facility for the segment
between the Pier and Bay Street is currently
proposed as part of the Santa Monica Beach
Trail Project.

City Bicycle Raute Network. The City's
existing bicycle network consists of several
miles of bike paths, lanes and routes throughout
the City. As mentioned previously, the Beach
Bike Path is the only separated bicycle path
(Class I) in the City. Striped bicycle Ianes
(Class II) exist on Ocean Avenue, San Vicente
Boulevard, and portions of Califomia Avenue,
Arizona Avenue, Broadway, Pearl Street and
Ocean Park Avenue. Seventeenth Street is
designated at the primary north-south bicycle
route; it is a posted route (Class III) that shares
right-of-way with automobiles.

A-22 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
APPENDIX 2:

Youth Sports Programs. Afterschool sports and
recreation programs are offered through the
Youth and Teen Sports Section of the Human
Services Division at the eight elementary
schools and two middle school sites. The
programs offered include flag football,
basketball, t-ball, soccer, softball, track and
field, and volleyball. The Community and
Cultural Services Department and the Police
Department have joined together to create the
Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL),
which provides a variety of sports and recreation
programs including badminton, boxing, camping,
fishing, golf, karate, weightlifting and wrestling.

Programs for lndividuals with SpecialNeeds.

The Westside Special Olympics hosts a variety
of sporting activities for individuals with special
needs. These programs include basketball,
bowling, floor hockey, golf, gymnastics,
powerlifting, downhill skiing, soccer, swimmi n g,
tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Adult and Senior Programs. The Parks and
Sports Division offers a wide range of adult
sports including softball, basketball and
volleyball. Swim classes are offered through the
Existi ng Resou rces-Recreation Programs
Community Sports and Recreation
Current Services
There are a variety of nonprofit and private
recreation organizations as well as the City of
Santa Monica that provide important sport and
recreation programs, both traditional and
nontraditional for children, teens, adults and
seniors. These agencies use City park and open
space facilities, their own facilities, or a
combination of both.

Each recreational activity has its own specific
space requirements as well as different
intensities of use depending on the number of
participants involved and length of play (Table
12). ln Santa Monica, recreational programs
have long focused away from large landintensive sports, such as golf and horseback riding. Instead, they feature more urban
activities, with large segments of the community
involved in team sports as active participants in
various leagues (seeTable 13).

The City currently offers the following
community sport and recreation programs:

Appendix ll : Existi ng Resources-Recreation Programs
Table 12
Dimensions
Area
(s.r.) Players
Duration
of Game
s.r.i
Person
Comparison of lntensity of Use of Recreational Facilities Type of Facility
Skateboard Park
Shuffleboard
Volleyball
HandballCourt
Basketball Court,
High School
Tennis
Roller Hockey
Field Hockey
Football
Soccer, High School
Softball
Baseball
Colf Course
10-20,000 s.f.
52' x 6'
60'x 30'
40'x20'
84'x 50'
36'x78'
1 80' x 80'
15O'x27O'
300' x 1 60'
'l 95' x 330'
25O'x25O'
350'x 350'
9-'lB holes
10-20,000 s.f.
312
1,800
800
4,2OO
2,808
14,400
40,500
48,000
64,350
62,50O
122,5O0
1 60 ac.

N/A
20 minutes
48 minutes
no limit
40-60 minutes
70 minutes
60 minutes
90 minutes
no limit
no limit
2 to 4 hrs.
24 12
22 22
22 18
1B
24 per hole
50-1 00
78 150
400
420
702
'1 ,44O
1,84O
2,181
2,925
3,472
6,805
9,680
200
24 12
2 10
Aquatics Section. Specialized classes for youth,
teens, adults and seniors are offered through the
Community and Senior Programs Division.

These classes include dance, fitness, tennis,
volleyball and yoga.

In addition to City-sponsored programs, a wide
range of sports and recreation programs are
offered by a number of community groups,
schools and nonprofit agencies. The City has
recently collaborated with community groups to
provide programs. Most recently, the Boys and
Girls Club of Santa Monica joined with the City
of Santa Monica to meet the recreational needs
of youth interested in in-line skating-this
resulted in a Winter Break in-line skating rink at
the Boys and Girls Club.

Community Programs
Current Services
Community programming addresses nonsports
classes and programs sponsored by the City of
Santa Monica. The city has defined its
programming niche broadly, encompassing a
wide variety of program offerings in the areas of
recreation, fitness, self defense and special
interest classes such as computer basics, internet
instruction, foreign languages, piano,
photography, and oriental healing arts. Santa
Monica College offers a wide range of
workshops, seminars, lectures, trips, classes for
adults and children through their Community
Service program. The YMCA and YWCA offer
A-24 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997
Table 13
Current Sports/League Participation
Number of
SporVleague ParticiPants
Flag Football
Flag Football Program
Superstars Flag Football
Boys and Cirls Club
Subtotal
Volleyball
Youth Volleyball
Adult Leagues
Subtotal
Basketball
PAL
WVCA Cirls Basketball
Boys and Cirls Club
City Youth Sports
Westside Special Olympics
Adult Leagues
Adult Leagues 2,500
Subtotal
Aquatics
Master's
Team Santa Monica
Westside Special Olym pics
City Swim
Recreational Lap Swiml
exercise, boxing, racquetball, handball, and CPR
classes, A number of nonprofit organizations,
including Academy of Dance and Kindred Arts,
Piero Dusa Acting Academy, Santa Monica
Playhouse, Westside Academy of Dance, and
Continuum Studio, offer dance and theatre classes.

Cultural Arts Programs
Current Services
Civic Art Programs. The City of Santa Monica
established its Arts Program and an Arts
Commission in 1982 and adopted a Cultural
Arts Master Plan in 1992, which was updated in
1996. The City manages and maintains a
collection of eighteen works of public art and
ten murals. Art elements are included in all of
Santa Monica's public works projects such as
the Beach Improvement Group Project, the Pico
Boulevard Streetscape Improvement Plan, the
Downtown Streetscape Plan, and the design for
the new Santa Monica Police, Fire and
Emergency Operations Center as a part of the
City's Percent for Art Program. The City also
maintains a large collection of portable artworks
by contemporary artists in Los Angeles County
which hangs in public buildings.

Art Festivals and Celebrations. Every year, the
City produces the Santa Monica Festival, a
multicultural, multidisciplinary celebration of
Santa Monica's cultural and ethnic history. This
all-day performing arts celebration in Clover
Park provides opportunities for both children
and adults to learn of the rich traditions that
have contributed to present-day Santa Monica
through the work of artists. In other large-scale
festival events, the City has collaborated with
450
147
50 647
392
320
712
160
225
300
750
40 125
Subtotal
Soccer
AYSO
Santa Monica United
Boys and Cirls Club (indoor)
Westside Special Olympics
1,600
1,500
600
100
22 Subtotal
Baseball, Softball and T-ball
Little League
Western Youth Baseball fusociation
Bobby Sox
Westside Special Olympics
2,222
1,115
250
400
62 4,327
s00
1s0
20 2,70O
7,50O
Subtotal
Tennis
Westside Special Olympics
PAL
Sanla Monica Team Tennis
Santa Monica Tennis Club
Tennis Pirons2
10,870
24 B5
250
750
200
Subtotal 1.309
This is based on current registration and enrollment in 1996-97 programs. For many programs, enrollment is limited, and participants are turned away due to limited facilities.

Notes:

1. Number of s'vimmers during summer months.

2. There are 25,000 tennis reservations (1 houd made on an annual basis.

Appendi x I I : Exi sti ng Resou rces-Recreation Programs A-25 Santa Monica Place. the consulates of
Argentina, Japan, the Netherlands and Hong
Kong, the American Film Institute (AFI) and the
Americas Society Film Festival to provide a
range of programs that feature the arts, film and
crafts from around the world. The Twilight
Dance Festival at the Santa Monica Pier offers
free dance concerts durins the summer.

Cultural Art Grant Programs. The City
currently operates a grant program providing up
to $5,000 to Santa Monica-based nonprofit arts
agencies and community organizations for
approximately l5 to 20 art projects annually
such as theater workshops and artist-inresidence programs in local schools, dance classes and performances in City parks, and
music, visual, and performance art projects in
venues throughout the City.

City-Sponsored Classes. Classes in the arts are
offered by the City, including dance such as
flamenco, tango, salsa and tap; piano and guitar
instruction; and photography. Classes and
workshops in the arts are also available at the
Police Activities League as well as the
C.R.E.S.T. afterschool program, which offers
classes in the arts to Santa Monica's vouth.

Children, Teen and Family Programs
Current Services
The City of Santa Monica has been in the
forefront of providing programs that have a
direct impact on the quality of life for children,
teens and their families. In 1989, the 10 Year
Action Plan for Youth and the Child Care Master
Plan (1991) established the City's vision and
blueprint for how services would be provided to
children, youth and their families through its
various departments and programs.

The following outlines the different City programs
supporting children, teens and families:

Specialized classes for young children at
Douglas, Marine and Lincoln parks provide
early childhood opportunities through the
Learning Through Play groups to Computer
Education programs for young children.

The City's Community Co-Arts and Latino CoArts Grants Program grants community-based organizations funds to support cultural arts
programs in the schools and other community
venues. The Santa Monica Arts Foundation's
Art Transportation Grants makes possible field
trips for children and teens to cultural
institutions in the Los Anseles area.

Virginia Avenue Park Thelma Terry Center is a
multipurpose center that offers educational,
cultural and recreation programs to children and
teens from school dismissal to 7:00 p.m.

The Citywide Youth Employment Training
Program is a job training, education, and
employment partnership between the City and
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

The City and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
School District have teamed up to offer a variety
of programs on the different elementary and
middle school campuses. The citywide sports
program provides opportunities for boys and
girls in grades K-2nd to have a positive sports
experience in a noncompetitive environment.

Girls and boys in grades 3 through 8 are able to
participate in competitive sports leagues. A new
innovative venture between the City and Santa
Monica-Malibu Unified School District is the
CREST program and After Schools Activities
Program (ASAP) at four elementary schools and
John Adams and Lincoln Middle Schools to
improve the quality and safety of before and
afterschool programming. In addition to the
CREST program, the City offers a drop-in
A-26 Park and Recreation Master Plan . March 1997
recreational program at the four remaining
elementary schools.

Homework support is offered through the Child
Care Recreation Enrichment Sports Together
(CREST) school-age child care program, Virginia
Avenue Park, PAL and the Public Library. There
are a variety of programs offered for children in
the public libraries, such as storytelling for
toddlers and preschoolers in English and Spanish,
suruner fun reading clubs, and a homework center
at the Fairview Branch Librarv.

There are several community not-for-profit
agencies that offer afterschool programs for
youth including the Boys and Girls Club,
YMCA, YWCA, and the Bay Cities Jewish
Community Center. Lastly, SMMUSD is
beginning to embark on a three-year Infant and
Family Support Project Initiative to establish
family support centers at two pilot Santa Monica
Elementary Schools to connect pregnant women
and families of children age 0-3 with their
neighbors and other communitv resources.

Programs for Persons
with Disabilities
Current Services
The City has an informal policy to ensure that
individuals with disabilities are integrated into
all City-sponsored programs based on
reasonable accommodation needs. The City's
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Coordinator provides technical assistance and
also administers an ADA operating budget to
cover the costs ofproviding reasonable
accommodations. City staff receives periodic
disability awareness trai ning.

The City sponsors several recreation and leisure
programs geared to persons with disabilities.

Appendix ll : Existing Resources-Recreation Programs
These include Eyecycle (andem cycling for those
who are visually impaired), Explorers (weekend
excursions), and a library shut-in service (home
delivery of library materials by volunteers).

Programs targeting people with developmental
disabilities include the Westside Special Olympics,
a social club, self defense instruction, monthly
dances, music rehearsals, volleyball, modern
dance, camping, and bicycling.

In addition, the City assists with funding the
WISE Paratransit Program, WISE adult day care
programs (for individuals with cognitive
impairments and/or Alzheimers disease) ;
information and referrals, adaptive home
equipment, independent living skills and
advocacy services through the Westside Center
for Independent Living (WCL); assistive
technology and computer training through the
Computer Access Center; home-delivered meals
through Santa Monica-Malibu Meals on Wheels;
HIV/AIDS services and education through the
Santa Monica AIDS Project; services for
individuals with mental illness through Step Up
on Second; and vision exams, mobility skills,
and independent living training through the
Center for the Partially Sighted.

Programs provided by other organizations for
Santa Monica residents with disabilities include
adaptive swimming programs, the Stroke
Recovery Program, and a recovery program for
individuals with traumatic brain injury, all
through Santa Monica College; mental health
services for individuals who are deaf or hard of
hearing through St. John's Mental Health
Center; "Twinges in the Hinges" for people with
arthritis through the YMCA; adaptive gymnastics
through the Broadway Gymnastics School; sports
and recreation through the Unrecables group
sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of Disabled
Sports, USA; and wheelchair track through the
Achilles Track Club.

A-27
Senior Programs
Current Services
Santa Monica is served by a variety of
government, nonprofit, and private senior
service providers. The City of Santa Monica
operates a Senior Recreation Center in Palisades
Park,lunch programs, offers recreation and
leisure activities, volunteer opportunities, special
events, as well as day and overnightrips. The
City also funds Meals on Wheels, adult day care
and paratransit, health exams, and education and
counseling through the Center for Healthy
Aging, LIEU-CAP, the Center for the Partially
Sighted, and the Latino Resource Organization.

The City has established aCommission on
Older Americans and a Senior Recreation Center
Advisory Council, and has several publications
which address the senior audience, including
Episodes, the Directory of Senior Housing and
Health Care Facilities in Santa Monica, and the
Senior Resource Directory.

The City's direct service programming to
seniors provides recreational activities which are
primarily social in nature such as: dance, games
and sports, excursions, music, crafts and special
events, and provides an affordable lunch
program at several locations throughout the City.

Santa Monica is an important resource provider
in the community, providing opportunities for
nonprofit organizations providing services and
activities for seniors to utilize facilities at low or
no cost if determined to enhance upon the
program directly provided by the City.

The City is well served by several other major
institutions which provide important services,
education, programs and activities, including
Emeritus College (Santa Monica College), Santa
Monica UCLA Medical Center, St. John's
Hospital and Health Center (which is planning a
senior housing and wellness center), the YMCA,
and YWCA. Local religious organizations also
provide needed case management for seniors,
including Jewish Family Services and Catholic
Social Services.

A-28 Park and Recreation Master Plan , March 1997
Community Demographics
Demographic Trends in
APPEN DIX 3:

Santa Monica
Looking toward the next twenty years in the life
of the City, projections indicate very little
population growth. Currently, there are 89,194
people living in Santa Monica and the
population is anticipated to grow by 4,000
residents (or a population of 93,400) by the year
2010. Although the town is not expected to
grow significantly, the demand for recreation
will only continue to increase.

Population Density. Santa Monica is an
urban, densely developed community which
places a premium on park and open space
resources. The City is 8.3 square miles,
equating to 5,363 acres in area. Since 1970,
the population has been roughly stable at
almost 90,000 persons (89,194 persons based
on 1995 State Department of Finance
estimates). This equates to a population
density of 10,470 persons per square mileone of California's more densely populated communities. By way of comparison, this is
approximately twice the population density of
Pasadena, which is approximately 5,000
persons per square mile, and two thirds the
density of San Francisco, the most densely
populated California city, which is approximately 15,000 persons per square mile.

Appendix lll: Community Demographics
Age. The 1990s saw an increase in the number
of households with small children which can be
attributed to "baby boom" parents having
children. As these children grow up they will
enter their most active years with respect to
sports and recreation. In 1990, the median age
was 37.9 years of age. Approximately l4Vo of
the city's population is under the age of l8-the
years which are most active in terms of
participation in organized sports and recreation.

Trends between 1980 and 1990 indicate an
increase in working age adults and households
having small children, and a decrease in the
number of school age children, young adults and
young senior citizens (ages 55 to 74). The increase
in the number of young children may soon halt the
decline in the school age population.

School-age Youth. According to the 1990
Census, Santa Monica has approximately 12,000
individuals under the age of 18, or 13.8Vo of the
population (1990 U.S. Census). Those under 5
represent 4.lVo of the population, while 9.17o
are between the ages of 5 and 17. According to
the October 1966 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
School District (SMMUSD)K-12 student data,
the total district enrollment is 11,094. Santa
Monica-Mal ibu Unified S chool Districts permits
students of parents who live out of district but
work in Santa Monica. According to SMMUSD
Child Development Services 1996-1997 student
A-29
enrollment, there are currently 36l preschool
children Q.9 - 5 years) enrolled in State Preschool
and Full Day Child Care Programs.

Algg6 Survey of the racial and ethnic breakdown of
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District shows
the following distribution: American Indians/Al askan
Natives (0.29Vo), AsianlPacifi c Islanden (6.l2Va),
Black (8 i7 4Vo), Filipinos (0'29Vo), Hispanic Q6.91Vo), and White/An glo (57 .65Vo).

The 1997-98 total district enrollment projection is
11,278. Over the next five years, Santa MonicaMalibu Unified School District is projecting a growth in enrollment to ll J32 students.

Seniors. In 1990, Santa Monica had 14,351(1990
Census)residents 65 years or older. This is l6.5Va of
Santa Monica's total 1990 population of 86,905, and
higher than the lZVo national average. According to
a preliminary 7992 elderly demographic analysis for
the Westside (ajoint endeavor ofWISE and RAND),
few elderly are moving to the Westside, and many of
the future elderly may be leaving. The study found
that the senior population in Santa Monica between
1980 and 1990 decreased slightly, and that many
Westside seniors were "aging in place" (not moving
out of the area after retirement), were more educated
and more active than seniors in areas with
traditionally large numbers of elderly inhabitants.

Although based on data which is now five years old,
the study also found that the oldest old - the 75+
population - is growing, and that the 65-74 and 55-
64 populations are actually decreasing. It is
important to note the study did not make projections,
but did note that nationally, seniors (65+) will
increase from I2Va of the population in l99Oto21Va
of the population in 2030. Several other key factors
and trends affecting the senior population in Santa
Monica were noted as well, including vacancy
deconffol, cuffent tax law, and high property values
(cost of living).

Persons with Disabilities. The U.S. Census does
not keep records indicating the number of persons
A-30
with disabilities. The Department of Rehabilitation
estimates that a minimum of 72 percent of a
population has a disabling condition of some type,
and other studies show that 16 percent of all
Americans have a disabling condition. Santa Monica
has a large senior population and it is safe to assume
that a significantportion of this population has some
sort of disability. Also, the local school district
administers an excellent Special Education program
that draws families who have children with
disabilities to Santa Monica.

Westside Regional Center, which serves children and
adults with developmental disabilities, has over 60
children in Santa Monica between the ages of 3 and
1 1 as clients. In addition, Santa Monica College has
approximately 900 students of all ages with
disabilities, andapproximately 300 of these students
are Santa Monica residents.

Housing. Most Santa Monicans are renterc and live
in high-density housing which ffeates demandfor
open space andparks to address recreational needs
away from the home. According to the 1990 Census,
the majority of the residents are renters Q2.5 percent), while only 77.5 percent were owner occupants.

However, the proportion of owner-occupants is slowly
increasing (upfrom 22percentin 1980). Seventy five
percent of residens live in multifamily housing.

Household Characteristics. Santa Monica has a
relatively greater share of "nontraditional" households (particularly female-headed households and single-person households) indicating a need for a
park and recreation system that is flexible and can
serve avariety ofpurposes. The averagehousehold size in Santa Monica is 1.88 persons-about one-half (49.6 percent) are single-person households. In 1990, almost one-third of the families with children under 18 were headed by a single
female, and 45 percent of those households were
living in low income, near poverty, or at poverty level.

This group is oriented to active sports and would rely
on community-based facilities for such activities.

Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
APPEN DIX 4:

Recreational Trends
Changing Life-styles and Leisure
Time in America
Americans as a whole are spending more time
working, commuting and attending school,
which has lead to an erosion of leisure time.

Since the 1970s, we have experienced a 30
percent loss in leisure time, equating to about
eight hours per week. Despite this decline, the
amount of leisure time spent on recreational
activities has remained constant. One of the
primary ways that we are able to maintain our
commitment to recreational pursuits is to engage
in activities that are close to home. As a whole,
we are taking more trips for leisure purposes; in
order to save valuable time. however. the
majority of these trips (short outings and day
trips) are within 10 miles of home.

In addition, the nature of recreational activities
has evolved with changes in larger social trends.

The 1960s and 70s were marked by increased
interest and involvement in social issues and a
concern for the environment that fueled a
renewed interest in the outdoors and the use of
recreation and leisure time as a path to self
fulfillment. Physically demanding sports and an
emphasis on personal excellence is also more
common in recreational pursuits today. In
addition, a growing diversity in cultures and
household types has expanded the number of
Appendix lV: Recreational Trends
activities pursued during leisure time, and access
to cultural amenities has also broadened our
recreational pursu its.

Sports. According the Sporting Goods
Manufacturing Association (SGMA), the
sporting goods industry does not project trends
past one year. However, in a 1996 State of the
Industry Report, the industry does show that
baseball participation has risen almost2Vo
during the last five years. The SGMA reports
the growing participation of girls in school sport
teams such as basketball. softball. soccer and
volleyball. Women represent 54Vo of all core
fitness participation. The U.S. Latino
population is also increasing in its buying
power, especially in the soccer and baseball
industry. Since 1990, the in-line skating market
has shown a fivefold increase in participation,
and has given rise to sports such as roller
hockey, currently one of the fastest growing
sports in the counffy.

Soccer leads all team sports as the number one
supervised activity for individuals under the age
of 18. Females account for 39Vo of all players.

The outdoor/camping equipment market is also
seeing an influx of many more participants.

Bowling remains a strong and steady market for
the sporting goods industry. According to the
SGMA report, bowling is the most popular sport
A-31
in the United States, based on participation one
or more times per year. Golf has generally
remained constant over the last four years.

Tennis is increasing after a decline. Court
volleyball seems to have temporarily plateaued,
while beach/sand volleyball has experienced
three years of steadY growth.

Youth Programs. The National League of
Cities 1996 survey "Critical Needs, Critical
Choices" shows that across the country nearly
every city has a direct vested interest in children
and families. From programs for young children
to programs for teens and programs for families,
communities are responding to critical issues
affecting children and families. According to
the NLC survey, the most pressing needs of
children and families are child care followed by
housing stability and family stability. Taking
these concerns into account, many cities are
struggling with how to ensure that their
youngest residents receive a healthy and safe
start in life and how to help teens have positive
experiences that will help prepare them for the
adult world. One consistent trend for many
cities appears to be increasing recreation
activities as a successful way to address the
needs of youth. Recreation activities help create
caring neighborhoods, provide opportunities for
youth to connect to their community, and act as
a deterrent to youth violence, dropping out of
school, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Recognizing the role and importance of
community partners, the City has increased its
involvement in collaborations that directly
impact important community issues. This
nationwide shift toward more community
collaborations is due in part to the promotion of
a shared responsibility among the community,
program fragmentation and specialization, more
funding dedicated to collaboration, and the need
to maximize resources due to dwindling federal
and state level responsibility. In addition, the
movement toward school-based community
A-32
centers, collaborative partnerships and youth
partnership models represents many City efforts
to: 1) address the critical need to provide young
people safe, structured environments in the
hours that they are not in school; 2) develop
opportunities for partnerships with community
organizations and businesses; and 3) create more
ways to involve young people in community
leadership roles.

The Children's Partnership, anational policy
organization, in their 1994 publication
America's Children and The Information
Superhighway reports that children growing up
in the 21st century are being directly affected by
the Information Superhighway. This report
stresses that local communities must begin to
look at these new technologies to better meet the
needs of its residents. Across the county, the
new technologies are being used in public
libraries, afterschool recreation programs, and as
a means to create comprehensive community
centers where the functions of library, play area,
job training facility and social service offices
could be combined.

As a result of the current City programs and
national trends, the City recognizes that helping
to support children become healthy adults must
be achieved through a variety of activities inside
and outside the classroom. Recreation activities
for children and youth must not be exclusively
focused on competitive traditional sports. While
athletics do help children and youth learn how to
work cooperatively, gain confidence and
maintain physical fitness, they should not be the
only recreational opportunity available to
children. Programs for children and youth must
be linked with enriched early childhood
development and education programs, health
care and social service needs.

Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997
APPEN DIX 5:

Community Priorities
Public Outreach Results
An extensive public outreach program was
conducted to determine the values and attitudes
of Santa Monica residents regarding parks,
recreation and open space needs. The public
outreach program included a telephone survey
of Santa Monica residents; a community open
house and workshops; a park user profile
collected at the parks; and a youth outreach
program that polled Santa Monica elementary,
middle and high school students regarding
recreational activity and preferences. The
results of the public outreach program are fully
described in the Phase I "Community Voices"
report dated February 1996. The following
sections describes the key findings of the
telephone and youth surveys.

Patterns of Park and
Open Space Use
Park Usage. Residents of Santa Monica are
active and frequent users of the City's public open
spaces and parks. On average, a member of a
household visited parks and recreation facilities
almost twice a week. Ninety-three percent of
households with children were park users.

Most Popular Parks. Park visitation patterns
are illustrated in Figure 3. The community as a
whole identified Palisades Park, Lincoln Park,
Clover Park and Douglas Park as the parks they
use most; however, there are differences in park
preferences by age group. Santa Monica High
School students tended to favor the more active
sports parks, specifically Clover, Memorial and
Marine Park, over Palisades Park.

Clover and Douglas Park users are more likely to
have children, while Palisades Park resident users
were more likely to be aged 65 and over. This
clearly reflects the nature of activities offered at the parks, specifically the location of the Senior
Recreation Center within Palisades Park and the
children's play area in Douglas Park.

Means of Travel. More Santa Monicans walk
to parks (46 percent) than drive their cars (40
percent).

Open Space Use. Third Street Promenade, the
beach and the Pier are the most used public open
spaces in the City, and this finding holds true for
every age group. The findings of the community
and youth surveys yield remarkably similar
results regarding the use of open space areas.

Appendix V: Community Priorities 33
Clover
Memorial
Douglas
Lincoln
;ll*riiliiililtliiiii;iii ::'u.
iiit28%
'.
3o'1,, "' ' : '
!& City Residents
{,:fi.ii:fii semoH I students
'...50%
Community Priorities
Overall Priorities. Improving existing parks
and facilities was identified as the top priority
by Santa Monica residents (Figure 4).

Improvements which address park safety and
the homeless issues are the most desired
improvements to city parks, open spaces and
recreation facilities. More than one-third of
all responses described one of these two
actions when asked to describe their most
desired park improvement.

Developing more pedestrian-oriented streets
and open spaces was the second priority-this
finding goes hand-in-hand with the popularity
of walking and socializing as top leisure
pursuits for all age groups. Developing new
parks and open space was the third priority,
followed by development of more plazas and
public gathering places.

Recreational F aci I ity Priorities. With
respecto specific recreational facilities,
bicycle paths, swimming pools, off-leash dog
areas and children's play areas received the
most mention as existing facilities that Santa
Monica needs to expand (Table 16). Youth
and senior centers, swimming Pools,
children's play areas and off-leash dog areas
were identified as the existing facilities most
needing improvement or enhancement by the
City.

There was very strong support for using
school facilities for additional recreation
programs. Ninety-six percent of respondents
supported the use of school facilities for youth
programs and 88 percent favored school
facilities for adult programs.

Recreational Activity Preferences
Favorite Outdoor Activities. Walking was the
most popular outdoor recreational activity of
Santa Monica residents, with 57 percent of
respondents identifying walking when asked
what outside recreational or leisure activities
they engage in. Other favorite pastimes include
bicycling, shopping, eating out, running/jogging
and playing tennis. The results of the youth
surveys revealed somewhat different leisure time
34 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
preferences-while high school students also
rated walking highly, they showed strong
involvement in more active recreational
activities such as swimming, playing basketball,
bicycling and skating sports, as well as
diversions that promote opportunities for social
interaction-the most popular leisure activity
among this age group was "hanging out"
followed by eating, socializing and shopping
(Table 17).

Favorite Park Activities. When asked to
identify their favorite park activities, both high
school and elementary school students favored
baseball, basketball, soccer and football.

Visiting Third Street Promenade, the beach, the
Pier and playing roller hockey/skateboarding/
skating were identified as the most popular open
space and pathway activities among Santa
Monica's youth.

Community Sports. Santa Monicans are active
in a variety of sports activities. Survey
respondents indicated that sports instruction,
swimming, organized competitive sports and
fitness classes were all imponant programs for
children and youth (77 -93Vo of respondents
indicated these activities were "important"). In
addition, a majority of telephone survey
respondents indicated fitness classes (63Vo),
open play field or gym sports (63Vo), and sports
leagues and tournaments (547o) were important
for adults.

The youth outreach completed in Phase Iof the
Parks and Recreation Master Plan and included
in the Community Voices report found that the
most popular sports and outdoor recreation
activities among Santa Monica youth are
walking (38Vo), swimming (317o), basketball
(26Vo),bicycling (26Vo), skating and roller
blading (247o), and running/jogging (23To)-
The City has approximately 1,765 youths
involved in organized baseball and softball, and
approximately 1,600 youths in soccer. Santa
Monica has over 100 men's, 40 women's, and
60 co-ed softball teams; 35-40 adult basketball
teams; and 70-90 adult volleyball teams.

Specific needs identified in the outreach efforts
and documented in the Community Voices
report relate to facility needs and include the
need for more recreational swim opportunities
(particularly for seniors) and additional
opportunities for softbalVbaseball, soccer,
football, and other field sports play. The sports
facilities in the City are heavily used, creating
lmprove or renovate
existing parks and facilities
Develop new
parks and facilities
Provide more tree-shaded
pedestrian-oriented streets
Provide more public
plazas and gathering areas
uk. . .

Figure 4
Community Priorities
' 50./,, '
lmportant
Very lmportant
91%
'
:
75%
r00%
Appendix V: Community Priorities 35
Table 15
CommunitY Priorities
t.ftou"ment or Expansion of Facilities
Existing FacilitY
More of
Existing FacilitY
(Percent)
lmprovement
Needed
(Percent)
Bicycle paths
Swimming Pools
Off-leash dog areas
Children's PlaY areas
Jogging paths
Youth centers
Basketball courts
Tennis courts
Landscaped/grassy areas
Athletic fields
Senior centers
CommunitY gardens
Cymnasiums
Volleyball courts
40 60
55 57
37 63
32 33
45 39
57 42
43 30
26 23
13 12
11 10
9 9
8 6
5 4
4 4
Sanrce: 'Park, Recreation, and Open Space Needs Assessment Suruq'' AtY of Santa Monica, February 1996'
maintenance problems and scheduling issues.

The Santa MonicaYouth Athletic Foundation
has detailed these issues and documented
athletic facility needs in its 1995'A Call to
Action" report.

Community Programs. The City's telephone
suryey, designed to reach a representative cross
section of the Santa Monica population, found
that adults prefer cultural events (917o indicated
that development or improvement was
" important"), disabil ity services (8 | Vo), and
special interest classes (727o). Although the
survey did not enumerate specific types of
36 cultural events, disability services or special
interest classes, several of the respondents
expressed the desire for more free, outdoor
concerts and dance instruction. Badminton,
fencing, adult craft classes, and inter-generational activities were also mentioned. Pico residents were the most likely to believe that
improvements to social events and trips are
important (7 47o, compared to 59Vo or Iess for the
other 5 neighborhoods in Santa Monica).

Finally, eighty-eight percent (88Vo) of the
telephone respondents indicated they would
support the use of schools for adult recreation
programs in the evenings and on weekends.

Park and Recreation Master Plan, March | 997
Student SurveY Adult SurveY
Activity Respondents Respondents
Hanging OuVRelaxing 56
Eating 45
Socializing 43
Shopping 42
Walking 38
Swimming 31
Basketball 26
Bicycling 26
Skating/Blading/Skateboarding 24
Running/Jogging 23
Football 22
Afterschool SPorts 19
Watching Sports 19
Table 17
Favorite Leisure Activities
Soccer
Fitness Activities
Tennis
Percent of Percent of
6 17
4 21
57 6
17 16
14 A
29 9
14 1
1 0
3 3
'12
Sanrce: "Parl<s, Recreatio4 and Open Space Needs Assessment Suruey," City of Santa Monica, February 1996.

Cultural Arts Programs. The community
overwhelmingly supports enhancement and
expansion of cultural events, as well as arts and
crafts, drama, mime, and music instruction for
children. The City's telephone survey found that
917o of respondents felt cultural events were
important to develop and improve. This was the
number one response among a list of eight
program choices which included fitness classes,
sports instruction and league play, social events
and trips.

In addition to cultural events, substantive and permanent arts programming and instruction (such as an arts continuum) for youth have surfaced as a
community priority, due in part to the limited
amount of public school arts instruction at the
presentime. The community has also expressed
the need, through various community outreach
efforts, for facilities which could serve current and
expanded future cultural programming. The facilities most often mentioned include a midsize theatre venue (in the 200-400 seat range) for the
Appendix V: Community Priorities 37
performing arts (particularly since Miles Playhouse is currently closed for earthquake repairs) and a venue which has a sprung wood floor for
dance groups and instruction.

Children, Teens and Families' Youth have had a
voice in the planning of the Santa Monica Parks,
Recreation, and Open Spaces Needs Assessment.

Throughout the firstphase, youth from the elementary schools to the high school were asked to give their opinion about recreation programs into the
21st century. A comparison was also made between the student questionnaires and the telephone survey results. In addition, a focus group with
parents of young children (birth to five years) was
held December 5, 1995 to share their ideas about
how they currently use Santa Monica's parks and
recreational facilities. These parents identified the
need for improved park facilities and children's
play areas (the recent renovation of Lincoln Park
was mentioned as a good example of what was
desired), cleaner restrooms, more park seating
(particularly around the play area), day care,
afterschool and weekend programs for children.

Elementary and Middle School students (5-13
years) were given the chance to tell their plans
for recreation needs and open spaces through a
specific activity packet disseminated through
their classroom teachers. These students were
given the chance to draw and/or write about past
play experiences, their ideal park, or their vision
of Santa Monica parks, open spaces, and
recreation in the future. These children
expressed their primary desire for swings and
slides, and other playground equipment in their
artwork and writing. They especially liked
adventure-type playgrounds and activities such
as in-line skating and skateboarding.

On January Il,1996,148 SAMOHI students
participated in two lunchtime Roving Activity
Chart projects, The students placed dots next to
their top 3 priority park (baseball/softball,
basketball, and soccer), open space (visiting the
Third Street Promenade, the beach, and the pier)
and recreation activities (participating in clubs,
drama/music, and dances/social activities)'
In addition, a focus group was held with a class
of high school students on November 21, 1996
to further delineate what youth mean about
having a place to hang out and assess their
interest in establishing a youth council. These
youth clearly identified that a place to hang out
means an unstructured facility that does not have
a lot of adult supervision, but has a activities
such as pool tables, coffee/soda bar, and a dance
floor for special nights.

Programs for Persons with Disabilities. The
community strongly believes that services for
persons with disabilities are important to
develop and improve. The respondents in the
City's telephone survey identified disability
services as the number one priority among
programs for youth and the number two priority
among programs for adults. In the survey, there
were also specific comments for access to the
beach and ocean, better access to the parks, and
more accessible benches.

On December 3,1996, the City conducted afocus
group session with many of the local organizations
that provide services for persons with disabilities.

The group discussed unmet needs, the integration
of persons with disabilities into City-offered
classes and programming, the City's role in
ensuring accessibility, and other disability-related
issues. The focus group's discussion informs the
program sffategies in the area.

Senior Programs. The City's survey found that
the communig (57Va) supported improving
existing senior centers (tied for third in priority
among 14 choices). However, only 5Vo (1lth
priority among 14 choices) supported building
an additional new senior center.
3B Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997
A senior group meeting held last December in
Palisades Park (about 10 seniors in attendance)
revealed that seniors would like to see more and
better maintained park amenities (restrooms,
benches, telephones), a new or renovated senior
center; that they are concerned with pedestrian
issues such as conflicts with skaters and
bicyclists; and that they would like to see a new
swim facility (preferably indoors) and more
programs. Specific programs/classes mentioned
were one-day excursions, arts and crafts
instruction, and seasonal workshops'
An executive focus group meeting was convened
on November 6,1996 with many of the local
senior service providers in attendance to discuss
the City's role in senior services, programming,
and the type of senior or community center
desired to serve present and future needs. The
group believed the City should act as lead
facilitator and coordinator between the various
agencies, providing the facilities (parks and
meeting spaces); organizing databases, networks
and marketing between organizations, and
managing a clearinghouse, as well as public
information and referral functions. Special
needs of seniors, such as transportation,
employment, computer and internet training,
nutrition, health maintenance, social interaction,
and transitioning to retirement and decreased
mobility, were also discussed. The focus group
discussion ideas have been incorporated into,
and form the basis of, the goals and policies
outlined below.

Appendix V: Community Priorities 39
Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997
Acknowledgements
City Staff
Barbara Stinchfield, Acting Director,
Community and Cultural Services
Suzanne Frick, Director,
Planning and Community Development
Karen Cinsberg, Planning Manager
Brett Horner, Senior Administrative Analyst
Laura Beck, Associate Planner
Community & Cultural Services Department
Programs Team
Christina Bagger
Maria Luisa de Herrera
Mark Furlong
Mary Humm
Dino Leonardi
Patty Loggins
Kathy Kucharski
Judith Meister
Audrey Parker
Julie Rusk
Rich Rollins
Julie Taren
Anita Ybarra
Staff Support
John Aguila
John Lynd
Joe McCrath
Annette Morales
Consultants
ROMA Design Group
Bonnie Fisher, Pri nci pal-in-Charge
Boris Dramov, Principal
Rick Barrett
Peter Owens
Carolvn Radisch
Robert Holloway
Laura Nardozza
Economic & Planning Systems
Jim Musbach
Sonia Jacques
Jessica Laveen
Sports Management G rou p
Mindy Flynn
Com m u n ity P arti c i pants
Thanks to the 3,000 residents, the many
community groups, and the City's
governmental partners (Santa Monica Malibu
Unified School District and Santa Monica
College) for invaluable input.