CITY OF SANTA MONICA Parksand Recreation MasterPlan
MARCH 1997 CITY OF SANTA MONICA Parksand Recreation MasterPlan Tableof Contents
Introduction...... 1 RecreationalThemes ...... 5 Trendsand Community Preferences ...... 9 MasterPlan Strategies-Parks and Open Space ...... 11 MasterPlan Strategies-Recreational Programs ...... 33 Financingand lmplementation ...... 47 Appendices l. ExistingResources-Parks ...... A-1 ll. ExistingResources-Recreation Programs ...... A-21 lll. CommunityDemographics A-27 lV. RecreationalTrends A-29 V. CommunityPriorities...... A-31 Acknowledgements
List of Tables 1. Existingand ProposedParks ...... 11 2. Existingand Proposed Gardens, Greens and Habitat...... 21 3. Existingand ProposedPublic Cathering Places ...... 23 4. Existingand ProposedCreen Streets, pathways and Community Forest...... 27 5. Continuumof ExistingSports/Recreation Programs ...... 35 6. PreliminaryPhasing of improvements ...... 50 7. Preliminary/ConceptualEstimate of lmprovementCosts ...... 55 B. Erasof Development...... A-2 9. ExistingPark Acreage ...... A-4 10. PublicSchools .....A-11 11. ExistingParks and Park Facilities ...... A-12 12. Comparisonof Intensityof Useof RecreationalFacilities ...... A-24 13. CurrentSports/League Participation ...... A-25 14. PotentialCollaboration Partners ...... A-29 15. CommunityPriorities lmprovement or Expansionof Facilities...... A-36 16. FavoriteLeisure Activities ...... A-37
Table of Contents Introduction
This is SantaMonica's first Parks and in demand for recreation,even though - contrary RecreationMaster Plan and it is intended to to the projections of sociologists- leisure time guide the improvement of the City's parks and does not appearto be increasingfor the average recreationalfacilities over the next twenty years. American. Major changesin the economy and The Master Plan is basedupon the Open Space working world have brought about a redefinition Element, which was preparedsimultaneously, of recreation.Now, recreationis framed not so and it setsforth specific actions to help much in terms of leisure past-times,but in terms implement Open Spaceobjectives and policies. of meaningful experiencesthat contrastthe everyday environment of work and school, add The nature of recreationis changing in the United to personal skill and competencyand heighten States. It plays a much different role in American an awarenessof the largercommunity. life today than it did at the outsetof the recreation and parks movementin the mid-I800's. That was In this Master Plan, recreationis not conceived a time of large scaleindustrial transformation in in terms solely of sports. Rather,it embracesthe cities and early park-building efforts focused on broad range of experiences that are undertaken the introduction of naturein urban settings. The in leisure and which bring pleasureto the city's development of Central Park in New York was a residents. These include active recreation,as historic act, becauseit advancedthe premise that well as walking, sitting, viewing art, participat- parks and recreation were for the working as well ing in cultural events,experiencing nature, and as leisure classes. Early efforts in New York and visiting with friendsand neighbors. In the most elsewhereresulted in the creation of municipal fundamental sense,recreation within a town like parks and recreation commissionsentrusted with SantaMonica hasto do with establishingties the responsibility to provide public parks in cities between people and building a senseof throughout the country. These efforts establisheda community by creating opportunities for tradition ofinnovation and advocacythat set the physical, social and cultural interaction. standardfor parks and recreationalmaster planning in the U.S. today. Since its inception as a city, SantaMonica has had a strong recreationalidentity, tied to year- Over the past couple of decades,the U.S. has round outdoor activities. This Master Plan experiencedan explosion of interestin reinforces these activities by proposing recreation. There has been a tremendoussrowth improvements to serve a broad range of
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Since its inception as a city, Santa Monica has had a strong recreational identity. Pictured above: SantaMonica Beach and the Arcadia Hotel at the turn of the century.
Recreationand ParksMaster PIan, March 1997 residentsand 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 organizationsbut also nonprofit entities, and the schools. This Master Plan focuseson the public realm, and the role which the City can play in the provision of servicesand facilities, on its own as well as in cooperationwith other entities. It focuses on activities that the City can best support within the limitations of spaceand budget. The emphasisis placed on activities which serve the greatest number and best representthe recreationalpriorities of residents.
In the future, there are likely to be fewer and Muscle Beach, 1950s. fewer opportunities for park expansion. Land is at a premium today, making expansionof public recreationwithin a flexible framework that can lands increasingly difficult. As a consequence, be responsiveto changesin technology,life style it is likely that the recreationalrole of existing and recreationalpreference. This framework is facilities will need to broaden in the future. physical in nature and relatesto the structureof Public parks and recreationalareas will need to the City and the location and distribution of become more flexible, with the capability of parks; it is also social in nature and relatesto accommodatingmultiple uses.Increased the composition of the population and its efficiency in the programming and schedulingof specific needsfor recreation. Together,the activities will also be emphasized. Shared places for recreation and the activities which arrangementswith the schools and nonprofit they support comprise the fundamentalsof a recreationalproviders will be more commonplace. park and recreation program for the future.
Never before has the City embarkedupon such This Master Plan is organized to first summarize an ambitious effort to preserve and enhance its themes,trends, and community priorities and parks and plan new facilities and programs.This then present strategiesfor parks and open spaces Master Plan setsforth a comprehensiveprogram as well as recreationalprograms. The Master of improvements that recognizesthat change Plan is followed by five appendiceswhich itself is one of the more predictable characteris- provide background on existing resources(both tics of recreationin America. parks and programs) and more fully elaborate upon community demographics,recreational The challengeof the Master Plan is to set forth a trends and community priorities that form the long range vision for the provision ofparks and basis for this planning document.
Introduction Recreation and ParksMaster Plan. March 1997 RecreationalThemes
SantaMonica has a strong recreationalidentity traditional games brought to the U.S. from the that comes from its urban traditions, warm and British Isles, but rather more modern sunny climate, beachfront setting and the inventions, uniquely urban and uniquely recreationalpreferences of its residents. In the American. Such newer sports as skating, early years of the City, recreationwas focused jogging, and skateboardingare not confined to almost exclusively at the beach and along the a playfield or park, but rather embrace the water's edge. The shoresof the City were entire City as a playground. intensely used by beach-goersand swimmers, who flocked by the thousandsto spendtheir City asPark days in leisure. The attraction,for most, was sitting, strolling, viewing, relaxing and In thisMaster Plan, the "city aspark" is socializing in the sun. The most popular active advancedas a fundamental theme, having sport was swimming and, in addition to the major implications on the role of the street beach, salt water pools and bathhouseswere environment to meet the recreationalneeds of built along the coast. Recreationat the beach residentsand visitors. This idea is not directed was promoted in the late 1800sto help market solely to the new urban sports,but to the the City as an attractiveresort and residential oldest and most popular recreationalactivity destination,in much the same way that suburban in SantaMonica - walking. The MasterPlan communities today have investedin major sports takes a strong stancetoward the improvement complexes on large expansesof land at the of streetsto accommodatethe large and urbanized edge. growing number of linear recreationalpursuits - walking, bicycling,jogging, in-line skating. Today, recreation in SantaMonica is not The plan recommends that all streetsbe dominated by a single activity or set of designedas "pedestrian-friendly" with a activities to the degreeit was in the past. balancebetween roadway, pathways and Rather. over time. the nature of recreationhas landscapedareas. Specific streetswould be become increasingly complex, diverse and designatedas primary linkages to parks in specialized,appealing to specific segmentsof order to make the experienceof getting to the the population. As land has become more park as enjoyable as the experienceof being limited, new forms of recreationhave come there. Through the redesign of City streets, into being. These are not derivatives of more the plan can advanceopportunities for social
Recreational Themes This Master Plan places emphasis on recapturing the beach-the City's most valuable natural resource. interaction, resulting in a friendly community efficient configuration of land and new comprised of residentsthat know one another recreationalfacilities sharing spacewith other and are comfortable spending time in the City functions, while not compromising these spacesalong a street. otheressential public services.
Reclaiming Lost Space Recapturing the Beach
There are a range of other public spacesthat can While the Master Plan looks to urban recreation also be reclaimed for greaterpark and within the context of the City as a whole, at the recreationaluse in the City. Some of these,like sametime, it places an emphasison the city's Goose Egg Park or the sequenceof parks most valuable natural recreationalresource - the planned in the Civic Center, are conceived as beach. The beach has grown through accretion "punctuation marks" adding interest and over time. To better capitalize upon this complexity to the urban pattern. Others may valuable resourcethe Master Plan proposesthe involve the use of "lost space" or underutilized addition of grassy lawn areasthat can be used public lands for recreation,such as the non- for field sports,picnic areas,children's aviation lands at the Municipal Airport, the Mt. playground and sitting and viewing areas. In Olivette reservoir,Woodlawn Cemetery,surface addition, accessimprovements are proposedto parking lots and portions of the City Yards. The facilitate getting to the beach from inland areas. Master Plan advocatesthe broader recreational use of underutilized public properties,with more
6 Parksand RecreationMaster Plan, March 1997 A Central "Seam" of Recreation parks)are located in the schools;and more thanone-third of the community'ssoccer The Master Plan also recognizesand builds on fields andtennis courts are located on school the large concentrationofpublic land centrally sites. Sincemore than90Vo of the familiesin located within the City and organized around the SantaMonica sendtheir childrento public City Yards and Stewart Street Park in the eastern schools,the schoolshave taken on a role as part of the City; the Memorial Park and Olympic importantfocal pointswithin the school corridor connecting to Woodlawn Cemetery, communityand its neighborhood.In Santa Monica College and John Adams Middle partnershipwith the SchoolDistrict andthe School in the center of the City; and the Civic community,the MasterPlan calls for a greater Center, SantaMonica High School and Municipal useof schoolsboth for activesports as well as Pier at the beach. It focuseson the intensification socialand culturalgathering places, helping of recreationalactivities and expansion of park to satisfyneighborhood recreational needs. lands within this public framework.
There are a number of pathways and green streetsproposed to tie together these three focal points of recreational activity in the City. A number of streetsand transportation corridors will be improved to better link the City as a whole with these centrally located recreationalfacilities.
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 establisheda 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 residentshave learned through their school experiences, developing physical competenciesas well as social skills through working together as part of a larger team.
Many of the city's recreationalfacilities are locatedin 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 This Master Plan advances strategies which will enhance in parks) and gymnasiums (5 versus 3 in the role of schools and streetsfor recreational activity.
RecreationalThemes Parksand RecreationMaster Plan, March 1997 Trendsand CommunityPreterences
This chapter highlights key facts and findings for recreation,not only for residents,but for that are presented in greater depth in the tourists as well. accompanying appendices and in the separately bound Community Voices report There is increasingrecognition throughout (February 1996). Much of the information in the country and in SantaMonica in this chapter is summarized from documents particular of the role that parks and prepared by the City of Santa Monica, in recreationalfacilities play in contributing to particular, work undertaken in the first phase the quality of life in cities. The amenity of of this planning effort, including surveys of SantaMonica - its streetsand open spaces- recreational preferences and needs. add value to the community as a whole. The City is gaining national acclaim as one of SantaMonica is a fully developedcommunity the best placesto walk in the Los Angeles that is not expectedto changesignificantly in region - not only at the popular Third Street population size in the future. Looking toward Promenadeand along the beach but also on the next twenty years in the life of the City, the city's tree-lined streets. projections indicate relatively little population growth. Currently, there are 89,194 people Participation in sportsis continuing to living in SantaMonica and the population is expand, as a result of the growing popularity anticipatedto grow by 4,000 residents(or a of certain sports such as soccer and the population of 93,400) by the year 2OlO. increasingparticipation of young women in all forms of recreation. Although the town is not expectedto grow significantly, the demand for recreationis expected There is a heightenedawareness of and to continue to increase. The following are some of commitment to good health and physical the factors influencing increaseddemand: fitness, that has focused greater attention to exerciseand recreationalactivity. . As traffic congestionand mobility continue to worsenwithin the Los Angelesbasin, Improved health and longevity is enabling accessto natural resourcesand open spaces older residentsto participate more fully in will become increasingly difficult. Santa sports once more closely tied to Monica will gain in desirability as a place younger people.
Trendsand Community Preferences Recreation Preferences TheThird StreetPromenade, the beachand the Pier arethe mostused open space areas for all The following summarizesthe resultsof a agegroups. Nine out of ten SantaMonicans community outreach effort involving over visit thesevenues regularly. 3,000 residents,and undertakenin the first phase of the masterplanning process. RecreationalActivities. Walking is the most popularrecreational activity of SantaMonica Parksand Open Space. SantaMonicans are residents.Other favorite past-times include activeand frequent users of the City's public open bicycling,shopping, eating out, running/jogging spacesand parks--on average, 3 out of4 residents andplaying tennis. Youth reveal somewhat visit the City's parksalmost twice a week. Ninety- differentleisure time preferences--whilehigh threepercent of householdswith childrenare park schoolstudents also rate walking highly,they users.Parks which aremost used by the showa stronginvolvement in moreactive communityas a wholeinclude Palisades Park, recreationalactivities, such as swimming, Lincoln Park,Clover Park andDouglas Park. playingbasketball, bicycling and skating sports. High schoolstudents indicate somewhat different Leisureactivities that promoteopportunities for parkpreferences, generally favoring the more socialinteraction are also popular amongst high activeparks, specifically Clover and Memorial, schoolstudents--the most popular leisure activity then Douglas,Lincoln andMarine Parks. amongthis agegroup was "hanging out" followedby eating,socializing and shopping. Youngerchildren preferred visualized field sports andthe demandfor moreplaying fields was clearly articulatedduring the projectsoutreach.
RecreationFacilities.In a telephonesurvey of residents,improving existing parks and facilities wasidentified as the top priority. Developing morepedestrian-oriented streets and open spaceswas second, followed by developingnew parksand open spaces, and fourth, developing moreplazas and public gathering places.
With respectto specificfacilities, bicycle paths, swimmingpools, offleash dogareas and children'splay areas are the facilitiesmost often identifiedas needing expansion.
RecreationPrograms. Santa Monica residents arevery supportiveof developingor improving recreationprograms, particularly those for childrenand youth. The mosthighly rated programsfor children and youth are structured summerprograms at parks,disability services, swimmingprograms, and structuredafter school programsat the schools.For adults,cultural eventstopped the list, followedby programsfor Favoriterecreational pastimes:walking and bicycling. individualswith disabilities.
10 Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 MasterPlan Strategies- Parksand OpenSpace
This MasterPlan sets forth recommendations Table 1 thatwill significantlyincrease the opportunities Existingand ProposedParks for recreationin SantaMonica. It calls for the largestexpansion of the park andrecreational Park Acres systemin the historyof the city. In thenext ExistingParks decadeor so,up to about57 acresof park will ExistingPark r2.71 be added- which representsmore than a fifty SubtotalExisting Park 112.7 percentincrease of the parks inventory.Adding Parks in the proposedpublic gatheringplaces and Proposed AirportNonaviation Lands 1.0-25.0 gardens,greens and habitat areas would bring VirginiaAvenue Park ExPansion 2.9 the total park and recreationallands to a total of CivicCenter' 13.2-15.4 slightlymore than 64 acres.Finally, the existing SchoolParks3 8.0 length of pathwaysand greenstreets in the city New ParklandAcquisition4 - 5.0 1.0 is expandedto morethan 19 miles. Along these StewartStreet Park Expansion' BeachParks" 6.0 streetsand elsewhere in the city will be planted SubtotalProposed Parks 31.1-s7.3 7,000trees, planned to becomea part of Santa Monica'scommunitv forest. Total 143.8-170.0
Notes: 1. SeeTable 9, ExistingPark Aireage. 2. Assumes13.2 acresspecified in the CivicCenter Parksand Recreation Facilities SpecificPlan plus 1.7 acresassociated with possible relocationof the parkingstructure to SantaMonica Thereare currently about I 13 acresin parks. HighSchool. only. Proposalwould increasethe total by up to 57 3. Acreageincludes field area fiveacres of land. acres(see Table 1). 4. fusumespurchase of 5. Assumesacceptable relocation of somecity yard facilities;the feasibilityof thisaction is being Expandthe Community Park System consideredas part of the CityYards Master Plan. 6. Assumestwo parksat 250'x 500'on SantaMonica lmplement the open spacesplanned at the StateBeach. While thisexpands field space,it does acreage. Civic Center. As part of the Civic Center not add open space SpecificPlan, approximately 13.2 acres of
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 11 Wateris an importantfeature of the Civic/CulturalPark.
land are designatedfor park purposes. These location). Further study would be required to parks include: determine the feasibility of expanding park use and building parking on an adjacentsite. . The Main StreetTriangle (0.6 acres) . The Arroyo (2.1 acres) Build two North Beach greens. North of the . City Hall Square(1.6 acres) Municipal Pier, the beach is much wider than it . CourthouseLawn (1.6 acres) is to the south, with the sand extending several . Main StreetCircle (0.6 acres) hundred feet from the Pacific Coast Highway to . Civic/Cultural Park (6 acres) the water's edge. This area is less used than the . Village Green (0.7 acres) South Beach area,because there are fewer parks and it is relatively isolated from the surrounding Considerationshould also be given to fuither City by the bluff and fast-moving traffic on the expansionofthepark acreageto include nearly Pacific Coast Highway. To better utilize this two additional acresof land at the site of a area,two new beachparks, each approximately proposedparking structure,which could be three acresin size, are proposed,extending the relocatedacross the street,occupying a site at characterand more inviting scaleof South SantaMonica High School under the existing track Beach into the broad open areasto the north. and field (which would be rebuilt in its existing Improvements to the Beach Parks would
1) Park and Recreation Master Plan , March 1997 generallyconsist of new lawn areasthat can be the city. This conceptshould involve the usedfor informal field games,kite flying, developmentof new fieldson the schoolsites as children'splay, picnicking and a wide rangeof well aspublic gatheringplaces (in front entry activities.The new parkswould furtherprovide areas),and would alsopotentially open up ce(ain anotherdestination for bicyclists,joggers and buildingsto a broadercommunity use in skaterson the BeachTrail. Implementationof afterschoolhours. Essentially,the improvements this recommendationwould require would resultin a significant"greening" of eachof continuationof the long-termlease with the the campusesthrough the conversionof paved Stateand would be undertakenalong with areasinto fields. In exchangefor makingavailable improvementsto the pedestrianbridges over their sitesand facilities, the City andSchool PacificCoast Highway to makethe facilities District would negotiatea mutuallyacceptable more accessibleto local residents. agreementwith the City payingcosts of improvementsas well asthe addedcosts of Develop new recreationalfacilities within operationsand maintenance. the nonaviation lands at the Municipal Airport. Up to 25 acresof land are proposedfor new recreationalfunctions on landsidentified as surplusto aviationpurposes at theAirport. Becauseof the sitelocation at the southerly limits of the city with limited accessfrom surroundingstreets, it is not envisionedthat this new recreationalcomplex would be orientedto neighborhooduse or pedestrianaccess, but ratherwould servecitywide recreational needs, in particularfor new field sports. The study is currently underwayand altemativesare currently being examined;however, at the very least,a recreationalpathway is proposedwhich would extendthrough the site,providing facilitiesfor walking,jogging, and cycling within a well-landscapedsetting. At the other extreme,the mostextensive alternative includes the developmentof 5 new sportsfields as well as multiusepaved areas for courtgames, skating, eventsand parking, and a l-ll2 acreoff-leash dog park with a jogging loop andprogrammable indoorrecreationaVcommunity spaces and children'splay areas.
Develop school parks at up to five locations within the city. Giventhe key role thatthe schoolsplay in the life of familieswithin the city andtheir cenffal location within neighborhoods,it is recommendedthat the schoolpark concept be ProposedBeach Park implemented,focusing on five schoolsites within Northof SantaMonica Pier
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space t3 Expand VirginiaAvenue Park. A 2.9-acresite at the intersectionof Pico andCloverheld is beingdeveloped for recreationaluse, thus expandingVirginia Avenue Park and providing an opportunityfor new facilitiesthat will better servethe surroundingcommunity. The design processis aboutto beginfor thissite and will morespecifically identify the recreational programfor the site,including the potentialfor ExistingConditions the continuationof the farmer'smarket use in conjunctionwith a communityoutreach effort.
ExpandStewart StreetPark. StewartStreet Parkis adjacentto city-ownedproperty at the City Yards,and in fact,was originally a part of this facility. To makethe park moreusable and visible,the park shouldbe enlargedby about 1.5 acres,if city functionscan be consolidatedor relocatedelsewhere. A City YardsMaster Plan processis currently underwayand this proposal Replaceportion of asphalt play area wiih multipurposepliyfi elds is beingevaluated in thatcontext.
Proposedlmprovements Convert streetends to park use. When the freewaywas built overthe city grid, it PrototypicalSchool/Park fragmentedexisting streets and made remnants of blocks. It is recommendedthat these fragmentedstreets be reclaimedfor more effectiverecreational and park use.On the south side of the freeway,the streetends are somewhat longerand are surrounded by residentialuses. On the north side, along the freewaythe street endscould expand the recreationalopportunities for urbansports associated with the recreational pathwayimprovements. In both places,the streetswould be closedoff, allowingonly local accessas required.
Acquire new parkland. Acquisitionof property for parkswould be undertakenas funds are VirginiaAvenue Park and ExpansionArea at Cloverfield and Pico Boulevard. availableor asopportunities allow, consistent with the objectivesand policies set forth in the OpenSpace Element. Priority would be placed uponcentrally located parcels, which are accessibleby the broadestcross section of residents.In particular,sites adjacent to t4 Park and RecreationMaster Plan. March 1997 Slope SantaMonica Freeway Slope It lil rll c6 IVI Itl f c) igseaBgr o 6 'o-U .99 -c E . lAr z ^ l,tl It ltl lll North of FreewavStreet Ends . CommunityC'ardens . BasketballCourts . SkatingFacility ConvertedStreet Ends existingparks or schoolswould be desirablein deferred maintenance and from intensive use. orderto capitalizeupon existing resources and Recently public funds have been committed to a broadenrecreational opportunities. program of improvement. The City is also developing a long term maintenanceprogram for The acquisitionof privateproperty for new all of its public facilities, including parks and parklandsis very costlyin a communitysuch as recreationbuildings. The current years Capital SantaMonica, where land valuesare amongthe Development Program reflects this commitment. highestin the region. Currently,there is very little vacantland within the city, and available Replace restrooms and concessions in parcelsare generally small - lessthan 10,000 existing parks. All of the public restrooms squarefeet in size. Acquisitionshould be within city parks are in seriousneed of targetedto larger parcelsor towardsthe maintenance and repair. The concession stands assemblyof largerproperties. Sites in excessof are also in need of repair. It is proposed that a oneacre and adjoined on at leasttwo sidesby replacementprogram be establishedand streetswould increasefunctionality as well as implemented. One possibility would be to accessibility.New parksshould be further surround the restrooms in the larger parks with targetedfor multiple use,not for the exclusive concessions,creating a "presence" that could be useof a singlerecreational activity. a deterrentto vandalism as well as provide a possible sourceof revenue to help pay for Reinvestin ExistingParks ongoing maintenance. Another possible approachwould be to consider the strategyused Maintenance and Security in public spacesin San Francisco - which is to contract with a private entify to build freestanding, lmplement an ongoing parks facility state-of-the-ar1restrooms with a guaranteedhigh maintenanceand repair program that ensures level of maintenancefunded through a negotiated the higheststandard of care of parks and agreementto provide a specified number of recreation facilities. For many years,parks and advertisementskiosks throughout the city. open spacesin SantaMonica havesuffered from
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space t5 Looking north accross the SantaMonica Freeway to Memorial Park.
Enhancepark lighting and signageto incrementalexpansion of theseteams to other increaseuser safetyand access.Pedestrian- parks(for example,Joslyn Park). scalelighting andsignage are necessary not only to addto a senseof securityand safety, but also Createan ongoing and systematicplay to allow for eveninguse of theparks. All parks equipment inspectionand repair program. shouldbe evaluatedto ensurethat park edges This plan proposesthe maintenanceof children's andpathway lighting is adequateto increase play equipmentat thehighest standard of care. usersafety. Signage should be usedfor Specializedtraining will be institutedfor park orientationto the parkssystem within the City. personneland procedures developed for parkusers to identify safetyproblems; response time lncreasethe presenceof park-basedstaff standardswill be developed. teamsin community and neighborhoodpark. Successfulexperiences at Lincoln, Memorial lmplement a comprehensiveTurf Manage- andMrginia AvenueParks indicate that the ment Programto ensurea high level of field presenceof staffin the parksenhances the park maintenanceand renovation Fieldsshould experiencefor all users.Park-based teams on averagebe allowedto be takenout of becomemore invested in the conditionand recreationaluse one year out of everyfour (or programmingof the park and the park staff threemonths out of everyyear). With an becomea valuablesource of "informationand increasedfield inventory,this plan proposes a referral"forpark users.This planproposes an comprehensiveprogram to achievethis standard.
16 Parkand RecreationMaster PIan . March 1997 Continue and expand field monitoring and Park Redefinition field scheduling. Developcomputer system to assistin the assignmentof fieldsand to better Redefinethe role of Memorial Park.Memorial track maintenancerequirements based on actual Parkdoes not currentlylive up to its potentialas field usage.Also, provideadditional staffing as a centralfocal point of park activitieswithin the requiredto assistin the taskof assigningfields City. It is necessaryto considerthe redefinition duringpeak periods. andexpansion of its role to betterserve the communityand be moreaccessible by pathway Park Revitalization improvementsin both the east/westand north/ southdirections. Implement proposed improvements to Douglas Park. There area numberof Redefine the role of Joslyn Park. JoslynPark improvementsproposed for DouglasPark, is oneof the hilltop parksdeveloped along the includingrestoration of theponds and OceanPark ridge. Over time,buildings and watercourses,replacement of theirrigation structureshave been constructed that obstruct systemand renovation of theplay areaand park viewsand diminish a senseof place. A master pathwayswhich areslated to beginin the plan for this park would look to buildingupon comingyear. Givenits significancein the park its intrinsicvalue as a hilltop setting,with scenic system,this shouldbe a top renovationpriority. viewsand with specialrecreational opportunities for familiesand neighbors along the slope. lmplement the improvementsto Palisades Park and South Beachparks. Planned Redefinethe role of CrescentBav and Pacific improvementsas set forth by the Beach StreetParks. When a perrnanentlocation for ImprovementsGroup (BIG) projectshould be the dogpark is identified(on nonaviationlands implementedas adopted by the City. at the airportor elsewhere)and this activityis relocatedfrom its temporarysite at Pacific Lincoln Park Edgelmprovemenfs. Improve- StreetPark, a definedneighborhood role should mentsto the edgeof LincolnPark along Wilshire be consideredfor this location. This couldbe Boulevardshould include expansion of landscaped contemplativein natureor includemore active areasto createa moreopen and welcoming recreation. CrescentBay Parkshould be appearancealong this majorboulevard. consideredfor stagingsmall or informalcultural eventstied to activitiesat the beach. Develop a system of interpretative signage at Palisades,Douglas and Lincoln parks.These parksare the oldestparks within the City. Signageand interpretative materials which describethe historiesof theseparks and their changesover time, consistentwith changesin recreationaluse in the City, shouldbe implementedto providethe communitywith a largerunderstanding of theirrole in the evolutionof thecommunitv.
Viewsof the City from JoslynPark
MasterPIan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 't7 lmprove and ExpandSports and Develop a new recreationalpool in one of RecreationFacilities the centrally located parkswithin the city. It is recommendedthat a new communitypool be Aquatics built alongwith associatedlockers, showers and supportfacilities. This park-basedpool would Develop a new competitive and instructional be an outdoorfacility, andpotentially could be pool complex at the siteof the Municipal built with children'swater play areasand Pool. TtreMunicipal Pool wasbuilt nearlyfifty sculpturegarden. It is envisionedas one of the yearsago and is currentlyin seriousneed of mostexciting new additionsto the complement repairand reconstruction. Located within Santa of community-orientedrecreational facil ities - MonicaCollege, generally on axis with lTth the first aquaticsfacility to be built outsidea Street,the pool is ownedby the City of Santa schoolsetting within the city. Suggestedsites Monica and is usedfor summerswim lessonsas haveincluded Memorial Park. the civic centeror well asby swim teams. Building a new 50- the Pico/Cloverfieldsite. meterpool at SantaMonica Collegewould providean opportunityto sharethe significant Fostercollaborative programming of all costsof developmentas well asongoing community-based pools. Collaborative maintenanceand operations. programmingof all existingcommunity pools shouldbe undertakento ensuremaximum access It is recommendedthat the existing two pools - by the community.. the 25-yardby 33-meterpool andadjacent 35 by 60-footdiving pool - be demolished,and within Children's Play Areas the existingsite, a new 5O-meter(by 25-yard) pool and instructionalpool (approximately Createchildren's play area that emphasizeage- 2,000 squarefeet) be developedwith added appropriateplay opportunitiesand a rangeof bleachersand new pool building (including new p Iay experi ences. This planproposes immediate lockers,showers, and other supportfacilities). renovationof play areasat Douglas,Marine,
CloverPark
T8 Parkand RecreationMaster PIan. March 1997 Recreational facilities in the Citv. renovationsshould include input from children and on school sites,a number of possible new andparents and may includea public artiston fields have been identified. A total of four to the designteam, promoting these areas as active nine new fields could be accommodatedat andcreative focal pointsof SantaMonica's existing school sites and at the Municipal parks. A long-rangeplan for all park play area Airport, which could be shared-useor single- renovationsis recommended. purpose facilities. The additional fields would help satisfy the existing need for periodic Field Sports "resting" of turf. The overall increasein the field inventory would allow for the expansionof Develop additional playing fields in existing soccer,baseball, softball, flag football, rugby, park sites.Through reconfiguration of existing field hockey, and other such sports. park sites,a moreefficient use of field spacecan be achievedand additional ballfields placed, Skating with minimal overlayson otherfields. New ballfieldsare proposed at Clover,Los Amigos, Develop a youth skating program at rotating andat JohnAdams Middle School,contingent sites throughout the community. In a joint uponSchool District approval. effort with the Boys and Girls Club, a skating facility is proposed accommodatingroller Add playing fields at new community sites. hockey and skateboarding,in roving locations At the nonaviationland at the MunicipalAirport throughout the City.
MasterPlan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 19 Use South Beachparking lot areasfor off- Off-Leash Dog Areas seasonroller hockey. Roller hockeyis proposedwithin oneof the beachparking lots in Relocate the dog park from Pacific Street the SouthBeach area during off-seasons. Park to a permanent site. A potential Improvementsinclude bollards and simple permanentlocation for the off-leash dog parks pavementrepair. has been identified at the Municipal Airport, at the easterly edge of the property. Off-leash dog Court Games facilities would be greatly expandedfrom .42 acresat Pacific StreetPark to about one and a Replacebasketball courts in specific parks. half acres. A numberof basketballcourts have been identifiedwithin the City asin needof repair Enliven Parks and Open Spaceswith andreplacement. These include courts within Cultural Facilities and Communitv Centers Clover,Joslyn, Ocean View andMarine Parks. Renovate Miles Playhouse.A hig; priority for Build additional new courts throughout the early action is renovation of Miles Playhouseat City. Alrhoughlocations have not yet been Lincoln Park. This structurewas damagedin identified,these may be well placedat the the earthquakeand should be immediately beach,along the "streetends," in PacificStreet repaired and made operable again. Park,and in new neighborhoodparks. In addition,tennis and basketball could be Construct cultural facilities identified in the incorporatedon rooftopsover public parking Civic Center Specific Plan. The Civic Center structuresif andwhen they arebuilt. Specific Plan calls for 55,000 squarefeet of new cultural/community uses to be located on the Build one new City gym. Currently there are east side of Main Street. These uses should be threegymnasiums in the City parks,and there is implemented and integratedwith potential new a needfor oneadditional facility to be locatedin park lands at these sites. a centrallysituated park. Expansionof the PoliceActivities League (PAL) gym shouldbe Develop open air performance spacesin park consideredin the parksmaster planning process. settings. As part of the landscapeimprovements within existing and proposedparks, it is recommendedthat considerationbe given to the location of open air performance spacesfor outdoor musical and theatrical eventsof a small and informal nature, with stagesand backdrops built into the natural landscapeof the parks. These do not necessarilyneed to be permanent installations,but spacesreserved with appropriate support facilities to enable both performanceand viewing. Although specific locations would need further study, it would appearthat locations in the grassylawn adjacentto the Miles Playhousein the planned Civic Center parks adjacentto the Civic Auditorium, adjacentto Bergamot Station or at Miles Playhouseat LincolnPark CrescentBay Park, might be appropriate.
20 Parkand RecreationMaster PIan , March 1997 Renovateand expand park-basedcommunity Table2 centers. Many of the existingcommunity Existingand Proposed centerswere built in the early 1960sand are in Cardens,Greens and Habitat needof renovation,modemization and expansionto betterserve current needs. It is location Acres proposedthat improvements to existingfacilities ExistingGardens, Creens and Habitat be undertakenalong with a programmingeffort MainStreet Community Carden 0.5 to determinehow well theycurrently meet ParkDrive Community Carden neighborhoodand community needs. CivicCenter Demonstration Carden 0.3 OceanPark Blvd. Demonstration Cardens 0.6 Mt. Olivette Evaluatefuture demand for new community Reservoir 2.4 WoodlawnCemetery 30.0 centersin collaboration with other commu- Subtotal Existi ng Carden s, s3.B nity service providers. New community Creens and Habitat facilitiesare currently planned within the Civic Centerarea and by severalnonprofit providers in ProposedCardens, Greens and Habitat the City. Future demandfor community RiparianWash Restoration 0.3 23rd Street Nature facilities in the Civic Centerand other areasof Carden 3.0 Street End Parks 2.O the city shouldbe identifiedas part of a demand SubtotalProposed Cardens, 5.3 analysisand in conjunctionwith community Creensand Habitat serviceproviders. One goal in this effort should Total 39.1 be to sitea communityfacility with a spring wood floor, an essentialamenity for popular danceprograms and classes.
Gardens,Greens and Habitats
There are currently about 34 acresin gardens, greensand habitats, which would be increased by the following actionsto a total 39 acres(see Table2).
Realizethe Full Potentialof Nonpark Open Spacesto SupportGardens and Greens
Open Mt. Olivette to public use and scenic enjoyment Mt. Olivettereservoir is a city- ownedwater reservoir site which is located belowgrade and is cappedand covered with openlawn. The reservoirconsists of slightly more than 2 acresof land atop a high ridge in a residentialneighborhood overlooking Los Angeles.While it providesvisual and scenic valuefor passersby,it couldbe enhancedfor Mt. Olivette Reservoir
MasterPlan Strategies-Parksand Open Space Woodlawn Cemetery
even greaterpublic enjoyment if the fences were lntegratepublicly accessiblegreens into the removed and seatingprovided. designof renovatedor new public facilities fronting on City streets. There are a numberof Open views to the Woodlawn Cemetery. new or renovatedpublic facilities planned within The Woodlawn Cemetery is a 3O-acreCity- the community,including the Main Library owned site that comprisespart of the public expansion,Madison School fronting Santa propertiesextending from SantaMonica College MonicaBoulevard, affordable housing projects, and John Adams Middle School all the way to and improvementsto the TransportationYard on Memorial Park north of the freeway. As an Colorado.All of thesefacilities should important part of this composition, the cemetery incorporatea greenor public commonsarea that affords an opportunity for open spacecontinuity is accessiblefor useas a placefor visual and for recreationalexperiences of a scenic and enjoymentand when feasible, social gathering. contemplative nature. Proposedfor the cemetery are the removal of portions of the ExpandCommunity Gardens. Additional fence, in order to provide better views into the communitygardens are proposed at the street cemetery,and the addition of benchesand tall ends,adding up to oneacre of additionalland treesto heighten the visual prominence of the for this purpose.With threeadditional sites for cemetery within the City. communitygardens, the targetset forth in the SustainabilityCity Programwould be met.
22 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan . March 1997 Celebratethe NaturalEnvironment by EstablishingDemonstration Cardens and Habitats
Createa RiparianWash adjacent to Marine Park. To theeast of MarinePark is an open drainage- basically,a stormdrain thathas "daylighted"before it dropsinto a culvert beneaththe PenmarGolf Course.It is recommendedthat this drainagebe restoredand becomea part of MarinePark, with interpreta- tive exhibitsrelated to the naturalenvironment underlyingthe city. This proposalwould involvecoordination with regionalas well local stormwaterand flood controlofficials.
Establisha special naturegarden on the 23rd StreetSlope at the Municipal Airport. A three-acreparcel of undevelopedslope adjacent MarinePark Riparian Wash at the Municipal Airport (adjacentto 23rd Street)should be developedas an enclosed naturalarea for nativeplantings and butterflies.
Stabilizeand restorePalisades bluffs. Contingentupon federal funding, this plan proposesthe preservationand stabilizationof this importantnatural areaand the introduction plantings of appropriate to preserveits role as Table3 the City's only significantplant life habitat. Existingand Proposed PublicGathering Places
CatheringPlace Acres PublicGathering Places ExistingPublic Gathering Places Third StreetPromenade 2.4 New Neighborhood Create GatheringPlaces SantaMonica Pier 8.5 '10.9 SubtotalExisting Public Cathering Places As illustratedin Table3, the plan would add two acresto the existingten acresin public ProposedPublic Gathering Places gatheringplaces. CampusPromenade* 2.O Subtotal Proposed Public Cathering Places 2.O Convertpublic areasin the SunsetPark Total 12.9 neighborhood to create a Campus Prom- *lncludes enade. At the entryto JohnAdams Middle PearlStreet plus the northwestcorner of JohnAdams Middle School, contingent upon School,there is approximatelyone acreof collaborativeplanning with the collegeand grassyflat lawn that is usedon occasionas a schooldistrict.
MasterPlan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 23 Right-of-Way
PearlStreet at SantaMonica College- Existing
and VehicularAccess
100' Right-of-Way
Proposedlmprovements Contingent on provision of additional parking elsewhere at Santa Monica College
ProposedCampus Promenade
24 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997 ExistingConditions Proposedlmprovements Contingenton expandedparking at college PearlStreet at SantaMonica College
placefor family gatherings,picnics, and involvement effort for this site is about to beein informal or impromptugames. The restructur- and will more specifically identify the ing of this greenarea with the possibleaddition recreationalprogram for the site, including the of pathways,lighting, children's play equipment potential for the continuation of the farmer's andbenches could establisha more meaningful market at the site. role for passiverecreation and public gatherings. Suchimprovements could help to satisfythe need for parksand open space within this intensely developedarea of the SunsetPark neighborhood. GreenStreets, Pathways and the CommunityForest It is alsorecommended that the PearlStreet be narrowedadjacent to the Collegeto createa Thereare approximately 8.2 miles of green CampusPromenade linked to the largerpublic streetsand pathways in SantaMonica; the gatheringspace at JohnAdams Middle School. following proposalsadd 13 milesand 7,000 This actionwould be contingenton the provision treesto the communityforest (Thble 4). of additionalparking to servecollege needs and collaborativeplanning between the City, School Developa ComprehensiveSystem of Green District,College and neighborhood residents. Streetsand RecreationalPathways
Design the expansionof VirginiaAvenue Make all streetspedestrian friendly. All of the Park at Pico and Cloverfield boulevardsto streetswithin the city shouldbe improvedto promote neighborhoodgatherings and makethem more pedestrian friendly througha events.The designprocess and community dedicationof a moresignificant area within the
MasterPlan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 25 Carriageway
80' Righrof-Way
TypicalCity Street- Existing
Carriageway
BO'
Proposedlmprovements
ProposedPathway right-of-wayto landscapeimprovements. Very Table4 often on local streets,ten feet or more can be Existingand Proposed takenout of the roadwaydimension without Green Streets,Pathways reducingtraffic lanesor takingaway parking. and CommunityForest While the specificlocations for street improvementsneed to be considered,this Creen Street, Pathway, Forest MasterPlan calls for the improvementof ten Community Miles linearmiles of "green"streets. ExistingCreen Streets, Pathwaysand Community Forest Develop a RecreationalPathway along the BeachPromenade and BikePath 4.2 SanVicente Boulevard 2.0 MTA Corridor. The MTA corridor is located OlympicBoulevard 1.5 within the Olympic corridorand extends along FourthStreet 0.5 residualrail linesfrom the City of Los Angeles CommunitvForest 28,500trees to MemorialPark. It is ownedby the SubtotalExisting Creen Streets, 8.2 miles MetropolitanTransportation Authority and is Pathwaysand CommunityForest 28,5O0trees plannedas a light rail linkageinto Santa ProposedGreen Streets, Monica,which is a long-rangefuture project. In Pathwaysand Community Forest the interim,it presentsopportunities for Pathways 3.0 recreationaluse, in particular,for linear StreetMedians and Parkways 10.0 recreation.The continuityof the easementis ExpandedCommunity Forest 7,000trees '13.0 particularlywell suitedfor walking,jogging, SubtotalProposed miles Creen Streets,Pathways 7,000trees cycling,and improvements are skatingand and CommunitvForest recommendedfor the corridorwhich enable theserecreational activities without diminishing Total 21.2miles 35,000trees the future potentialof the corridor for transit. It is recommendedthat a pathwaybe built along the corridor within an allee of tall trees.such as
la'1. Pe0estrianFath Rieht-of-W Width Varies ProposedMTA Corridor
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 27 60'Carriageway
74' Right-of-Way
TypicalFreeway Bridge - Existing
Carriageway
74' Right-of-Way
Proposedlmprovements
ProposedFreeway Bridge
2B Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997 poplars,to give greateramenity and visual the City of SantaMonica. This areashould be integrity to the corridor. improvedas a recreationalpathway which connectsto a multiusepathway on nonaviation Establish recreational pathways extending landsat theAirport, as well as to CloverPark acrossthe city in both an east-westand a along23rd Street.As part of the Nonaviation north-southdirection. Pedestrianand bicycle LandsStudy, the ability to locatea traffic signal improvementsshould be madein off-street at Deweyand 23rd is beinginvestigated to locationsextending through the city in both facilitatecrossing the rapidly movingtrafficway. directions.The bestcandidates for a ClassI The pathwayon Deweyshould also connect to a (separated)bikeway would be thosestreets that north/southpathway, which would link this area haveexcess width in their carriageway,long to MemorialPark. lengthsof unbrokencurb, and connectionsto major parksand recreational facilities. Preparea masterplan for selected citywide streetscapei mprovements. Certainstreets Establisha recreationalpathway at the within the city areidentified as playing a far southerly boundary of the city. Along the broaderrecreational and open space role. southerlyedge of DeweyStreet is an unim- Althoughthis plan attemptsto identifyhow each provedsection of roadway,about 30 feet wide, streetcould be redefined,it is preliminaryin which extendsfrom Marine Park to 23rd Street nature,and further investigations along with adjacentto the PenmarGolf Course. Half of the traffic engineeringand impact evaluationwill be corridoris within thejurisdiction of the City of necessaryprior to final decisionsregarding Los Angelesand half is within thejurisdiction of streetimprovements. Therefore, a streetscape
Residences Sidewalk Bikeway
(Existi
Right-of-Way
ProposedPathway at SouthernEdge
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 29 .1 E- t,il ,=-.=={.! ,.t- 'i; ;i-6i** CrossingStreet
Carriageway B0' Righrof-Way
ExistingStreet Intersection
Carriageway amd' Raised PedestrianZone 80' Right-of-Way
Proposedlntersection
ProposedRecreational Pathway Intersection
Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 ExistingConditions Proposedlmprovements PrototypicalGreenway Street Intersection masterplan shouldbe preparedthat implements Enhancepedestrian bridges from Palisades the broaderrecommendations for improvementof Park over Pacific Coast Highway to improve ce(ain streets,including 10 miles of local street accessto the beach. Currently,the pedestrian narrowing,to implementthe City's goalfor bridgesare in disrepairand needimprovement additionalrecreational pathways in the future. to createmore attractivelinkages to the beach. Improvedlighting, fencing and stairway lmprove freeway bridges. Threebridges, at improvementsare included in this plan. l lth, 14thand 17thStreets, are proposed for landscapeand pathway lighting to invite Expandthe SantaMonica Beach Trailand pedestriantravel in an areadominated by Promenadeto reduce user conflicfs. The vehiculartraffic at present.Pathway lighting, BeachTrail hasbeen extremely successful in landscaping,public art andbanners would attractingpedestrians, skaters and bicyclists to providea more invitingand intimate experience andalong the beach. However,there is now the traversingSanta Monica's notorious "divide" needto expandthe BeachTiail throughwidening (thefreeway) and present a visuallyappealing or separatedpaths to reduceconflicts between the experiencefor motoristsand bicyclists as well. Pierand Bay Street.The City recentlyreceived It is proposedthat parking be removedfrom the Countyfunding to supportthis project. bridgesand that the streetsbe narrowedto create a morepedestrian scale similar to the Civic CenterBridge.
Master Plan Strategies-Parksand Open Space 3l EnhanceSanta Monica's Community Forest milesof freewaythroughout the City, not only to addto the amenityand air quality of the City, lmplement an aggressivetree planting program but alsoto help visuallymend the urbanfabric on City streetsand in public open spaces.A throughlandscape improvements. Tree planti n g treeplanting program is proposedas an essential would needto be undertakenwith Caltrans componentin enhancingthe communityforest. approvaland cooperation. Currently,there are over 28,000 trees in Santa Monica'scommunity forest, and it is recom- Develop and implement a comprehensive mendedthat 7,000 new trees be plantedin streets Commun ity ForestManagement Program. andpublic areasover the next20 years.With the With the hiring of the City's first Community plantingof 350 treesper year,this would exceed Forester,the City will developa comprehensive the goal containedin the City's SustainableCity programfor the careand enhancementof the Programof 350 additionaltrees by the year2000. CommunityForest. The majorityof thesetrees would be placedin streets(both along the existing curb andin Promote the involvement of community expandedparkways);however, some would be residentsin caring for the Community usedwithin parkinglots andpublic properties Forest. Through urban foresterand (suchas Memorial Park). Aportion would alsobe communityeducation programs and events, usedas necessary for replacementof agingtrees the City will work in partnershipwith within the communityforest. residents,neighborhood organizations, schoolsand businesses. Model programs, Develop a freeway forest. An intensivetree suchas the gardeningangels program in Santa plantingeffort shouldbe undertakenalong the 3 Monica'sschools, should be extended.
32 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan . March 1997 MasterPlan Strategies- RecreationPrograms
As with the physicalparks and open space activities can take place. The City should play a system,this MasterPlan alsoproposes a number major role in coordinating and facilitating the of strategiesthat will guidefuture decisions activities and events sponsoredby numerous regardingrecreation programming. These community interests. programactions respond to the resultsof the Plan'sextensive community outreach process, Coordinator and lnformation Manager. The in-depthplanning by the City's recreation City coordinates,assesses needs, and promotes programstaff members,as well as trendsthat collaboration between local organizations. havebeen observed in SantaMonica andthe While no single entity can managethe entire recreationindustry as a whole. spectrum of recreationalactivities in a community, the City should act as a clearinghouseand The City will play threeprimary roles in the information manaser in recreationalmatters. developmentand delivery of recreation programsin SantaMonica:
Catalyst. For manyyears, Santa Monica has OverallRecreation supportedlocal community-basednonprofits ProgrammingConcepts andservice providers, particularly in the human servicesarea. The supportgiven by the City All futureCity recreationprogram initiatives servesas an "incubator"for programsor shouldbe basedon four major concepts: communityactivities that otherwisemay not takeplace. This role shouldbe extendedto Promoting lnclusion. The City shouldfoster a recreationprograms as well. "climateof inclusion"in all recreationprograms. Inclusion,and the desireto reachall residents, Facilitator. A majorityof the physicalresources emergedas a majortheme through the community for recreationin SantaMonica areowned and participationprocess. Expanded awareness operatedby the City. Consequently,most of the throughcurrent publications and additionalmedia majorrecreation organizations in the community andincreased participation through the removalof dependon the City to providethe fields, physicaland financial barriers must be fosteredto programspace and specialized facilities where serveall SantaMonica residents.
MasterPI an Strategies-RecreationPrograms ?? Partnership and Collaboration. Given the Evaluation,Planni ng and Improvement. tremendousdemand for limited recreational The plan recommendsthe continualreview of facilities in Santa Monica, pooling resourcesand programsfor appropriateness,quality, and working in collaboration with other local relevanceto communityneeds. In this regard, recreationalproviders must play an important usersurveys are an importanttool, andwill role in satisfying unmet community demand. continueto be usedon an annualbasis in Potential collaborative partnershave been programmaticdecisionmaking to identify identified along with the recommendedprogram unmetneed, duplication, and opportunities for actions, and are summarizedin Table 11 in innovation.Staff training and communication Appendix 2. Collaboration may take the form with otherrecreation organizations and the of program partnerships,facility sharing public mustalso continue to improvethrough arrangements,joint marketing strategies,and ongoingreview and evaluation. Identification other unified initiatives. This type of coopera- andaccommodation of specialneeds, such as tion has additional benefits as well, as it clarifies the needsof personswith disabilities,must niches, better integratesfuture plans, and alsooccur. eliminates duplicative programming.
Providing a Continuum of Service. The plan calls for community programming that RecreationProgram Strategies results in a lifelong "path" for individuals to follow in recreationalpursuits. For example, This Master Plan proposesa number of actions a person interestedin swimming should be that will guide future decisionsregarding able to transition easily from learn-to-swim recreationprogramming. These program actions programs at an early age to youth recreation respondto the results of the community or competitive aquatics,then to adult fitness outreachprocess as well as trends that have been and senior swim programs. Many recreation observedin SantaMonica and the recreation activities, particularly tennis, swimming, industry as a whole. The program options are dance,general fitness, walking and biking, grouped into five broad areasthat correspondto cross all age groups, and program planning the nature of the program audience. Overall needsto take this into consideration.The program accessstrategies are also included. current continuum of recreationprograms is summarized in Table 5. These five broad areasfor recreation programs are as follows:
CommunitySports and Recreation Programs- sportsand sports-related activitiesfor all ages;
CommunityPrograms-nonsports-related programs,including educational, arts and culturalprograms;
Children,Teen and Family Programs- programsto strengthenfamilies and youth;
34 Recreation and Parks Master Plan. March 1997 Table5 Continuumof ExistingSports/Recreation Programs
EEiPSR$EH i5I!!!i 9?5"idsld.o O\OOTFFFa{\O Aerobics PAL SantaMonica Hish School Badminton PAL SantaMoniiu Hiel-,iihool Baseball Wgmells Qq99!qlI A99ocia1io1 SqltqMo1!9a liltle lgqgue Wg9!91n,Yo_qt h Qg1ebz{ | PAL
Basketball Bgryqqqd C_irts C!ltb PAL CityYouth Spqlt_s SantaMonica Q"jlgg" St.Monica's West s! delp.e g tql Qly.pLc s !e4qa{gqe" Hisb sql-'eq! YWCA- Cirls BasketballCoed YMCA ChabadHouse BasketballWomen's Citv of SantaMonica BasketballMen's Citv of SantaMonica Bowling
Westside PAL PAL CrossCountrv SantalvlqqicarH igh SchooI lMl-Qell-eee St.Monica's DanceClass PAL Dod PAL ExerciseClass YWCA PAL PAL PAL St.Jvlonica's SantaMonica H Football- Flag ChabadHouse Citv Youth Football- Touch SantaMonica Hieh School Foursquare Q4yYo!{L'lsorll andCirls Club
Master Plan Strategies-RecreationPrograms 35 Table5 Continuumof ExistingSports/Recreation Programs aqa ?b -.LLL ; s383.33 tlttc/> ;: ;;--:=Ro0, (\c 9(! k.) cO F ^:. .:. A \O(Y) O\OOTFFF N\.o Golf
ialO Cymnastics/Tumbling
Handball
ln line Hocke Karate PAL Kickball andCirls Club Citv Youth PaddleTennis YMCA Play FirstUnited Methodist RusticlelD/on Co-El Children'sPlace PAL PAL lliards PAL Westside YMCA Downhill Westside Soccer SMCCollegq ,-- _ctty_]oqblpi4! St.Monica's Bovsand Girls Club !eqs-l4e!Eqttebjgheo I Westside SmallTableGames PAL Softball B,glpylox CityYouth Sports !ql!q r"lorycg_Hjgh -9!!9o-l St.Monica's SoftballCoed Citv of SantaMonica SantaJr4onica College WestsideSpecial OlymPics SoftballMen's Citvof SantaMonica SoftballWomen's Citv of SantaMonica T-Ball Citv Youth Swimming _ic_{Q
36 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan, March 1997 Table5 Continuumof ExistingSports/Recreation programs g g H H fi f;trg E frS
9?T"i\oor\oearr;+q{q E O\.oOTFFF(\I\O YMCA SantaMonica College SgnlaMonlqq High School WestsideSpecial Otympics MontessoriCtr. ForChildren - SM Tennis l_e1ni9Pa{qq9 oi 9M (Tqe1s) ClqyYo_u_th Spol_ts_ &!!e l,!q!rcqletullqb !4ta Mqq1ge!:ligh lshopl Sqlta!l91iqq Cqllqge litf of SantaMonii-u WestsideSpecigi OaFpi;a PAL Track& Field $ 1Ylonica's YMCA Cily_Y_9_g1t'lpe4s- SantaMonica Col!gge SantaMonica High School Westside Volleyball YMCA Citv Youthllpq4s St.Monica's
yre{s,delpeq3 l !ly11p_!s: PAL V Coed Citv of SantaMonica w SantaMonica Hieh School Weightl ifti ng/Tra in i ng q4L SantaMonica Hieh School Wrestling PAL SantaMonica Hi
Master Plan Strategies-Recreation Programs 37 . Programsfor Personswith Disabilities-a Developcomprehensive walking programs rangeof programsfor individualswith for all ages,including walking clubs, mall specialneeds; and walkingprograms, and historical, cultural, scenicand nature walks. . SeniorPrograms-opportunities to promote the well beingof olderSanta Monicans. Developneighborhood-based sports events thatinvolve the entirefamily andneighbors. Community Sportsand Recreation Developcollaborative skating programs, Ensurethat all SantaMonica residents- eventsand trips to meetthe increasing young and old-have an opportunity to demandfor this emergingsport. participate in a continuum of noncompetitive and competitive activities that will enhance Developan intramuralsports program for valuable leisure time. high schoolstudents.
. Developa continuumof recreational Expandhigh schoolsports clubs to include activitiesthat includes informal andformal activitiesduring the summer,spring and skill development,team and individual holidaybreaks. opportunities,and traditional and nontradi- tional sports. Increaseopportunities for adultsports participationby allottingpriority registration to SantaMonica residents.
Aquatics
Provide a year-roundaffordable aquatics program for youth and adults of all ability levels that maximizespublic facility use and complementsexisting commercial and nonprofit programs.
Conduct a comprehensiveyouth lesson program that provides necessaryskills training to make SantaMonica children ages 2-17 years old water safe, and instill a lifelong enjoyment of aquaticsprograms.
Provide ample opportunitiesfor all agesto have nonstructuredrecreational swim and water play activities.
Provide graduatedlevels of challenging competitive-basedaquatics programs for youth and adults to compare and improve their skill levels.
3B Recreation and ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 . l: r:;* Provideopportunities for swim instruction #$wi *ifrfl- Ii ;F"*.o' to promotefitness and health maintenance for all agegroups. il Beach Sports
Develop a comprehensive approach to recreationalopportunities at SantaMonica StateBeach in coordination with capital improvements and enhancedfaci I ities.
. Coordinateprogramming with otherservice . Develop a mission statementwith guiding providersat specificactivity areas, including principles for allocation of physical MuscleBeach. resources,and establishan administrative componentto communicate the standards . Provide,or facilitatein conjunctionwith and criteria to current and potential otherproviders, beach sport programs such organizationsutilizing facility space. asadult volleyball tournaments, youth beach volleyballtraining, and soccer. Establish an ongoing mechanism for space usageand fees. . Formalizeprotocols for skatingand bicycling,and provide written guidelines to Review the City's field reservationsystem to visitorsand residents for skating,bicycling ensurethat it allows long-term permit andwalking on the bike pathand pedestrian groups that reflect the diversity of Santa promenade.Facilitate the provisionof Monica with respectto gender,ethnicity, bicycleand skate maintenance and socioeconomiclevels and ase. instructionalclinics with the beach concessionoperator. Ensure time-appropriatescheduling especially for children and seniors as new . Providescheduling and program support to facilities become available. the plannedroller hockeyarea.
Develop an annual coachesorientation and . Monitor interestin beachsports such as training event for all long-term permit soccer,frisbee and kayaking, and identify groups to improve coaching skills. providersfor onetimeevents or pilot programsto testdemand. Partner with the City's Information Systems Division to maintain accessto the most SportsProgram Administration current computer technology for space allocation and fees. Ensurethat recreationproviders will have an ongoing mechanismfor planning and coordinating sports programs, and for sharing physical resources.
Master Plan Strategies-RecreationPrograms 39 Evaluate existing facilities at Memorial, Los Amigos, Stewart and Marine Parks, and conduct a needsassessment for new concessionstaffing and programming at other locations; evaluatethe use of concessionscarts in selectedparks.
Provide opportunitiesfor youth to be hired and to learn important skills as employeesat the concessionfacilities.
CommunityPrograms
Classes
Providea diverseand eclecticmix of community cl assesth at com p Ie mentsexi sti n g ed u cati onal and nonprofit programsand addressesthe changing needsof the community.
. Refinethe City's nichewith regardto communityprogramming, and work with otherprogram providers to avoidduplication Field Maintenance of services.
Work with City departments,schools, and . Introducenew classesthat respond to field user groups to establish field mainte- communityand specific neighborhood nance guidelines. interests,such as walking groups,roller skating,and fitness instruction. Target . Expandthe City's field monitoringsystem to increasedprogramming in the Pico ensurethat the fields arebeing used properly neighborhoodbased on statedneighbor- andas permitted. hoodinterests.
. Developa permit systemfor largegroups Nature Programs usingnonfield park space. Provide programs that are directly related to RecreationSupport Services SantaMon i ca's natural environment. and Concessions . Offer or encourageenvironmental and Provide opportunitiesfor community and natureeducation programs for SantaMonica City groups to increaserevenues and residents,such as oceanography at the provide employment opportunities through beach,ecology at theproposed Marine Park park concessions. riparianwash, "Day Naturalist"and
40 Recreationand ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 "OvernightScience" programs at Temescal . Coordinateenhanced cultural offerings in Canyon,and community-based programs the City with the SantaMonica Arts suchas the Wilderness Flyfisher's "Trout in EducationFoundation Proiect curriculum. the Classroom"program. Programsfor Children,Teens and Families Developand offer campingopportunities for all agesat sitesoutside the City, suchas the Ensurethat every SantaMonica child hasa SantaMonica MountainsNational support network enabling them to become RecreationArea. a contributing and responsiblemember of the communitv. Expandcommunity gardening activities with periodic"opsn house" events featuring music, Collaborate with schools,businesses and food and/ortemporary art installations. City departments to offer academic support, including homework, tutoring, enrichment Cultural Programs and educational opportunities. Encourage neighborhoodresidents and other adults to Enhanceand expand current cultural act as role models to all children. offerings in the City. Recruit adults from the community and . In publicplaces, include more frequent adults who work in the City to serve as performing arts,open air concerts,poetry mentors and friends to children and youth. andprose readings, performance art, festivalsand parades, and public art installations(both temporaryand perma- nent),including murals, visual art in communityplaces, and chalk painting.
Establish a program of small-scale,intimate cultural events throughout the year at city parks and open spaceareas.
Create art and cultural programs that focus on specific neighborhoodsand populations, such as seniors,families and youth.
Develop a citywide biennial art exhibition for SantaMonica-based artists.
Provide opportunities for dance perfor- mancesand instruction at facilities with proposedor existing sprung wood floors.
Explore the creation of a SantaMonica playwrights' festival.
Master Plan Strategies-Recreation Programs Ensurethat SantaMonica families have a . Developa Parents'Night Out for parentsof variety of program options to help them childrenages 3-8 yearsto enjoya Friday prepare children for later social and eveningout while their childrenenjoy arts educati on al experiences. andcrafts, games, cooking, movies, and storytime. . Increasequality early child development progmmsin theparks and recreational . Developan intergenerationalstory telling facilities. Createa park-basedprogram for programfor childrenages 3-5 years. infantsand toddlers designed to enrichparent- caregiver/infantinteractions that will enhance . Createa Grandparents'Day.This day would movementand sensory development. be for children3-8 yearsold to spendtime with their grandparentor "adopted Createfamily nights at parks and recre- grandparent"ata local park,nature center, ational facilities in order for parents/ or otherlocal venue. caregivers(grandparents) and children to come together. Ensurethat youth in SantaMonica learn life- enhancingskills to help them make Createnew classesat the parks or facilities responsible recreation and leisure time for parents/caregiverstojoin together and choices for the restof their lives. learn effective strategies to nurture their very young children's self esteemor discuss other . Promotemore diverserecreational child developmentissues. Establish opportunitiesto supportyoung people oppornrnitiesfor high school youth to carry betweenthe ages of 11-14 yearsand 15-18 out educational/enrichmentopportunities for years. Expandrecreational and cultural arts children whose parents/caregivers are programsfor high schoolyouth after school attendingthe classes. andin theevening at the high schooland/or parksand recreational facilities. These Develop a Low-Cost/Free Monthly programsbe plannedby teensand will Children's Performing Arts Seriesin the includemore varied and noncompetitive local parks/recreationalcenters with plays programssuch as, but not limited to, an and performancesfor young children 3-8 enhancedtheater arts program, intramural yearsold. sportleagues, wilderness adventures, camping,and frisbee leagues.
Developa "FridayNight Live" programfor teens14-19 years old to play basketball,use computers,or participatein other formal activitiesat a park andrecreational center community centerand/or PAL program.
Expandthe City's volunteerprogram or othercitywide community service programs in orderfor youth(aged9-17 years)to get more opportunitiesfor firsthandexperience in the field of recreation.
42 Recreation and ParksMaster PIan. March 1997 Coordinateprograms on an ongoingbasis Programmingfor Personswith Disabilities that will improve outcomesfor young people and their families. Ensurethat individuals with disabilities are integrated into all City-supported programs . Establisha teenadvisory council that will basedon reasonableaccommodation needs. allow youngpeople from a crosssection of the community an opportunityfor . Developa City interdepartmentalteam to: ongoinginvolvement and to develop leadershipskills. The teen advisory o Establisha broadCity missionstatement council could be an arm of the Recreation with resardto accessibilitv. andParks Commission with a formal connectionto the Board of Education. . Reviewthe designof recreationfacilities andparks for accessibility. . Createa mini-grantprogram to assistyoung peoplein developingyouth-designed . ReviewCity programsfor inclusion. programsand community service projects. o Research,gather, and provide ' Provide opportunitiesfor youth to learn information to the communityregarding importantwork skills asemployees in fields programsthat are available to suchas recreation and education. individualsof all aseswith disabilities.
. Establisha youth "What's Up?" phoneline . Developa recreationand parks staff training staffedby youth to provide information on manualand plan for ongoingstaff training youthevents, support services, recreation regardingADA compliance,disability programs,and volunteeropportunities for 7- informationand awareness, accoffrrnodations, 18 year olds. Provideinformation aboutthe adaptiveequipment and communiry resources. phoneline on the City's web page. Coordinatewith othergroups to implementa StaffTrainins Events Schedule/Calendar. . Fosterthe developmentof a Youth OpportunitiesFund to provideyouth with . Designand implement a volunteer"buddy" the financialresources needed to createand programbased on model programs.Include participatein recreational,cultural and individualswith disabilitiesas well asyouth educationalopportunities that otherwise from schoolprograms in theprogram might not be affordable.Involve youth developmentand implementation. organizations,such as the teenadvisory council, in the administrationof thesefunds . Provide targetedprograms for various di sabi I ity popu Iati on s. . Createa safeplace for teensto informally "hangout" that would be plannedby teens . Developa ProgramDevelopment (within appropriateboundaries) and carried Committee,including individuals with out througha public-privatepartnership. disabilities,parents of youthwith disabilities,members of organizationsthat provideservices for individualswith disabilities.and Citv staff.
Master PIan Strategies-Recreation Programs 4J . Conducta surveyregarding requests for Coordinateprogramming to promotethe specializedclasses, and research mentalhealth/well being of seniors,such as specializedclasses provided by other rap (discussion)groups and peer counseling. entitiesand organizations. . Providerecreational opportunities such as . Planand coordinate at leastone specialized dance,music, crafts, games and sports, sportsclinic andat leastone specialized excursionsand special events. classbased on findingsof the community outreachprocess. Such clinics or classes . Coordinatebasic and unique types of might include:field sports,aquatics, therapeuticrecreation programming with boating,fishing programs; and "Artist in othercommunity organizations in Residence"grant programs. conjunctionwith disabilityprogramming goalsand objectives. SeniorsPrograms . Developopportunities for seniorsto Coordinate and expand programs to promote participatein continuingeducation. the physical, social, cultural and mental well being and independenceof seniors. . Developprograms addressing key "transitions,"such as retirement, decreased . Provideprogramming for seniorsto mobility,sensory losses, memory loss and receiveproper nutrition and related financialplanning. nutritioneducation. . Provideintergenerational programming and . Coordinatean accessibletransportation opportunitiesto interactwith children/youth. systemthat allows seniors to participatein communityprograms. Provide opportunities for seniors to obtain leadershiproles within the community. . Coordinateprogramming to promotethe physicalwell beingof seniors,such as . Provideopportunities for seniorsto walking,swimming, aerobics, health volunteertheir servicesthroughout the educationand health screeninss. community.Coordinate with other volunteerprograms.
. Provideformalized opportunities for seniors to participatein the communityin an advisorycapacity through involvement with boardsand commissions.
. Provideopportunities for seniorsto obtain employmentwithin City governmentand City-fundedagencies.
44 Recreationand ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 Community Access Library through the exploration of electronic media, including PEN (Public Elecfonic lmprove communication between the City Network) listings and interactive digital media, and the public in order to provide notifica- and more extensive City recreationprogram tion of all City and other community information and promotional involvement. recreation program offerings to the widest audiencepossible. Create a "Recreation and Leisure Programs Page" on the City's web site for distribution . Promotethe useof bilingualcommunity of all program information. informationmaterials to ensurethe broadestoutreach. Use school district distribution vehicles for disseminationof City program information . Installinformation kiosks at SantaMonica (e.g., PTA newsletters,elementary school SeniorCenter and the SantaMonica Pier. "weekly envelopes,"etc.).
Developa parkssignage program for Establish an integratedinformation service to recreationinformation stations within the promote recreationprograms and services. City'sparks. The information servicesmav include:
Improveutilization of existingkiosks at the r Newsletters for specific populations Third StreetPromenade and Santa Monica and audiences.
MasterPl an Strategies-RecreationPrograms 45 Expandedand enhanced Seascape, Ensureaccessible and responsivecommunity fl yers,pamphlets, informational programs, classesand events. directories,videos, press releases and streetbanners. . Promoteand expand the City's scholarship programto includeall eligibleresidents, City "highlights"within otherlocal regardlessof age, tied to a strategyfor publicationswith reciprocalarrangements. increasingrevenue to supportthis program.
. "CulturalVisitor ltineraries"showcasins Devise a checklist to be used in program and the City's artsand cultural assets in event planning stagesto ensureaccessibility visitor guidesto the City. for personswith disabilities.
Work closelywith City TV to promote Foster a "climate of inclusion" to increase recreationprograms and activities. participation by SantaMonica's culturally diverse population. Exploreother information dissemination vehicles,such as slide promotions at Santa Employ a multidisciplinary team approachto Monicacinemas and the useof neighbor- ensurethat a variety ofperspectives are hood./businessdistrict mailins lists. representedin programmatic decisionmaking.
Identify, target and develop marketing plans for special audiences,such as families and personswith disabilities, tailoring programming to meet specific needs.
Ensure opportunities for participation by Santa Monica-basedartists in program development.
Coordinate with other City departmentsand community organizationson collaborative themes,linking programs and classeswith special events,exhibitions, and other community-wide initiatives.
The implementationof theseprogram strategies will requirethe collaborativeefforts of the City andthe rich arrayof community-basedproviders. It will requirethe identificationof the necessary fundingwhether generated through participant fees,special grants, City supportor communiry fund-raising.It representsthe City's first "blueprint"for theadvancement of creativeand responsiverecreational programming and will serveas the basisfor continuedrefinement and importantemerging community partnerships.
+o Recreationand ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 Financingand lmplementation
This chapterpresents project consultantrecom- Dedicated sourcesof funds should be used mendationsfor financing principles, capital and where possible to offset the costs of new operating costs associatedwith the proposed facilities. The BeachFund is largelyself- facilities and improvements,potential revenue financingthrough the collectionof parking sources,and the elementsof the financing revenuesfrom the beachparking lots and from strategy for the Santa Monica Parks and Recre- beachconcession revenues and rentals. This ation Master Plan. Strategieswill be refined by fund may occasionallygenerate additional the City in the context of short and long-term funds,which couldbe usedto financethe budget processes. constructionand maintenance of newbeach parksand trails.
Funding sourcesshould equitably sharethe FinancingPrinciples burden among all park and recreationfacility users. Everyonewho lives andworks in and The following setsforth financingprinciples visits the City of SantaMonica benefits from the regardingfuture funding forparks and amenitiesoffered by the parks,beaches, and recreationfacilities. variousrecreational facilities. Therefore, fundingused to implementthe MasterPlan Adequate revenuesshould be provided to shouldcome from all usersof parksand cover ongoing operationsand maintenance recreationfacilities to the extentpossible. costsand assetreplacement costs of new facilities. While someof theproposed facilities Externalfunding sourcesshould be arenot expectedto generateadditional operating maximized whereverpossible. The City has costsfor the City, manyproposed new facilities historicallybeen successful in securing will resultin an increasein theparks and open supplementalCommunity Development Block spaceoperations and maintenance expenditures. GrantsEarthquake Repair (CDBG) andCounty Sufficientenhancements to theparks and open SafeNeighborhoods Park Act (PropositionA) spaceoperating budget will be requiredfrom allocationsfor recreationaland park facilities. futureincreases in GeneralFund revenues or The list ofproposedprojects described in the from a CommunityFacilities District (CFD) to MasterPlan can be usedto seekexternal coverthese additional annual operations costs. fundingsources, such as competitive grants
Fi nanci ng and Implementation 47 from stateand federal resource agencies, and Recreationand Parks Facilities Costs privatefoundations and nonprofit groups. Futurestate bond measures for parksand open The proposedrecreation and parks facilities spacemay alsopresent funding opportunities for describedin this Master Plan will result in a currentlyunfunded facilities identified in this onetime capital costsfor acquisition, construc- MasterPlan. tion and improvement, and then ongoing annual operating and maintenancecosts. The most cost-efficient methods of service delivery should be used. The City is currently Capital Costs preparinga review of park maintenance operations,which will recommendstrategies for Total capital costs over a 2}-year period for optimaldelivery of park maintenanceservices. acquisition, construction and enhancementof all proposedpark and recreation facilities are The City should seekand maximize estimatedto be in the range of $ I 30 to $ 140 opportunitiesfor facility sharingand joint million. Net capital costs for acquisition, operations of recreation facilities. The City, construction and enhancementof all proposed the SchoolDistrict, and the Collegehave several park and recreationfacilities (after deducting opportunitiesto shareexisting facilities and to items with identified funding sourcesor other gaingreater use by convertingpaved areas to funding strategies)are estimatedto be between playingfields. The City shouldcontinue to look $70 and $80 million. for suchopportunities and seek agreements on costsharing for maintenanceand operations of The net capital costs associatedwith each of the thesefacilities where possible. major types of recreation and parks facilities are spreadover a 2O-yearperiod in four five-year User feesshould be increasedto recover a phasesaccording to availability of specific larger percentage of recreational program revenue sourcesand urgency ofneed. The costs. The City hasrecently begun to increase major types of facilities and improvements are the level of cost recoveryfor recreation describedbelow. programs.Proposed increases in recreationuser feeswill enablethe City to reducethe net costof Land Acquisition and Improvements programswhile still maintaininga policy of providingaffordable and accessible programs. The most costly item on the proposed list of recreationand parks facilities is the acquisition Existingrevenue sources should be and developmentcost for five acresof parkland maintained where possible. In orderto assure over the 2}-year Master Plan. Limited funding continuedlevels of serviceand to maintainand is available from developmentmitigation improvethe existingquality of facilities,the settlementsfor designatedneighborhoods and City shouldmaintain historical levels of General from anticipatedpark impact fees from new Fundallocations. New revenuesources should development. Given the high cost of land in the not be usedto substitutefor ongoingrevenue City, parkland acquisitionsmust be made commitmentsfor recreationand parks facilities. opportunistically. The City should look for opportunities to leveragefunds by seekingpublic- private partnershipsfor joint acquisition and use of facilities ; by negotiating developer mitigation agreementswhere possible; and by using the
4B Recreation and ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 servicesofland trustsor conservanciesto assistin brokeringbelow-market purchases. The acquisitionschedule will dependon the availability of fundingand specific acquisition opportunities.
Facility Sharing
The MasterPlan recommends an aggressive programto maximize the opportunitiesfor facility sharingwith the SchoolDistrict andthe Collegeas well aslocal private schools and nonprofitorganizations. To this end,the Master Planincludes replacement of the MunicipalPool on the SantaMonica Collegecampus, conversionof severalschool paved areas into new grassplaying fields andthe redesign of entry areasas socialgathering places. The largestcost item is the MunicipalPool replacement,which is substantiallycovered by FEMA andCDBG supplementalearthquake repairfunding.
ExpandedRecreational Use of Public Facilities and Land including a streettree planting program, which are all designedto enhanceand improve Giventhe high costof land acquisitionin the pedestrianaccess and enjoyment. The most City, the MasterPlan proposes creative uses of significant costs in this category are the existingpublic landsand facilities to maximize downtown streetscapeprojects, which are recreationaluse opportunities. This category expected to be funded primarily by transporta- includesexpansion of beachparks; development tion funds; the citywide sidewalk and parkway of the nonaviationlands at theAirport for widening projects; and a streettree planting recreationalpurposes; a new aquaticsfacility, to program. The streettree planting program could be constructedwithin an existingcity park; and receive funding from state and county tree the implementationof the Civic Centerparks. planting funds. The Civic Centerparks are expected to be fundedby developercontributions and General Park I mprovements mitigations. The category of park improvementsincludes a Pathway lmprovements range of park repair, renovati on and r ev italiza- tion projects as detailed in Table 6 and 7. The Sincewalking andbicycling around the City and total cost representsa major commitment by the on the beachhas been identified as one of Santa City in improving existing facilities. It includes Monicaresidents' favorite leisure activities, the such projects as Park Restroom and Concession MasterPlan proposes the additionof bike lanes, Replacement,the improvement and expansionof walkwaysand several streetscape improvements, Community Centers,improved and enhanced
Financingand lmplementation 49 Table6 PreliminaryPhasing of Improvements
c|
L I E (! (! vl >. - t) I E E -Y Item at) U U rt\
Parksand RecreationalFacilities 1 I o a t-ilr a a a a a I a a o t-il a a a 1 a a I a ; a a a a ill a a tv a a a- t-tv a a a ;- a Ng-!q!!" nd_lrqqy"q" nt t-tv a a a a a ParkFacility Maintenance and Access. Proiect t-lv a a a a a ParkRestroom and ConcessionReplacement Project I o MarinePark Lighting I a BeachRestroom Area lmprovements I a BeachMaintenance Projecl t-tv a a PlayAreas Renovation I a DouglasPark lmprovements I a a a BIC Project I a Lincoln ParkEdge lmprovements ilt a Memorial Parklmprovements il-il1 a a ; o _!_ a a _;a a ill -a-a --|-- -t a I I a t! a I a I a I a I a I a 1_ a lt a I a il-lll o a a
50 Park and Recreation Master PIan. March 1997 Table6 PreliminaryPhasing of lmprovements
bo
L
L tet (1 (! ! v) I L E G :|! t! U rtl .J1 NewTelnjs Cgurts Newvolleyball Courts
Cardens,Creens & Habitats Mt. Ol ivetteI mprovements \l{og! !awy !:qptery 1m provements MarinePark Riparian Wash PalisadesBluff Stabilization 23rdStreet N"irr" C"ia"n
Public Places CampusPromenade lmproveN.W. Cornerof AdamsSchool
Green Streets,Pa & Comm. Forest Sidgwa]kfqkway Wideni n g \ o19y!at!o1 e9!/sqe_91993p9 PqqLsf. YS{LUlLrnqg! " !o E!l'l Olympic BoulevardMedian lmprovements _!_ !C!,v-!S=11" q99]9y.'{ ry9Q !9,$p 1ov9mqq il Dgwn t9ry1 !!r99tsqp9 rfg,eqs t-t I CirculationModifications I o TransitPriority Streets I a rgldTqpllg andFulqsh ingg t-tl a |ttgSt!ig[t, "gr StreetLighting, Landscaping and Furnishings t-il a Yra -cg19glmppyeme1ts t-lv a Eq!t-wg+Pat!'yq/ il a North-SouthPathway il a SouthEdgg Linear Park with BikeLane il a PicoBoulevard Slreetgcape Project I RecreationPathways/Streetscape Master Pl an I FreewayBridge Pedestrian lmprovements I RenovatePedestrian Bridges over PCH I a BeachTrail Project I o CommunityForest Planting Program t-tv o
Fi na nc i ng and Impl eme ntation -)l ballfields and other recreationalfacilities. Some ldentifiedand Potential Recreation of theseprojects have already received funding andParks Funding Sources or funding has been requested for the coming year. The remainder will have to be funded The City of SantaMonica is fortunatein through the range of funding sourcesdetailed in havinga soundeconomic base with expected this funding section. increasesin GeneralFund revenues over time andthe possibilityof severalpotential revenue Park.Master Plans sourcesavailable for acquisitionand enhancementof park andrecreation facilities. Severalpark planning projects are expectedto To the extentthat adequaterestricted revenues be undertakenby the City in PhaseI of the arenot availablefor specificprojects, such as program. Therefore, costs are included in the BeachFund projects, new unrestricted Master Plan for the following planning projects: revenuesources such as park bondproceeds a citywide StreetscapeMaster Plan; the Civic will be neededto make up the difference. Center Parks Master Plan; Josyln Park Master Plan; and Memorial Park Master Plan. CapitalFunding Options
Operating and Maintenance Costs General Fund Capital lmprovement Program (CIP) Funds Operating and maintenancecosts include the costs of maintaining City swimming pools, The Capitallmprovement Program (CIP) budget parks, landscaping,medians, street trees, parks, for parksand recreation facilities currently totals trails and bike paths. If a facility was approved $2.0million from GeneralFund revenues. in prior CIP budgets,it is assumedthat the Enhancementsto the recreationand parks operation and maintenancecosts will be covered operatingbudgets have also been approved over by General Fund support. The operations and time. For purposesof theParks and Recreation maintenancecosts of some facilities will be MasterPlan, it is assumedthat CIP levelsfrom the covered, in part, by other public agencies,such GeneralFund will remainconstant. There are no as the Municipal Pool, where the cost of restrictionson how GeneralFund support can be maintenanceis sharedwith SantaMonica used,and the fundscould be appliedto any of the College.Finally. some improvements, proposedparks and recreation facilities. replacementsand enhancementscan be covered by existing budget appropriationsand are not Civic Development Funds anticipatedto result in net new operating and maintenancecosts to the Citv. The Civic DevelopmentFund receives one- twelfth,or 0.08percent, of the City's Transient New recreationalprogram costs are not included OccupancyTax (TOT) revenues.Currently, the in the operating and maintenancecost estimates. fund hasa surplus,which mustbe usedsolely For the purposesof this Master Plan, it is for improvementsto the Civic Auditoriumand assumedthat increasedcontributions from user relatedprojects in the Civic Center.This fund fees plus additional GeneralFund and grant representsa securerevenue source, assuming support will offset new program costs. thatTOT remainsconstant and the touristtrade remainsstrong in SantaMonica.
52 Recreationand ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 Tax Increment residential development. Recently,the City has collected between $7,000 and $10,000 annually The City of SantaMonica has an established from this fee. The City also has an Office RedevelopmentArea (RDA) for earthquake- Development Housing and Parks Project relatedrepairs and other revitalization projects. mitigation fee collected from new office A portionof theTax Increment(TI) revenues developmentin the City. The office mitigation fee generatedby the RDA may be availablestarting is currently $3.36 per squarefoot for the first in PhaseII of the MasterPlan for certaineligible 15,000square feet of office developmentand projectswithin the RDA. Therewill be many $7.47 per squarefoot for office developmentover demandson this revenuesource, so parksand 15,000square feet. Approximately 50 percent of recreationfacilities will be in competitionwith the revenuesfrom this fee are allocatedfor parks othermaj or economicrevitalization projects. projects, and the remainder is dedicatedfor housing projects. These funds are available for The BeachFund any capital improvements or replacementprojects within the City. With appropriatenexus findings, it BeachFund revenues from beachparking lot might be possible to establishthe fee for other leasesand beach concessions and rentals must be types of commercial uses. usedfor beach-relatedprojects. A significant portionof the BeachFund pays for a summer Proposition A Funds lifeguardcontract with the County,security on the beachand in theparking lots, beach cleanup and The City has successfullysolicited and received maintenance,and ongoing repairs and enhance- about $6.5 million from Proposition A, the Los mentsto beachfacilities. Due to therevenues Angeles Safe Neighborhood Parks acts of 1992 receivedfrom increasedbeach parking and and 1996. Proposition A has raised a total of activities,additional revenues may be availablefor $859 million to buy new parks and natural lands; beachimprovements proposed in theMaster Plan. improve parks, beachesand recreationfacilities; build facilities for at-risk youth and gang Community DevelopmentB lock Grants prevention purposes;restore rivers and streams; (CDBG) build trails; and plant trees throughout the county. If subsequentcounty-wide park bond The City is awardedan annualCDBG entitlement, measuresare approved by the voters, additional andhas also received supplemental funds for funds could be available. The City may be able repairingearthquake-damaged facilities, such as to secureadditional existing Proposition A funds the MunicipalPool. CDBG entitlementfunds for region-servingfacilities such as beach havehistorically supported park improvements in promenadesand trails or for projects within low- low-incomeneighborhoods. The continued income neighborhoods. availabilityof CDBG fundsdepends on ongoing congressionalappropriations to thefederal budget Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Funds but hasconstituted a reliablecapital funding source for eligibleprojects for manyyears. The City of SantaMonica currently obtains 8.3 percent,or over $10 million, of its GeneralFund Park Impact Fees revenuesfrom a 12 percent TransientOccupancy Tax (TOT) paid by all overnight visitors staying The City collects$200 per dwellingunit for the in a SantaMonica hotel or motel room. Parksand Recreation Fund from all new
Fi n anci ng and Im pl ementation 53 The City enjoysone of the highestoccupancy Commitmentof availableBeach Funds for ratesin Los AngelesCounty-74 percent- new beachparks and related beach projects; which,in turn, can supportrelatively high AverageDaily Room (ADR) rates.Future TOT Commitmentof tax incrementfunds, revenueincreases could be usedto help fund startingin PhaseII, for park acquisitionand region-servingrecreation or parkfacility capital developmentprojects within the Redevelop- costsand ongoing operations and maintenance. ment Area;
Citywide Community Facilities District (CFD) Contributionsfrom the Civic Development or General Obligation Bond Fundfor enhancedor expandedCivic Center parksand recreational facilities; To accomplishall of theplanned parks and recreationimprovements within thedesired time OngoingCommunity Development Block frame,it will be necessaryto seeksupplemental Grants(CDBG), to be usedin the Pico fundingfor capitalcosts by issuinga citywide neighborhood; bondin theamount of $10to $15million. This issuemay be combinedwith otherfunding Contributionsfrom the GeneralFund due to requirementsin the City, suchas school or library anyincreases in TOT revenuesfor regional- improvement.If additionaloperating and servingparks and recreation facilities; maintenancefunds as well ascapital funding are needed,a CFD would be the mostappropriate An aggressiveapproach to securinggrants mechanism.If only capitalfunds are required, a andother external funding; and GeneralObligation Bond would be the simplest mechanismto raisethe funds. Both methods A citywide CommunityFacilities District requireapproval by a two-thirdsmajority vote. (CFD) specialtax, or GeneralObligation Bond to fund parksand recreation capital andmaintenance, depending upon levels of GeneralFund supportfor operatingand Summaryof Proposed maintenancecosts. FinancingStrategy After accounting for all identified and potential The proposedfinancing strategyincludes the capital funding sourcesand assumingphased following elements: implementation over 20 years,this funding strategycould secureadequate funds to support the . Ongoing commitment of GeneralFund estimatednet capital costsof the Master Plan. revenuesfor parks and recreationCIP Becauseof the high level of community interest in projects, and operationsand maintenancefor new and improved facilities in the near future, a ongoing and currently approvedprojects; $15 million SantaMonica parks bond measure would be neededto implement priority projects in . Ongoing commitment of the Parks and the first two phasesof the plan. In subsequent Recreationdwelling unit tax and the Office phases,the availability of additional resfficted and Development Housing and Parks Project nonrestrictedfunds would provide adequate mitigation fees collected from new funding for remaining projects. developmentin the City;
Recreationand ParksMaster Plan, March 1997 raDte/ Preliminary/conceptualEstimate of lmprovementcosts
Item EstimatedCost Acres Pqtkl qld _Recre_ationaI Facilities Civic Center Parks $10,415,500 Main StreetCircle $1,279,900 0.60 Civic Park $2,365,100 6.00 Village Green Park $1,282,300 0.70 City HallSquare $3,512,400 1.60 Arroyo Park $1,775,800 2.10 Civic CenterMaster plan $200,000
BeachParks $5,623,2OO BeachPark *l $2,811,600 2.90 Beach Park #2 $2,811,600 2.90
NonaviationArea park Land(see note #1 ) $1O,960,O22 24.80
SchoolParks $5,250,000 School#1 $1,050,000 1.20 School #2 $1,050,000 1.20 School #3 $1,050,000 r.20 School #4 $1,050,000 1.20 School #5 $1,050,o00 1.20
VirginiaAvenue Park $2,100,000 Park lmprovements $250,A00 Park Expansion $1,850,000 2.90
StewartStreet Park Expansion $1,129,490 1.50
StreetEnds $1,358,080 New StreetEnd Medians (Southof Freeway) $458,080 0.30 Convert StreetEnds (North of Freewav) $900,oo0 0.80
Acquireand lmproveNew park land $19,602,000 Acquire New ParkLand $16,335,000 5.00 lmprove New Parksfor Recreationpurposes $3,267,000 5.00
Park FacilityMaintenance project and Accessibility $5,954,57O
Park Restroomand Concession project Replacement $1,760,000
Fi n anc i ng and Im plementation 55 Table7 Preliminary/ConceptualEstimate of lmprovementCosts
Item EstimatedCost Acres
MarinePark Lighting $210,000
EeachI mprovements/Maintenance $538,780 RestroomArea lmprovements $t 00,000 Maintenance Project $438,780
PlayAreas Renovation $1,100,000 Clover Park Marine Park Ozone Park JoslynPark Douglas Park
DouglasPark lmprovements $610,000
BIC Project $7,669,100 24.10 PalisadesPark (Phasell) Beach lmprovements(Pier to Bay Street) Californi a Incl i ne Replacement Pier Bridge Widening CoastalCateway 1ntersectionof Pier, l-10, PCH)
Lincoln Park Edgelmprovements $903,000 o.70
Memorial Park $1,575,000 Park lmprovements $1,500,000 Park Master Plan $75,000
foslynPark lmprovements $350,000 Park lmprovements $300,ooo ParkMaster Plan $50,000
PacificStreet Park lmprovements $352,700 0.50
AquaticFacilities $B,255,600 Municipal Pool ReplacementProiect $3,950,000 Park-basedRecreational Aquatics Faci lities $4,305,600
56 Park and Recreation Master Plan. March 1997 I aDte / Preliminary/ConceptualEstimate of lmprovementCosts
Item EstimatedCost Acres Park-basedRecreational Aquatics Faci lities $4,305,600
AdditionalBallfields $1,050,000 Clover Park $350,000 LosAmigos $350,000 Adams Middle School $350,000
Skatinglmprovements $72,OOO SouthBeach RollerHockey $50,000 SkatingFacility $22,000
Miles PlayhouseRenovation $1,233,147
New Athletic Courts $260,000 BasketballCourts $80,000 TennisCourts $120,000 Volleyball Courts $60,000
BasketballCourt Replacement $449,000
New Cymnasium $2,B5o,oo
lmprovement/Expansionof CommunityCenters $3,000,000
c re9_19,4$ bilqtt _G_qCe!q tl " Mt. Olivette lmprovements $268,490 3.00 Woodlawn Cemeterylmprovements $::z,6co Marine ParkRiparian Wash $264,000 0.30 PalisadesBluff StabilizationProject $5,800,000 23rd StreetNature Garden $65,000 3.00 CivicAuditorium Landscape Plan $40,000
PublicGathe{J6 Places CampusPromenade $1,544,740 1.60 lmproveN.W. Cornerof AdamsMiddle School Campus $210,680 1.00
Grygn_Slreets, P4lhways & Comm,Forest Streetscapelmprovements $5,664,197
Fi na nc i ng and Implementation J,/ Table7 Preliminary/ConceptualEstimate of lmprovementCosts
Item EstimatedCost Acres Median improvements $1,715,760 Pearl St.Median tincoln to 16th) $870,150 Olympic BoulevardMedian lmprovements $s90,000 SanVicente Boulevard Median lmprovements $255,610
Downtown StreetscapeProiects $16,493,800 Circu I ation Mod ifications $568,000 T ransitPriority Streets $4,422,260 StreetLighting, Landscaping and Furnishings $4,077,930 StreetLighting, Landscaping and Furnishings $7,425,610
Pathways $5,001,510 North-SouthCorridor $681,840 East-WestCorridor $2,795,070 South EdgeLinear Park with Bike Lane $B9l,OO0 MTA Corridor Improvements $633,600
Pico BoulevardStreetscape Proiect $3,670,460
RecreationalPathway/Streetscape Master Plan $35o,ooo
FreewayBridge Pedestrian lmprovements $1,194,800 Project #1 $367,080 0.30 Project #2 $408,860 0.50 Project #3 $408,860 0.50
RenovatePedestrian Bridges over PCH $31o,ooo
BeachTrail Proiect $1,900,000
CommunityForest Planting Program $3,ooo,oo0
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. Estimateshave 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.
Parkand RecreationMaster PIan, March 1997 5B APPENDIX1: Existing Resources-Parks
SantaMonica's park andrecreation system Parks beganwith the establishmentof the original town, in 1875,and has generally experienced SantaMonica has 24pNks, ranging in size from threemajor erasof new development.There are 0.16 acres (SchaderPark) to 26.41 acres(Palisades three parksthat dateback to the turn of the Park). These 24 parks representa wide diversity of century-Palisades Park, perchedon a bluff park types, uses and settings,each with varied overlookingthe Ocean,was an importantpart of degreesof successwith respectto its physical and the founding vision of the city; Lincoln Park visual connectionsto the surrounding neighbor- (formerly CentralPark built in 1892);and hoods (seeThbles 9 and 10). DouglasPark (1916). The nextmajor era of park expansiontook place in the yearsfollowing Historic Parks World War II, a time when SantaMonica experiencedrapid growth in residential There are three parks identified as historic development.The parksfrom this era are because of the role they played in the concentratedin the OceanPark portion of the development of the city. All three are located in city southof the SantaMonica Freeway.The SantaMonica's original grid which extended mostrecent era of park building, 1980through eastward from the Palisades. Palisades Park, the presenttime, has generallyfocused on celebratedfor its precipitous setting above the completionof a linear greenwayalong the beach Pacific Ocean, was identified as a city park in southof the pier. The privately ownedand 1875 by SenatorJones, the founder of Santa managedMGM PlazaPark, completed in 1992 Monica. In 1892, PalisadesPark was formally as a part of a largeroffice development,may be designatedas a park, known then as Linda Vista usheringin a new eraof joint partnerships Park. The name was subsequently changed to betweenthe city and other public and private Palisades(from the French meaning "a line of entitiesin providingopen space and recreation bold cliffs") Park in 1915. Lincoln Park was services.The erasof park developmentare establishedin 1892-previously called Pueblo summarizedon Table8 andillustrated on Figure 1. Park and Central Park----originally envisioned by SenatorJones 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.
Appendix l: ExistingResources-Parks A-1 Table I PalisadesPark. Perchedatop a high bluff Eras.of ParkDevelopment overlooking the Pacific Ocean,the spectacular viewsand scenicquality of PalisadesPark Year contributesignificantly to the imageand identity Built of SantaMonica. This park is the largestin the Before1900 City (excludingthe beaches),comprising 26 PalisadesPark 1875 acresin a oneand one-half mile linear LincolnPark 1892 configuration.The park includesan asphalt walkwaysystem throughout the lengthof the 1900-1939 park usedprimarily for walking andjogging, CrescentBay Park 1911 andbenches for contemplationand enjoyment of DouglasPark 1916 CooseEgg Park the scenery.In the newly renovatedsouthem HotchkissPark 193s portion of the park, a decomposedgranite path hasbeen installed for jogging. PalisadesPark is 1940-1959 hometo the SeniorRecreation Center and the tuhland Park SantaMonica Visitor's Center, as well asthe BeachPark #4 LosAmigos Park 1949 historic "CameraObscura," a pergola,rose MarinePark 1949 gardenand public artworks. There are four MemorialPark 1950 outdoor shuffleboardcourts and two large JoslynPark 19s8 community rooms associatedwith the Senior RecreationCenter. 1960-1979 PacificStreet Park 1961 Ozone Park 1963 The southernportion of PalisadesPark has ParkDrive Park 1965 beenrecently renovatedand plans are StewartStreet Park 1971 underwayto renovatethe northernportion of 1975 VirginiaAvenue Park the park. The scopeof improvementsto Clover Park 1978 PalisadesPark include replacementof the 198G-Present irrigation system,drainage improvements, BarnardWay LinearPark lighting enhancement,improved pathway BeachPark #1 treatments,landscaping enhancement, railing SchaderPark replacementand new streetand park furniture. OceanView Park 1983 ParkExpansion 1990 Clover 't992 MCM PlazaPark Lincoln Park.LineolnPark occupies a city SouthBeach Park block (5.3 acres)within the intensively developedWilshire Corridor, and hasbeen Source: ROMA DesignCrwP significantlydeveloped with recreationalareas andcommunity serving buildings including Douglas Park (formerly Padre Park) was JoslynHall (200seats), the CardRoom (100 establishedon the site of the Douglas Aircraft seats),Miles MemorialPlayhouse (with stage Company in l9l6 on land previouslyowned by andsprung wood floor), andpark and the Santa Monica Water Company. Until the community-wideyouth offices. The historic early 1930s,these three parks-Palisades, Miles MemorialPlayhouse, built in 1929in the Lincoln and Douglas-were the three major city SpanishColonial Revival style by J. Euclid parks in Santa Monica. Miles, a prominentSanta Monica realtor and
A-2 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997 :::Fdrmei:l .inrl5ir6 ti!:ilEl:::::
MARINEPARK . 1949.
G,OOSE::EGG OZONE PARK .1963. ;l.i:,::,ttY,Reo,tt:,t
BEACH PARK#4
H isto1y,,,,,of'Park I mprovement T BEFORE.l9OO w1940TO 1959 1980TO:PRESENT' ' 1900 TO 1939 1960TO 1979 FUTUREPARK oppoRruNtlEs 0.+999- 3000o ffi ffi @
civic leader,has been unoccupied since the courts, a children's playground, a lawn bowling Northridge earthquake,and is awaitingfederal green with an adjacent park building and pond/ funding for its refurbishment.The reopeningof watercourse system, which is currently empty. the Miles Playhousewill be an important The park also has fourteen picnic tables within milestonefor Lincoln Park and all of Santa an open lawn area. Improvements to the Monica. Recreationalfacilities include an children's playground and restoration of the extensivechildren's play area,six lightedtennis ponds and pathways are currently scheduled to courts,four shuffleboardcourts, two basketball be completed within the next two years. courts,a croquetcourt anda horseshoearea. The City completeda renovationof the meeting Beach Parks rooms,open grassy areas and children's play areain 1995. The scenic beauty of the coastline has long been a draw for recreationalactivity in SantaMonica, Douglas Park. DouglasPark similarly occupies contributing significantly to the image, identity a city block (4.5 acres)within theWilshire and quality of life experiencedin the city. Santa corridorapproximately 2 mileseast of Lincoln Monica State Beach is generally bisectedby the Park. This park containstwo lighted tennis Santa Monica Municipal Pier, separatingthe
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-3 Table 9 ExistingPark Acreage
Name Address Total Acres Turf Acres* 1. AshlandPark 1650tuhland Avenue o.4 0.3 2. BarnardWay LinearPark BarnardWay 3.2 3.0 3. BeachPark #1 2600 EarnardWay 4.6 o.3 4. BeachPark #4 1642Promenade 0.1 0.1 '14.4 5. CloverPark 2600 OceanPark Boulevard 17.9 6. CrescentBay Park 20OOOcean Avenue 2.3 1.0 7. DouglasPark 2439Wilshire Boulevard 4.5 1.5 8. CooseEgg Park PalisadesAvenue o.7 o.4 9. HotchkissPark 23O2Fourth Street 2.1 1.6
10. JoslynPark 633 KensingtonRoad 2.5 1.0 11. LincolnPark 1150Lincoln Boulevard 5.3 1.8 12. LosAmigos Park 500 Hollister 3.1 1.8 13. MarinePark 1406Marine Street 7.O 3.9 14. MemorialPark 1401Olympic Boulevard 10.4 5.9 15. MCM Plaza Broadwayand 26th 3.5 1.8 16. OceanView Park 2701 BarnardWay 5.7 5.0 17. OzonePark 720 Ozone Street 0.7 0.6 18. PacificStreet Park 145 PacificStreet o.4 o.4 19. PalisadesPark OceanAvenue 26.4 10.7 20. ParkDrive Park 2415 Broadway 0.3 o.2 21. SchaderPark 1425 CloverfieldBoulevard o.2 0.1 22. SouthBeach Park BarnardWay 1.8 1.8 '1819 23. StewartStreet Park StewartStreet 3.8 2.0 24. YireiniaAvenue Park 2200 VirginiaAvenue 5.8 4.O Total Acres 112.7 63.6
*Turf areasinclude sports fields and other landscapedareas. 'Community Source: Voices' Phaset Report,Brady and Associates,lnc., February 1996.
A4 Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 areainto two distinct units: the southof the pier parking areasdouble as areasfor roller areacharacterized by beachesand shoreline hockey and skateboardingwhen available. parks; andnorth of the pier areacharacterized The beachparks enjoy a high level of user by a morevast expanse of sandand bounded by amenitiesincluding food andconcession PacificCoast Highway. standsas well asbike and skaterentals.
In the southbeach area.a necklace ofbeach Thereare a wealthof significantpublic artworks front parkshas been developed along the locatedin and aroundthe BeachParks. The shorelineand forms a nearlycontinuous seaside "CaliforniaWash" memorial installation is parkway.When viewed collectively, the six locatedat the beachat the foot of Pico beachparks form a chainofover 17 acres, Boulevard;the "Obelisks"public sculptureis stretchingfrom the VeniceBeach border to the locatednear Beach Park #1; the "SingingBeach Municipal Pier-a distanceof over 6,400 feet. Chairsare locatednear BeachPark #4. ln 199'7, Exceptfor a gapof approximately1,500 feet a new piece,"Solar Web," will be installed. betweenBeach Park #4 and CrescentBay Park, the park land is continuous.A beachfront bike Significant improvementsare plannedto the path is a significantfeature, providing a focus of South Beachparks as part of the Beach linear recreationalactivities including walking, ImprovementsGroup BIG project. These bicyclingand in-line skating. Four of the beach include an expandedand improvedpromenade, parksare directly adjacentto the bike path a ChessPark, improvementsto the children's (BeachPark #1, BeachPark #4, CrescentBay play areaand the exerciseequipment at Beach Park and SouthBeach Park) and the remaining Park#4 (MuscleBeach). two are acrossthe streetfrom the path. South Beach Park.Locatedat the southwestern The BeachPromenade and Bike Pathare well comerof the city, this popularI.J acrefacility used,giving rise to conflicts betweenvarious includesa children's play areaand a turf area users,particularly at activity nodesformed by with picnic tables. The park is linked to both the the parks. There are severalparking areas BeachPromenade and a beachparking area. along the beach,totaling approximately37 acresin area.which allow vehicular accessto Ocean View Park. OceanView Park is the next the beachand the Municipal Pier. Some park north on the shorelinechain of parks,and is locatedon the citysideof BamardWay. This 5.6 acrefacility includessix-tennis courts, two iiii:::i:i':i:,, , : .. .i. .. ":,.:,i:t'S tennisbackboards, and a full basketballcourt. ,i: ti,,tH oi c h lii is,p A i k',',t.wa s,ii i ngt o i c ho o! The tennisand basketball courts in this location are very popular,to the extentthat they are consideredoverused. Reservations are typically requiredin orderto play tennisat this park. In additionto activerecreational pursuits, there are morecontemplative areas of opengreen located alonga rise that allowsviews out overthe water.
Beach Park #1. This park is generallylocated at the terminusof OceanPark Boulevardon the SantaMonica ca. | 900, showing locationsof parks and schoolstoday.
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-5 beach side of Barnard Way and is comprised of Beach Park #4. This beach,also known as 4.6 acresof land at the beach. The park is "Muscle Beach," is located on the beach traversedby the Beach Promenade,which is directly south of the Municipal Pier. Except heavily used for in-line skating, strolling and for a small area of turf (0.1 acres),most of the bicycling. There is also an active children's play facilities at this park are located within the area and open lawn areasfor picnicking at the beach sand. The specific recreational north and south portions of the park. There is a apparatusincludes monkey rings, ring beam parking area associatedwith the park, which is and horizontal bars (leading to the moniker used for roller hockey during offpeak periods as "Muscle Beach"), a children's play area and well as a concessionstand. sevenvolleyball courts.
Barnard Way Linear Park. The Barnard Way While once a bustling center of activity Park is located betweenBicknell Avenue and associatedwith muscle sportsand gymnastics, South Beach Park on the beach side of Barnard this park, located in the shadow of the Municipal Way. This park is a linear greenway consisting Pier, has become somewhatoverlooked and in of a sidewalk and open lawn areaparalleling the need of redefinition. Significant improvements beach. The park is at a higher elevation than the are planned to this area as a part of the Beach beach,which allows views over the ocean. There Improvements Group (BIG) project. These are two stairways at Pacific and Strand streets include: an expandedand improved promenade; which provide accessto the park and the beach. improvements to the children's play area; expansion and improvement to ChessPark; and Crescent Bay Park. This 2.3 acre facility is exerciseequipment. locatedjust north of Barnard Way Linear Park occupying a small block bounded by Ocean View Parks Avenue, Barnard Way, Bicknell and Bay streets. This park is comprised of two open lawn areas Two parks, Hotchkiss and Joslyn, are separatedby a retaining wall which takes up the distinguishedby their location atop a topo- changein elevation on the site. There is a graphic rise that affords views over the City. sidewalk along the easternOcean Avenue Both parks serve as primary neighborhoodparks frontage which is used by walkers and joggers, within Ocean Park. The two parks are roughly and there is a trellised walkway along the two acres in area and are very different in western edge of the park which provides character: Hotchkiss is a largely open with large connection to the Beach Promenade. This trees,and Joslyn is developedwith recreational walkway is currently closed due to damagefrom facilities, a dog run and community buildings the Northridge earthquake,but will be repaired which obscureits hilltop character. pending funding from FEMA (Federal Emergency ManagementAgency). Crescent When the City acquired the Hotchkiss property Bay Park is in need of some redefinition to in 1935,it was the site of an abandonedgas promote better use and enjoyment of the park's station and severaldilapidated buildings. amenities. With its central location within the Originally, it was the site of the Moody City and near the beach,this park could be Mansion, which was the home of Mary Jauch reinvigorated as the setting for small concertsor Hotchkiss, whose first husbandwas murdered in other performance art activities. the mansionin 1884. The mansionwas regardedas haunted for many years,prior to being torn down in the early 1900s.
A-6 Park and RecreationMaster Plan. March 1997 Joslyn Park (formerly known as KensingtonPark) for the DouglasAircraft Company. Southof the wasconstructed in 1958on the siteof theformer airport, in the generalarea of the Airport WalterG. McGinleyestate. The estatewas NonaviationLands, the SantaMonica Municipal purchasedby theCity with fundsprovided by Golf Coursewas developed in the 1920s,and MarcellusJoslyn, who alsoprovided funds for the includedtennis courts as well asrifle and constructionof theDouglas Park Bowling Green archeryranges. Los Amigos Park is the former andthe PalisadesParks Senior Recreation Center. siteof JohnAdams Junior High School,which wasbuilt in 1913and abandoned after the 1933 Hotchkiss Park. HotchkissPark is comprisedof earthquakeand subsequentlyrebuilt in its 2.1 acresof gentlysloping land alongFourth Street currentlocation. Followingthe useof the site betweenStrand Street and HollisterAvenue. The by the army andnavy in the 1930sand 1940s, park is dedicatedto passiverecreational use, Los Amigos Parkwas created in 1949. For consistingprimarily of openturf traversedby a many yearsthe park was the site of the Morgan centralpathway. The park is enclosedby mature CommunityTheater, until it wasdestroyed by treesalong each edge. HotchkissPark is the fire in 1949. MemorialPark, originally the site settingof thepublic sculpture"Oneness." of the Municipal Stadium,was initially developedas a venuefor auto racing in the Joslyn Park. This 2.5 acrepark is locatedat the 1930s,and was later convertedto a trailer park for top of a ridgelineand an easternfacing side veteransreturning to SantaMonica after World slopewhich affordsvistas over the City. This WarII. StewartStreet Park was developed in l97l park includesturf areasalong the slopeface and andwas originally part of theCityYard, which is onebasketball court, children's play areaand currentlylocated west of thepark. community centerat the top of the hill. There is a dog run along the northernedge of the park. Clover Park. At 17.8acres, Clover Park JoslynPark contains murals describing Santa constitutesthe largestof the City's multiuse Monica'shistory. parks,the secondlargest park overall(Palisades Park is the largestat26 acres).This park is Multi-Use Parks locatedon OceanPark Boulevardadjacent to the SantaMonica Municipal Airport. The existing There are five parkswhich are usedfor multiple facilities at Clover Park include two general purposes,ranging from activerecreational uses purposefields which provide threebaseball to passivecontemplative uses, children's play, fieldsand two soccerfields (overlapping),one and neighborhoodgathering. The recreational full basketballcourt, one sandvolleyball courl, fields are in greatdemand and areheavily two lightedtennis courts, and two children's used-not coincidentally,they represent playgrounds.Two fitnesscourses circumscribe significantchallenges with respectto mainte- the park. Administrativeoffices for the Parks nanceof the turf fields. All of the City's park- andSporls Division arelocated within the park basedathletic fields, including l3 baseballfields aswell as the Hill andDale Family Learning and6 soccerfields, are located within thesefive Center,a nonprofitpreschool leased from the parks,as well as 13basketball courts and I I City. CloverPark is usedyear-round by athletic tenniscourts. teamsin the southemportion of the park and for morepassive recreational activities in the Clover Park, adjacentto the Municipal Airport northernportion of the park. The pathwaysthat of SantaMonica, was originally the siteof the circumscribethe park are often usedby walkers, CloverField Airport, which includedfacilities joggers,and persons walking their dogs. The open
Appendix l: ExistingResources-Parks A-7 lawn areasin the northern portion of the park are and volleyball. The gymnasium is equipped with also heavily used on weekendsfor more informal showersand there are a seriesof community recreationalactivities such as reading, picnicking, rooms adjacentto the gym, including the Cultural and sometimescroquet. Clover Park is the setting Arts Building, the Craft Room and a kitchen for the annual SantaMonica Festival. facility. A secondgymnasium which is a part of the PoliceAtivities League (PAL) complex is Los Amigos Park. Los Amigos Park occupies located at Memorial Park. The PAL facility is 3.1 acresof land adjacentto the new John Muir home to the Virginia Avenue Theatre Project. Elementary School and SantaMonica Alternative School (SMASH) betweenFifth and The gymnasium at Memorial Park is used by Sixth streetsat Ocean Park Boulevard. The park public and private school groups, city classes is used by the school while in sessionand by the and leagues,and the general public. The four community during evenings,weekends, and north fields at the park are baseballfields with during summer months. After completion of socceroverlays and are used by Little League, current school construction there will be one Bobby Sox, the Santa Monica Adult Softball lighted tennis court and one basketballcourt and League,Santa Monica High School'sjunior a playing field. This park is owned by the Santa varsity team for softball and baseball,ani Monica-Malibu Unified School District. There is periodically for football and flag football. The no children's playground at Los Amigos Park, and southern fields at Memorial Park, which are this was found to be a comnon desire among park dedicatedexclusively to baseballuse, are usersin the communitv voices survev. designedand used for Santa Monica Little League games. There is also a dog run at Marine Park. This park is located along the Memorial Park. southernboundary of the City and directly adjacentto the Penmar Golf Course in Venice. As with all of the multiuse parks, there are The park is approximately 7.0 acresin area and issuesassociated with intensive use of the fields. accommodatesone baseballfield which doubles At Memorial Park, the use of the areaby leagues as a soccerfield, two basketballcourts, three limits availability to the generalpublic. There lighted tennis courts, a restroom. a picnic area are a number of issuesthat have been raised with barbecues,and a children's playground which with respectto the children's play area including includes a suspensionbridge and other adventure- out of date equipment, and a better and safer fype play equipment. There is also an auditorium location closer to the fields. Other usershave and child care center with a capacity of 53 children noted that the fields are not conducive to located within the park. Child care servicesare bringing younger children to watch the games administeredby the SantaMonica-Malibu Unified becauseaccess to the streetfrom the fields is too School District. Marine Park is the site of the readily available. Many noted that more seating City's sumner day camp program. There are two is needed. murals located at this park. Outdatedrestrooms cause serious maintenance Memorial Park. Memorial Park occupies 10.4 and security concerns,and the need for a acresnear the geographiccenter of SantaMonica. complete restroom redesign with durable There are six baseballfields within this park, four finishes and fixtures. Many usersstated that of which double as soccerfields. There are also they will not use the central restroom facility four lighted tennis courts, a children's play area becausethey do not feel safe and becausethe and a gymnasium which accommodatesbasketball restroomsare not clean.
A-B Parkand RecreationMaster PIan. March 1997 Stewart Sfreet Park. This park is locatedon 3.8 A 2.9 acreparcel adjacentto the park, locatedat acresof land along StewartStreet, just north of Pico Boulevardand Cloverfield Avenue. has the SantaMonica Freeway.This park includes beenpurchased by the City for purposesof two children'splaygrounds, one combination expandingthe park,scheduled to begin baseballand soccer field, andone basketball constructionin 1997. The site is currentlyused court. The relationshipof the children'splay as the Pico FarmersMarket. areaand the fieldshas been noted as a positive factor,as it allowsparents to comfortably Vest Pocket Parks supervisesmall children while alsowatching socceror baseballgames. Thereare six parksthat are distinguished primarily by theirsmall size. In general,these parks do not NeighborhoodParks play a role for activerecreation as much as they are visualamenities that are often usedfor individual Virgi nia Avenue Park. TheVirginia Avenue exercises.All of theseparks are less that one acre Parkpresents itself asa moretraditional in areaand are noted for their strongconnections neighborhoodpark. This park,which is 5.8 to their sunoundingneighborhoods. acresin area,provides a significantcomplement of community servicesto the neighborhood Ashland Park. AshlandPark is comprisedof througha community centeras well as large approximatelyone-half acre of land alongAshland expansesof grassyareas. More specifically,the Avenue. The park is improvedwith turf and trees park containsa children'splayground, two half- andis not heavilyused, serving primarily asa courtand one full-court basketball facilities. a visualamenity to theneighborhood. sandvolleyball court, picnic facilities,a bathroom,and off-streetparking. Coose Egg Park. This park, which is approximately0.7 acresin area,is situated Of all the city parks,the Virginia AvenuePark within the centerof PalisadesAvenue between perhapsbest exemplifies the role that a Fourth and Seventhstreets. The landscaping neighborhoodpark can play in serving the consistsof turf with palm trees. The quiet recreationaland socialneeds of the neighbor- settingof the GooseEgg Park makesit hood. In keepingwith this role,the park hosts conduciveto contemplativeactivity such as manycultural events, including Cinco de Mayo, Tai Chi, aswell asproviding visual amenity to the Corn Festival,and SantaMonica Festival the neighborhood. events. Programsat the ThelmaTerry Center provideeducational and social services Ozone Park. OzonePark is a linear park of includinginformation and referral, workshops, approximately0.7 acreslocated along Ozone classes,activities and events. The centeroffers Avenueat the southemboundary of the City. servicestargeted to youth,families and seniors. The parkhas two children'splaygrounds at eitherend of the park. The eastemplayground A park-basedstaff team which is comprisedof is a newerdesign with the exceptionof the groundskeepers,custodians, recreation staff and swingset, and the older westernplayground park rangersmeets regularly to enhance includesseveral unique facilities such as a shoe- programming,security and maintenance at the shapedmetal slide and springrocking horses. park. The SantaMonica Police Department also The two playgroundareas are separatedby a hasa stationat VireiniaAvenue Park. fairly expansiveturf area.
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-9 FRAN(LINK e^pii i t{4!
t, lttjt::lt i l:.l,tl.ll]li:ll
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Marine Park
Ozone Park
This park is periodically usedby children screenedfrom public view by a slattedchainlink accompaniedby adults. The centralturf areais fence.There is alsoone benchand picnic table. usedfor informal sportssuch as catch and croquet. In addition,many use the park for SchaderPark. TheO.2acreSchaderPark is walking their dogs. Most userswalk to the park locatedalong CloverflreldBoulevard at the from the surroundingneighborhood. terminusof SchaderDrive. Park improvements includean ellipticalwalkway and wo benches. Pacific StreetPark. TtlrePacific StreetPark is Quietenjoyment of this park is greatlydiminished comprisedof 0.4 acresof land at Main and by the busy traffic along Cloverfield Boulevard. PacificStreet in downtownSanta Monica. Most of the lot hasbeen fenced in and is temporarily Quasi-PublicParks in useas an off-leashdog park. MCM Plaza Park. MGM PlazaPark is Park Drive Park. This park is locatedon 0.3 essentiallya public park that is owned,maintained acresof land on Park Drive acrossfrom andoperated by a privateentity, in this caseMGM. ColoradoPlace/MGM Plaza. The park is This 3.5 acrefacility is locatedin the intensively primarilycomprised of a communitygarden developedmidtown core, within ColoradoPlace at which providesl0 plotsfor residentsto grow Broadwayand 26ttr Street. The park containstwo variousplants and vegetables. The community tenniscourts, a half-courtbasketball facility, a gardenis not accessibleby the public and is children'splay area,a volleyballcourt and a five-
A-to Park and Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 Table10 PublicSchools
EdisonElementary 4.8
FranklinElementary 5.0 I 2 Crant Elementary 6.0 McKinleyElementary 6.5 1
JohnMuir (new) 5.32 1 1 (LosAmigos Park) Will RogersElementary 8.2 1 RooseveltElementary 5.5 1 2 2 1 JohnAdams Middle 16.0 2 LincolnMiddle 9.6 2 1 SantaMonica High 25.0 1 7 OlympicContinuation 4.O
Notes: 1. Totalschool acreage, including school plus outdoor play areas. 2. IncludesLos Amigos Park.
Source:ROMA ksign Croupand "Community Voices' Phase t Report, Brady and Associates, lnc., February 1996. stationfitness course. There is alsoa public PublicSchools sculpturewithin the park. Thereis a full continuumof public schoolsin The privately maintainedpark is secureand SantaMonica, including seven elementary relatively problem-free. It is, however,both schools,two middle schools,Santa Monica High physicallyand visually isolated from the School,Olympic ContinuationHigh School,and surroundingstreets and neighborhood, and is SantaMonica Community College. These are thereforeunderutilized. Improving the physical showntogether with existingparks on Figure2 andvisual connection to theneighborhood could andTable 10. enhancethe useand perceptionof this park as a public park. ElementarySchools
EdisonElementary School. EdisonElementary School,located on KansasAvenue in the Pico neighborhood,is the smallestschool at 4.8 acres.This schoolcontains a blacktop
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-tt ?;E A A , 8g 5,.f.9P;'e * sE g r d3 ? !.bE E E gE
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Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-t 5 playgroundwith paintedcourt games.A small There is a largeblacktop play areaat the grassplay areaand an onsiteparking areafor 53 southeastcorner of the schoolproperty (33,000 carsis alsolocated on the site. squarefeet), adjacent to l6th Street,which is utilized for parking. A parkinglot accommodat- Franklin ElementarySchool. Franklin ing 28 carsis locatedon l4th Streetadjacent to ElementarySchool is a 5.0 acreschool site the main entryto school. Will Rogers locatedon MontanaAvenue in the Montana ElementarySchool is 8.2 acresin area. Avenueneighborhood. It is developedwith a small turf baseballfield andan expansive RooseveltElementary School. Roosevelt blacktoparea (approximately 58,000 square Schoolis locatedon MontanaAvenue in the feet)with a basketballcourt aswell asother northwesternWilshire/Montana neighborhood of paintedcourt games. the City. This 5.5 acrefacility containsone large blacktop play area(approximately 42,000 Crant ElementarySchool. GrantSchool is squarefeet) with miscellaneouspainted court locatedon PearlStreet in the SunsetPark gamesand a small grassplay area(approxi- neighborhood.Recreational facilities at this 6.0 mately 12,000square feet). There are also two acreschool include a largeblacktop area tenniscourts and an onsiteparking lot of (approximately77,000 square feet) with approximately50 cars. miscellaneouspainted court gamesand a small grassplay area(approximately 18,000 square SecondarySchools feet). Thereis alsoan onsiteparking lot of approximately42 cars in addition to a smaller John Adams Middle School. JohnAdams lot of 14cars off of PearlStreet. Middle Schoolis locatedon l6th Streetacross from Will RogersElementary and acrossPearl McKinley ElementarySchool. McKinley Streetfrom SantaMonica College.This school, Elementaryis locatedon SantaMonica the largestmiddle school at 16 acres,has a large Boulevardin the Mid-City neighborhood.The grassplay area(approximately 240,000 square schoolhas a grassfield play area(approximately feet or 5.5 acres)containing two lightedjunior 40,800square feet) that is usedfor baseball, baseballfields. The school alsohas two tennis softball and t-ball, and a largeblacktop area courts,five blacktop basketballcourts and a (approximately63,000 square feet) with gymnasium.The fields at JohnAdams are also miscellaneouspainted court games. There is also usedfor soccerand football. an onsiteparking lot for approximately50 can. The fields areused by SantaMonica College for John Muir ElementarySchool/SMASH. The football practiceand for women'ssoccer. In new JohnMuir/SMASH schoolcomplex is exchangefor use,the soccerfield is maintained locatedon Fifth Streetadjacent to the existing by the College.The fields arealso used by the Los AmigosPark which will be utilizedby the WesternYouth Baseball Organization, Santa schoolwhen it is in session. Monica Little League,Bobby Sox softball, AYSO, CrossroadsSchool, SAMOHI athletic Will RogersElementary School. Will Rogers programs,the City YouthSports Program, and Schoolis locatedon l4th Streetin the Sunset the SantaMonica Rugbyleague. The Parkneighborhood. The schoolcontains a large gymnasiumis usedby theYWCA for a girls blacktopplay areawith paintedcourt games, a basketballleague. grassplay field and severalbasketball courts.
A-16 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan, March 1997 LincolnJuniorTV HighSchoolt:) r..tuh?,;at :',::::: pafk
Santa Manica r:t 'ilii#iifi,@,.,:,rO . Highkhool\J) ',, O , :,;:...,: LosAmigos , lLos:Amiioi Park
'j::.. l : ..:. i ,.,,. .:::.:::::: . .i:::..:,:,::.:,,,. ExistingBaseball Fields Parks 13 Schools 4 Total 17
Des not include existing small non-event play fields at Franklin and Ropers Schals and olanned fields at Cahhorri antl Cra
Lincoln Middle School. Lincoln Middle Boulevard. The City's Municipal Pool is located School,located on CaliforniaAvenue between on the grounds and is utilized by both the city 14thand 16thavenues. contains an outdoor and the College with operating expensesshared track with a grassinfield (approximately84,500 on a pro rata basis. squarefeet), two tenniscourts which double as basketballcourts, an enclosedpool facility The College has a gymnasium that contains (discussedbelow) anda gymnasium.The three full basketball courts, and is used largely schoolis 9.6 acresin area. Fieldsat Lincoln by college students,but also accommodates Middle Schoolare used by the CityYouth Sports some community functions during the summer Programand the AYSO. months. There is also a football field and track on the grounds which currently constitutes the SantaMonica High School. SantaMonica only football stadium within the City. The track High School(SAMOHI) is situatedon 25 acres is well utilized by the public. The college also boundedby Fourth Street,Pico Boulevard, has eight tennis courts which were damaged by SeventhStreet and Olympic Boulevard. the Northridge earthquake. The courts are Recreationalfacilities on the schoolproperty currently accommodating temporary classrooms include one football field, one combination while permanent structures undergo repair. baseballand soccer field, and seventennis Some of the college athletic programs utilize courts. The tenniscourts were recently field spaceat the adjacentJohn Adams Middle resurfacedby the Riviera Country Club in School. There are also galleries,theaters and an exchangefor their usein their youthtennis amphitheaterlocated on the campus. camp. Also locatedat SAMOHI arethe Bamum Hall andamphitheater. Madison Campus (formerly the Madison Elementary School site). This campus of CommunityCollege Santa Monica College occupies a four acre site on Arizona Avenue between 1Othand I tth SantaMonica College. SantaMonica College streets. The school site does not contain anv occupies37 acresbetween Pearl Streetand Pico recreational facilities.
Appendix l: ExistingResources-Parks A-t 7 6) Santailonica Citf Collete ,'o ' Saqta'Monica ,,High khiiol
Parks Schools
Other RecreationalFacilities includesindoor lockers, showers and a recreationroom. SantaMonica Municipal Pool ln addition to parksand schoolfacilities, thereare is excellentfor teachingchildren to swim and a numberof specializedrecreational facilities that for summerprograms but the shallowend is too are operatedby the City and which play an shallowfor competitiveswimming. The pool importantrole in the provision of recreational also requiresextensive maintenance due to the servicesin the City. Theseinclude the Municipal ageof the facility (constructedin the 1950s). Pool,located at SantaMonica College,the Santa MonicaState Beach facility locatedat4l5 Pacific Lincoln Pool. Lincoln Pool is an enclosed CoastHighway, and the PoliceActivitieslrague facility locatedat Lincoln Middle Schoolat l6th locatedadjacent to Memorial Park. Streetand WashingtonAvenue. The pool is 24- l/2yafisby l3-l/2 yardsand varies from3-I/2 SwimmingPool Facilities to 9-ll2 feetdeep. This pool is goodfor winter use,as it is indoors,but it is too deepfor There are threepublic pool facilities that are teachingyoung children and the shallow end is openfor public use (althoughone is currently too shallowfor diving. The pool allows2l lap closedfor repair due to earthquakedamage). swimmersat one time and has a small seating areathat can accommodate30 persons.This SantaMonica Municipal Pool. Locatedon the facility hasbeen closed due to extensivedamage campusof SantaMonica College,the Municipal from the Northridgeearthquake, but is Pool is 33-ll3 yardsby 25 yardsand varies from scheduledto reopenin late 1997or 1998. 2-112to 5 feetdeep, and includes a separate diving pool which is 8 to 12feetdeep. Thereis SantaMonica High School. The largestpublic alsoa smallerdiving pool at this location. Of all pool is the facility at SantaMonica High School, the pool locations,the MunicipalPool has been and is for schooland city/community swim the traditionalsite for swimmingin Santa programs.The pool is 25 meterslong by 25 Monica and is where many SantaMonicans yardsand varies from 4 to 14 feet in depth. This learnedto swim. The pool is outdoorsand pool hasa largeseating area (500 persons), a
A_18 Parkand Recreation Master Plan, March 1997 Virginia/-;\ SantaMonici Avenuep;rk\!/ City College ''i'i;'{!Y#::,@ 6al r.,O-,,r pfiaaa^sf knta MbAica Hich"o School {indar)
ExistingSwimming Pools ng Gymnasiums
Parks 0 Parks 3 Sclqqlt 3 Schools ) Total 3 8
gooddiving areaand is locatedindoors, which is lounge, arts and crafts room, counseling room an advantagefor winter use. The pool is generally and office. Activities which occur at the gym too deepfor youngerchildren's programs. include practice and leaguebasketball, volleyball, wrestling, floor hockey, and badminton. The PAL SantaMonica StateBeach Facilitv gymnasium is not regulation size, and does not (41s PCH) have room for bleachers.
This facility is a remnantof the 1929 estateof PAL also operates a gym space at Virginia film actressMarion Davies. While the main Avenue Park. This facility is used primarily for housewas demolished in 1956,the remaining boxing, weightlifting and karate classes. facilitiesand clubhouse were operated by a privateoperator and then the City for public day Public Gathering Places useand eventrental; however,the facility is currently closeddue to damagefrom the Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Monica Pier Northridgeearthquake. The entire 4.98 acre located at the terminus of Colorado Avenue is a propertyis designatedas a point of historical popular beach-oriented amusement center. The interestby the City LandmarksCommission, and Pier has a tradition of providing seaside the North Househas been designated a city recreation and entertainment that dates back to landmark.An analysisof useoptions for this the tum of the century. It differs from other facility is currentlyunderway. piers in the region in that it provides low-cost entertainment,including a carousel (25 cent PoliceActivities League (PAL) Facilities ride), video arcades,and off-pier fishing. It is a regional recreationaldraw and also servesthe The PoliceActivities League (PAL) Youth local community through a variety of city- Centeris locatedon Olympic Boulevard sponsoredcultural programs, including art adjacentto MemorialPark. The 19,000square shows and concerts. The Pier is desisnateda foot facility includesa computerroom, City Landmark. gymnasium,classroom, dance room, kitchen,
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-19 :, :' : Plaia"'u ..,',,.''....,.,.,,, Y':;Af-6: Lincolnlunior.l;, (^ t96 Hig,hSchcrll\9 . . V,-, " Memor'a' tohn{dams Park >cnoot
Park 27' (ts lighted) s-sLed{l! Total 10 Total 42 D@s not include 25 infomal beach couds. ' Des not include S.M-C-
SantaMonica StateBeach. The City manages total,redevelopment of the civic centersite will approximately209 acresof SantaMonica State add approximately13 acresof openspace Beachthrough an operatingagreement with the within the 45 acreCivic Centerarea. The Civic Stateof California. This agreementhas been in Centerbuildings contain an outstanding effectsince 1949. The City is responsiblefor collection of permanentand temporaryartworks. the care,maintenance, development, operation and control of the SantaMonica StateBeach property through 2006. Gardensand Habitats Third StreetPromenade. The City maintans2.4 acresof groundsat the Third StreetPromenade, Community Gardens which is a pedestrian-onlystreet bounded at Third Streetby Wilshire Boulevardand Broadway. The There are 70 plots availablewithin two Third StneetPromenade, which emergedas a very community gardens.There is cunently a popular destinationin the community survey, waiting list of more than 100persons for garden providesa valuablevenue for community and plots. To be eligible,individuals must be socialinteraction, as well asproviding a location residentsof the city and pay an annualfee. for cultural eventsand programsand public art. Thereis no limit on how long a residentmay hold a plot providedthat the gardenis planted Civic Center. The SantaMonica Civic Center andmaintained on a year-roundbasis. Thereis areaincludes approximately 45 acresof land a limit of oneplot perhousehold. that includesthe SantaMonica City Hall, the Civic Auditorium,a CountyCourthouse and the The two communitygardens have been in officesof the RandCorporation. Future plans operationfor over20 years.All gardenplots for the Civic Centercall for developingthe area mustbe well maintainedand usedexclusively into a mixed-usecenter that is organizedaround for growing fruit, flowers and vegetablesfor the a systemofnew parksand open spaces, growers'personal consumption. No commercial pedestrianways,courtyards and gardens.In useof the gardensis allowed.
A-20 Parkand RecreationMaster PIan, March 1997 Main Street Community Carden. The largest opportunitiesfor linearrecreational activity as community garden,approximately one-half acre well asvisual amenitv. in area,is locatedalong Main Streetand providesl8-foot by 2O-footplots for 60 San VicenteBoulevard. The lushSan Vcente residents.Views of the gardenare somewhat Boulevardmedian runs from OceanAvenue to diminishedby unattractivechain link fencing 26thStreet at the northemedge of the City. The that is placedalong the perimetersof the garden. medianis 38 feet wide andapproximately 2 miles long andis plantedwith distinctiveCoral trees. Park Drive Community Carden. The Park The mediantotals 8.74 acres in areaand is oneof Drive Parkcommunity garden provides l0 the mostpopular jogging locationsin thecity. gardenplots within Park Drive Park. This gardenis not publicly accessibleand is screened Olympic Boulevard. The Olympic Boulevard from view by a slattedchain link fence. median,which runsfrom Centinelato 1Oth Street,is 36 feet wide, approximately3.5 miles DemonstrationGardens in length,and equates to approximately6.5 acresin area. Like the SanVicente median. it is Civic Center. Threeexamples of xeriscape plantedwith Coral trees. gardensare maintainedwithin the Civic Center area. Thesegardens are supplementedwith Fourth Street.The existingmedian on Fourth informationalplacards and a self-guidedtour Streetis 25 feet wide and runs from Montana brochure.At times,the City sponsorstours of Avenuenonh toAdelaideDrive for a linearlength the gardenswith schoolgroups and other of onehalf mile, totaling 1.35acres in area.This interestedorganizations. medianis plantedwith turf andpalm treesand is the settingfor imprompturecreational activity. Ocean Park Boulevard. Tltere are additional xeriscapepocket gardens along OceanPark Pathways Boulevardthat were installedand maintainedby the City. While the gardensprovide pathways, Beach Promenadeand Bike Path. T\e Beach the linear areastend to servemore as visual Promenaderuns southfrom the SantaMonica enhancementsfor neighborsand thosetraveling Pier to Bay Streetfor a linear length of along OceanPark Boulevard. approximatelyone-half mile. The Promenadeis a 20-foot walkway adjacentto a variety of Habitats shops,restaurants, apartment complexes and the carouselpark. There is also a promenadewhich Twenty-third StreetHillside. There is a runsnorth of the Pier to the I 100block of slopingarea of approximatelythree acres PacificCoast Highway. adjacentto the MunicipalAirport along23rd Streetthat is currently fencedand informally The BeachBike Pathis a part of the larger plantedwith wildflowers,perennials and shrubs. PacificCoast Bicycle Route which runsalong the beachfrom north of SantaMonica to Green Streets Torrance.The ponion of the path in Santa Monica is threemiles in lengthand is 15feet There are severalstreets in SantaMonica that wide. Most of the routeconsists of a separate contain significantland areadedicated to trees bike path on the beachand is fully separated and landscaping.These streets provide from auto traffic.
Appendix l: Existing Resources-Parks A-21 The BeachPromenade and Bike Pathare highly popularrecreational facilities for pedestrians, bicyclistsand in-line skatersOn peaksummer days,over 2,000 pedestrians, bicyclists and in- line skatersuse the paths,causing conflicts amongthe varioususers. Widening the path,or creatinga separatefacility for the segment betweenthe Pier and Bay Streetis currently proposedas part of the SantaMonica Beach Trail Project.
City Bicycle Raute Network. The City's existingbicycle network consists of several milesof bike paths,lanes and routes throughout the City. As mentionedpreviously, the Beach Bike Pathis the only separatedbicycle path (ClassI) in the City. Stripedbicycle Ianes (ClassII) existon OceanAvenue, San Vicente Boulevard,and portions of CalifomiaAvenue, Arizona Avenue,Broadway, Pearl Streetand Ocean ParkAvenue. SeventeenthStreet is designatedat the primary north-southbicycle route; it is a postedroute (ClassIII) that shares right-of-waywith automobiles.
A-22 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997 APPENDIX2: Existing Resources-Recreation Programs
CommunitySports and Recreation Youth Sports Programs. Afterschoolsports and recreationprograms are offered throughthe CurrentServices Youthand Teen Sports Section of the Human ServicesDivision at the eightelementary There are a variety of nonprofit and private schoolsand two middleschool sites. The recreationorganizations as well as the City of programsoffered include flag football, SantaMonica that provide important sport and basketball,t-ball, soccer, softball, track and recreationprograms, both traditional and field, andvolleyball. The Communityand nontraditional for children, teens,adults and CulturalServices Department and the Police seniors. These agenciesuse City park and open Departmenthave joined togetherto createthe spacefacilities, their own facilities, or a SantaMonica PoliceActivities League (PAL), combination of both. which providesa varietyof sportsand recreation programsincluding badminton, boxing, camping, Each recreationalactivity has its own specific fishing,golf, karate,weightlifting and wrestling. spacerequirements as well as different intensities of use depending on the number of Programsfor lndividuals with SpecialNeeds. participantsinvolved and length of play (Table The WestsideSpecial Olympics hosts a variety 12). ln SantaMonica, recreationalprograms of sportingactivities for individualswith special have long focused away from large land- needs.These programs include basketball, intensive sports,such as golf and horseback bowling,floor hockey,golf, gymnastics, riding. Instead,they feature more urban powerlifting,downhill skiing,soccer, swimmi n g, activities, with large segmentsof the community tennis,track and field, andvolleyball. involved in team sports as active participantsin variousleagues (seeTable 13). Adult and Senior Programs.The Parksand SportsDivision offersa wide rangeof adult The City currently offers the following sportsincluding softball, basketball and community sport and recreationprograms: volleyball. Swim classesare offered through the
Appendix ll : Existing Resources-Recreation Programs Table12 Comparisonof lntensityof Use of RecreationalFacilities
Area Duration s.r.i Type of Facility Dimensions (s.r.) Players of Game Person SkateboardPark 10-20,000s.f. 10-20,000s.f. 200 N/A 50-100 Shuffleboard 52' x 6' 312 24 78 Volleyball 60'x 30' 1,800 12 20 minutes 150 HandballCourt 40'x20' 800 2 400 BasketballCourt, 84'x 50' 4,2OO 10 48 minutes 420 High School Tennis 36'x78' 2,808 24 no limit 702 '1 RollerHockey 180' x 80' 14,400 12 40-60 minutes ,44O FieldHockey 15O'x27O' 40,500 22 70 minutes 1,84O Football 300' x 160' 48,000 22 60 minutes 2,181 'l Soccer,High School 95' x 330' 64,350 22 90 minutes 2,925 Softball 25O'x25O' 62,50O 18 no limit 3,472 Baseball 350'x350' 122,5O0 1B no limit 6,805 Colf Course 9-'lB holes 160 ac. 24 2 to 4 hrs. 9,680 per hole
AquaticsSection. Specialized classes for youth, CommunityPrograms teens,adults and seniorsare offered through the Community and Senior ProgramsDivision. Current Services Theseclasses include dance, fitness, tennis, volleyball and yoga. Community programmingaddresses nonsports classesand programssponsored by the City of In additionto City-sponsoredprograms, a wide SantaMonica. The city hasdefined its rangeof sportsand recreationprograms are programmingniche broadly,encompassing a offeredby a numberof community groups, wide variety of programofferings in the areasof schoolsand nonprofit agencies.The City has recreation,fitness, self defenseand special recentlycollaborated with communitygroups to interestclasses such as computer basics, internet provideprograms. Most recently,the Boys and instruction,foreign languages, piano, Girls Club of SantaMonica joined with the City photography,and oriental healing arts. Santa of SantaMonica to meetthe recreational needs Monica Collegeoffers a wide rangeof of youth interestedin in-line skating-this workshops,seminars, lectures, trips, classes for resultedin a Winter Breakin-line skatingrink at adultsand children through their Community theBoys and Girls Club. Serviceprogram. The YMCA andYWCA offer
A-24 Park and RecreationMaster Plan. March 1997 Table13 Current Sports/LeagueParticipation exercise,boxing, racquetball, handball, and CPR Number of classes,A numberof nonprofitorganizations, SporVleague ParticiPants includingAcademy of Danceand KindredArts, Flag Football PieroDusa Acting Academy,Santa Monica FlagFootball Program 450 Playhouse,Westside Academy of Dance,and SuperstarsFlag Football 147 ContinuumStudio, offer danceand theatre classes. Boysand Cirls Club 50 Subtotal 647 Volleyball YouthVolleyball 392 Adult Leagues 320 CulturalArts Programs Subtotal 712 Basketball Current Services PAL 160 WVCACirls Basketball 225 Boysand CirlsClub 300 Civic Art Programs. The City of SantaMonica City Youth Sports 750 establishedits Arts Programand an Arts WestsideSpecial Olympics 40 Commissionin 1982and adopted a Cultural Adult Leagues 125 Arts MasterPlan in 1992,which was updatedin Subtotal 1,600 1996. The City managesand maintains a Soccer AYSO 1,500 collectionof eighteenworks of public art and SantaMonica United 600 ten murals. Art elementsare includedin all of Boysand CirlsClub (indoor) 100 SantaMonica's public worksprojects such as Olympics 22 WestsideSpecial the BeachImprovement Group Project,the Pico Subtotal 2,222 BoulevardStreetscape Improvement Plan, the Baseball,Softball and T-ball Downtown StreetscapePlan, and the designfor Little League 1,115 WesternYouth Baseballfusociation 250 the new SantaMonica Police, Fire and BobbySox 400 EmergencyOperations Center as a part of the WestsideSpecial Olympics 62 City's Percentfor Art Program. The City also Adult Leagues 2,500 portable Subtotal 4,327 maintainsa large collection of artworks by contemporaryartists in Los AngelesCounty Aquatics Master's s00 which hangsin publicbuildings. TeamSanta Monica 1s0 WestsideSpecial Olym pics 20 Art Festivalsand Celebrations.Every year, the 2,70O City Swim produces RecreationalLap Swiml 7,50O City the SantaMonica Festival, a Subtotal 10,870 multicultural,multidisciplinary celebration of Tennis SantaMonica's cultural and ethnic history. This WestsideSpecial Olympics 24 all-dayperforming arts celebration in Clover PAL B5 Parkprovides opportunities for bothchildren TeamTennis 250 SanlaMonica andadults to learnof the rich traditionsthat SantaMonica Tennis Club 750 TennisPirons2 200 havecontributed to present-daySanta Monica Subtotal 1.309 throughthe work of artists. In otherlarge-scale festivalevents, the City hascollaborated with This is basedon current registrationand enrollmentin 1996-97 programs.For many programs, enrollment is limited,and participantsare turned away due to limitedfacilities. Notes: 1. Numberof s'vimmersduring summer months. 2. Thereare 25,000 tennis reservations (1 houd madeon an annualbasis.
Appendi x II : Exi sting Resources-Recreation Programs A-25 Santa Monica Place. the consulatesof The following outlines the different City programs Argentina, Japan,the Netherlandsand Hong supporting children, teensand families: Kong, the American Film Institute (AFI) and the Americas Society Film Festival to provide a Specializedclasses for young children at range of programs that feature the arts, film and Douglas, Marine and Lincoln parks provide crafts from around the world. The Twilight early childhood opportunities through the Dance Festival at the SantaMonica Pier offers Learning Through Play groups to Computer free dance concerts durins the summer. Education programs for young children.
Cultural Art Grant Programs. The City The City's Community Co-Arts and Latino Co- currently operates a grant program providing up Arts Grants Program grants community-based to $5,000 to SantaMonica-based nonprofit arts organizations funds to support cultural arts agenciesand community organizationsfor programs in the schoolsand other community approximately l5 to 20 art projects annually venues. The SantaMonica Arts Foundation's such as theaterworkshops and artist-in- Art TransportationGrants makes possible field residenceprograms in local schools,dance trips for children and teens to cultural classesand performancesin City parks, and institutions in the Los Anseles area. music, visual, and performanceart projects in venuesthroughout the City. Virginia Avenue Park Thelma Terry Center is a multipurpose center that offers educational, City-Sponsored Classes. Classesin the arts are cultural and recreationprograms to children and offered by the City, including dance such as teensfrom schooldismissal to 7:00 p.m. flamenco, tango, salsaand tap; piano and guitar instruction; and photography. Classesand The Citywide Youth Employment Training workshops in the arts are also available at the Program is a job training, education,and Police Activities League as well as the employment partnershipbetween the City and C.R.E.S.T. afterschoolprogram, which offers SantaMonica-Malibu Unified School District. classesin the arts to SantaMonica's vouth. The City and SantaMonica-Malibu Unified School District have teamed up to offer a variety of programs on the different elementary and Children,Teen and FamilyPrograms middle school campuses. The citywide sports program provides opportunities for boys and Current Services girls in gradesK-2nd to have a positive sports experiencein a noncompetitive environment. The City of Santa Monica has been in the Girls and boys in grades3 through 8 are able to forefront of providing programs that have a participate in competitive sportsleagues. A new direct impact on the quality of life for children, innovative venture between the City and Santa teens and their families. In 1989, the 10 Year Monica-Malibu Unified School District is the Action Plan for Youth and the Child Care Master CREST program and After SchoolsActivities Plan (1991) establishedthe City's vision and Program (ASAP) at four elementary schools and blueprint for how serviceswould be provided to John Adams and Lincoln Middle Schools to children, youth and their families through its improve the quality and safety of before and various departmentsand programs. afterschoolprogramming. In addition to the CREST program, the City offers a drop-in
A-26 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan . March 1997 recreationalprogram at the four remaining These include Eyecycle (andem cycling for those elementaryschools. who are visually impaired), Explorers (weekend excursions),and a library shut-in service (home Homework support is offered through the Child delivery of library materials by volunteers). Care RecreationEnrichment SportsTogether Programstargeting people with developmental (CREST) school-agechild care program, Virginia disabilities include the WestsideSpecial Olympics, Avenue Park, PAL and the Public Library. There a social club, self defenseinstruction, monthly are a variety of programs offered for children in dances,music rehearsals,volleyball, modern the public libraries, such as storytelling for dance,camping, and bicycling. toddlers and preschoolersin English and Spanish, suruner fun reading clubs, and a homework center In addition, the City assistswith funding the at the Fairview Branch Librarv. WISE ParatransitProgram, WISE adult day care programs (for individuals with cognitive There are several community not-for-profit impairments and/or Alzheimers disease); agencies that offer afterschool programs for information and referrals, adaptive home youth including the Boys and Girls Club, equipment, independentliving skills and YMCA, YWCA, and the Bay Cities Jewish advocacy servicesthrough the WestsideCenter Community Center.Lastly, SMMUSD is for IndependentLiving (WCL); assistive beginning to embark on a three-yearInfant and technology and computer training through the Family Support Project Initiative to establish Computer Access Center; home-deliveredmeals family support centersat two pilot SantaMonica through Santa Monica-Malibu Meals on Wheels; Elementary Schools to connect pregnant women HIV/AIDS servicesand educationthrough the and families of children age 0-3 with their SantaMonica AIDS Project; servicesfor neighbors and other communitv resources. individuals with mental illness through Step Up on Second; and vision exams, mobility skills, and independentliving training through the Center for the Partially Sighted. Programsfor Persons with Disabilities Programs provided by other organizations for SantaMonica residentswith disabilities include Current Services adaptive swimming programs, the Stroke Recovery Program, and a recovery program for The City has an informal policy to ensurethat individuals with traumatic brain injury, all individuals with disabilities are integratedinto through SantaMonica College; mental health all City-sponsoredprograms basedon servicesfor individuals who are deaf or hard of reasonableaccommodation needs. The City's hearing through St. John's Mental Health Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center; "Twinges in the Hinges" for people with Coordinator provides technical assistanceand arthritis through the YMCA; adaptivegymnastics also administersan ADA operating budget to through the Broadway Gymnastics School; sports cover the costsofproviding reasonable and recreationthrough the Unrecablesgroup accommodations. City staff receivesperiodic sponsoredby the Los Angeles Chapter of Disabled disabilityawareness trai ning. Sports,USA; and wheelchair track through the Achilles Track Club. The City sponsorsseveral recreation and leisure programs gearedto personswith disabilities.
Appendix ll : Existing Resources-Recreation Programs A-27 SeniorPrograms The City's direct service programming to seniorsprovides recreationalactivities which are Current Services primarily social in nature such as: dance, games and sports,excursions, music, crafts and special SantaMonica is servedby a varietyof events,and provides an affordable lunch government,nonprofit, and private senior program at severallocations throughout the City. serviceproviders. The City of SantaMonica SantaMonica is an important resourceprovider operatesa SeniorRecreation Center in Palisades in the community, providing opportunities for Park,lunchprograms, offers recreation and nonprofit organizationsproviding servicesand leisureactivities, volunteer opportunities, special activities for seniorsto utilize facilities at low or events,as well asday andovernight trips. The no cost if determinedto enhanceupon the City alsofunds Meals on Wheels,adult day care program directly provided by the City. andparatransit, health exams, and education and counselingthrough the Centerfor Healthy The City is well servedby severalother major Aging, LIEU-CAP,the Centerfor the Partially institutions which provide important services, Sighted,and the Latino ResourceOrganization. education,programs and activities, including The City hasestablished a Commissionon Emeritus College (SantaMonica College), Santa OlderAmericans and a SeniorRecreation Center Monica UCLA Medical Center, St. John's AdvisoryCouncil, and has several publications Hospital and Health Center (which is planning a which addressthe senioraudience, including senior housing and wellness center),the YMCA, Episodes,the Directoryof SeniorHousing and and YWCA. Local religious organizationsalso HealthCare Facilities in SantaMonica, and the provide neededcase management for seniors, SeniorResource Directory. including Jewish Family Servicesand Catholic SocialServices.
A-28 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan , March 1997 APPENDIX 3: CommunityDemographics
DemographicTrends in Age. The 1990ssaw an increasein the number SantaMonica of householdswith small children which can be attributed to "baby boom" parentshaving Looking toward the next twenty years in the life children. As thesechildren grow up they will of the City, projections indicate very little enter their most active years with respectto population growth. Currently, there are 89,194 sports and recreation. In 1990, the median age people living in Santa Monica and the was 37.9 years of age. Approximately l4Vo of population is anticipatedto grow by 4,000 the city's population is under the age of l8-the residents(or a population of 93,400) by the year years which are most active in terms of 2010. Although the town is not expectedto participation in organized sports and recreation. grow significantly, the demand for recreation Trends between 1980 and 1990 indicate an will only continue to increase. increasein working age adults and households having small children, and a decreasein the Population Density. SantaMonica is an number of school age children, young adults and urban, densely developed community which young senior citizens (ages55 to 74). The increase places a premium on park and open space in the number of young children may soon halt the resources. The City is 8.3 squaremiles, decline in the school age population. equatingto 5,363 acresin area. Since 1970, the population has been roughly stable at School-age Youth. According to the 1990 almost 90,000 persons (89,194 personsbased Census,Santa Monica has approximately 12,000 on 1995 State Department of Finance individuals under the age of 18, or 13.8Voof the estimates). This equatesto a population population(1990 U.S. Census).Those under 5 density of 10,470persons per squaremile- represent4.lVo of the population,while 9.17o one of California's more densely populated are between the agesof 5 and 17. According to communities. By way of comparison, this is the October 1966 SantaMonica-Malibu Unified approximately twice the population density of SchoolDistrict (SMMUSD)K-12 studentdata, Pasadena,which is approximately 5,000 the total district enrollment is 11,094. Santa personsper squaremile, and two thirds the Monica-Mal ibu Unified School Districts permits density of San Francisco, the most densely studentsof parentswho live out of district but populated California city, which is approxi- work in Santa Monica. According to SMMUSD mately 15,000persons per squaremile. Child Development Services 1996-1997student
Appendixlll: CommunityDemographics A-29 The Department of Rehabilitation enrollment, there are currently 36l preschool with disabilities. estimates that a minimum of 72 percent of a children Q.9 - 5 years) enrolled in StatePreschool has a disabling condition of some type, and Full Day Child Care Programs. population and other studies show that 16 percent of all a disablingcondition. SantaMonica Algg6 Survey of the racial and ethnic breakdown of Americans have population and it is safeto assume SantaMonica-Malibu Unified School District shows has a large senior of this population has some the following distribution: American Indians/Al askan that a significantportion the local school district Natives (0.29Vo),AsianlPacifi c Islanden (6.l2Va), sort of disability. Also, Education program Black (8i7 4Vo), Filipinos (0'29Vo),Hispanic Q6.91Vo), administers an excellentSpecial children with and White/An glo (57.65Vo). that draws families who have disabilities to SantaMonica. The 1997-98total district enrollment projection is 11,278. Over the next five years, Santa Monica- WestsideRegional Center, which serveschildren and Malibu Unified School District is projecting a adults with developmentaldisabilities, has over 60 growth in enrollment to ll J32 students. children in SantaMonica betweenthe agesof 3 and 11 asclients. In addition, SantaMonica College has Seniors. In 1990,Santa Monica had 14,351(1990 approximately 900 students of all ages with Census)residents65 yearsor older. This is l6.5Vaof disabilities, andapproximately 300 of thesestudents SantaMonica's total 1990population of 86,905,and are SantaMonica residents. higher than the lZVonational average.According to a preliminary 7992elderly demographic analysis for Housing. Most SantaMonicans are renterc and live the Westside(ajoint endeavorofWISE and RAND), in high-density housing which ffeates demandfor few elderly are moving to the Westside,and many of open spaceandparks to addressrecreational needs the future elderly may be leaving. The study found away from the home. According to the 1990 Census, that the senior population in SantaMonica between the majority of the residentsare renters Q2.5 percent), 1980 and 1990 decreased slightly, and that many while only 77.5 percentwere owner occupants. Westsideseniors were "aging in place" (not moving However,the proportion of owner-occupantsis slowly out of the areaafter retirement),were more educated increasing(upfrom 22percentin 1980). Seventyfive and more active than seniors in areas with percent of residens live in multifamily housing. traditionally large numbers of elderly inhabitants. Household Characteristics. Santa Monica has a Although basedon datawhich is now five yearsold, relatively greater share of "nontraditional" house- the study also found that the oldest old - the 75+ holds (particularly female-headedhouseholds and population - is growing, and that the 65-74 and 55- single-personhouseholds) indicating a need for a 64 populations are actually decreasing. It is park and recreation systemthat is flexible and can important to notethe study did not make projections, serveavariety ofpurposes. The averagehouse- but did note that nationally, seniors (65+) will hold sizein SantaMonica is 1.88persons-about increasefrom I2Vaof the populationin l99Oto21Va one-half (49.6 percent) are single-personhouse- of the population in 2030. Severalother key factors holds. In 1990,almost one-third of the families and trends affecting the senior population in Santa with children under 18 were headed by a single Monica were noted as well, including vacancy female, and 45 percent of those householdswere deconffol, cuffent tax law, and high property values living in low income, near poverty,or at poverty level. (costof living). This group is oriented to active sports and would rely on community-basedfacilities for such activities. Persons with Disabilities. The U.S. Census does not keep records indicating the number of persons
A-30 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997 APPENDIX 4: RecreationalTrends
ChangingLife-styles and Leisure activities pursued during leisure time, and access Timein America to cultural amenitieshas also broadenedour recreationalpursu its. Americans as a whole are spendingmore time working, commuting and attending school, Sports. According the Sporting Goods which has lead to an erosion of leisure time. Manufacturing Association (SGMA), the Since the 1970s,we have experienceda 30 sporting goods industry does not project trends percent loss in leisure time, equating to about past one year. However, in a 1996 Stateof the eight hours per week. Despite this decline, the Industry Report, the industry does show that amount of leisure time spent on recreational baseballparticipation has risen almost2Vo activities has remained constant. One of the during the last five years. The SGMA reports primary ways that we are able to maintain our the growing participation of girls in school sport commitment to recreationalpursuits is to engage teams such as basketball. softball. soccerand in activities that are close to home. As a whole, volleyball. Women represent54Vo of all core we are taking more trips for leisure purposes;in fitness participation. The U.S. Latino order to save valuable time. however. the population is also increasing in its buying majority of thesetrips (short outings and day power, especially in the soccerand baseball trips) are within 10 miles of home. industry. Since 1990, the in-line skating market has shown a fivefold increasein participation, In addition, the nature of recreationalactivities and has given rise to sports such as roller has evolved with changesin larger social trends. hockey, currently one of the fastestgrowing The 1960sand 70s were marked by increased sportsin the counffy. interest and involvement in social issuesand a concern for the environment that fueled a Soccer leads all team sports as the number one renewed interest in the outdoors and the use of supervisedactivity for individuals under the age recreation and leisure time as a path to self of 18. Females account for 39Voof all players. fulfillment. Physically demanding sports and an The outdoor/camping equipment market is also emphasison personalexcellence is also more seeingan influx of many more participants. common in recreationalpursuits today. In Bowling remains a strong and steadymarket for addition, a growing diversity in cultures and the sporting goods industry. According to the householdtypes has expandedthe number of SGMA report, bowling is the most popular sport
Appendix lV: Recreational Trends A-31 partnershipsand youth in the United States,based on participation one centers,collaborative representsmany City efforts or more times per year. Golf has generally partnershipmodels critical needto provideyoung remained constantover the last four years. to: 1) addressthe environmentsin the Tennis is increasing after a decline. Court peoplesafe, structured 2) develop volleyball seemsto have temporarily plateaued, hoursthat they arenot in school; community while beach/sandvolleyball has experienced opportunitiesfor partnershipswith createmore three years of steadYgrowth. organizationsand businesses; and 3) waysto involve youngpeople in community Youth Programs. The National League of leadershiproles. Cities 1996 survey "Critical Needs, Critical Choices" shows that acrossthe country nearly The Children'sPartnership, a nationalpolicy every city has a direct vested interestin children organization,in their 1994publication and families. From programs for young children America'sChildren and TheInformation to programs for teens and programs for families, Superhighwayreports that children growing up communities are respondingto critical issues in the 21stcentury are being directly affected by affecting children and families. According to the Information Superhighway.This report the NLC survey,the most pressing needsof stressesthat local communitiesmust begin to children and families are child care followed by look at thesenew technologiesto bettermeet the housing stability and family stability. Taking needsof its residents.Across the county,the theseconcerns into account,many cities are new technologiesare being used in public struggling with how to ensurethat their libraries,afterschool recreation programs, and as youngestresidents receive a healthy and safe a meansto createcomprehensive community start in life and how to help teenshave positive centerswhere the functionsof library,play area, experiencesthat will help preparethem for the job trainingfacility andsocial service offices adult world. One consistenttrend for many couldbe combined. cities appearsto be increasingrecreation activities as a successfulway to addressthe As a resultof the currentCity programsand needsof youth. Recreationactivities help create nationaltrends, the City recognizesthat helping caring neighborhoods,provide opportunitiesfor to supportchildren become healthy adults must youth to connect to their community, and act as be achievedthrough a varietyof activitiesinside a deterrentto youth violence, dropping out of andoutside the classroom.Recreation activities school, and drug and alcohol abuse. for childrenand youth must not be exclusively focusedon competitivetraditional sports. While Recognizing the role and importance of athleticsdo help childrenand youth learn how to community partners,the City has increasedits work cooperatively,gain confidence and involvement in collaborationsthat directly maintainphysical fitness, they shouldnot be the impact important community issues. This only recreationalopportunity available to nationwide shift toward more community children. Programsfor childrenand youth must collaborationsis due in part to the promotion of be linkedwith enrichedearly childhood a sharedresponsibility among the community, developmentand education programs, health program fragmentation and specialization,more careand social service needs. funding dedicatedto collaboration, and the need to maximize resourcesdue to dwindling federal and statelevel responsibility. In addition, the movement toward school-basedcommunity
A-32 Parkand RecreationMaster Plan, March 1997 APPENDIX 5: CommunityPriorities
PublicOutreach Results Most Popular Parks. Park visitation patterns are illustrated in Figure 3. The community as a An extensivepublic outreachprogram was whole identified PalisadesPark, Lincoln Park, conducted to determine the values and attitudes Clover Park and Douglas Park as the parks they of SantaMonica residentsregarding parks, use most; however, there are differencesin park recreation and open spaceneeds. The public preferencesby age group. SantaMonica High outreachprogram included a telephonesurvey School studentstended to favor the more active of SantaMonica residents;a community open sportsparks, specifically Clover, Memorial and house and workshops; a park user profile Marine Park, over PalisadesPark. collected at the parks; and a youth outreach program that polled SantaMonica elementary, Clover and Douglas Park users are more likely to middle and high school studentsregarding have children, while PalisadesPark residentusers recreationalactivity and preferences.The were more likely to be aged 65 and over. This results of the public outreachprogram are fully clearly reflects the nature of activities offered at the describedin the PhaseI "Community Voices" parks, specifically the location of the Senior report dated February 1996. The following RecreationCenter within PalisadesPark and the sectionsdescribes the key findings of the children's play areain Douglas Park. telephoneand youth surveys. Means of Travel. More Santa Monicans walk to parks (46 percent) than drive their cars (40 percent). Patternsof Parkand Open SpaceUse Open Space Use. Third StreetPromenade, the beach and the Pier are the most used public open Park Usage. Residentsof SantaMonica are spacesin the City, and this finding holds true for active and frequent usersof the City's public open every age group. The findings of the community spacesand parks. On average,a member of a and youth surveysyield remarkably similar householdvisited parks and recreationfacilities resultsregarding the use of open spaceareas. almost twice a week. Ninety-three percent of householdswith children were park users.
Appendix V: Community Priorities 33 Clover
Memorial ;ll*riiliiililtliiiii;iii::'u.
Douglas iiit28%
Lincoln
'. '...50% 3o'1,,"' ' : ' !& City Residents {,:fi.ii:fiisemoH I students
CommunityPriorities Monica needsto expand(Table 16). Youth and seniorcenters, swimming Pools, Overall Priorities. Improving existing parks children's play areasand off-leashdog areas and facilities was identified as the top priority were identifiedas the existingfacilities most by SantaMonica residents(Figure 4). needingimprovement or enhancementby the Improvementswhich addresspark safety and City. the homelessissues are the most desired improvementsto city parks,open spacesand There was very strong supportfor using recreationfacilities. More than one-third of schoolfacilities for additionalrecreation all responsesdescribed one of thesetwo programs. Ninety-six percentof respondents actionswhen askedto describetheir most supportedthe use of school facilities for youth desiredpark improvement. programsand 88 percentfavored school facilities for adult programs. Developingmore pedestrian-orientedstreets and open spaceswas the secondpriority-this finding goeshand-in-hand with the popularity of walking and socializingas top leisure RecreationalActivity Preferences pursuitsfor all agegroups. Developingnew parksand open space was the third priority, Favorite Outdoor Activities. Walking was the followedby developmentof more plazasand most popular outdoor recreationalactivity of public gatheringplaces. Santa Monica residents,with 57 percent of respondentsidentifying walking when asked RecreationalF aci I ity Priorities. With what outside recreationalor leisure activities respectto specificrecreational facilities, they engagein. Other favorite pastimesinclude bicyclepaths, swimming pools, off-leash dog bicycling,shopping, eating out, running/jogging areasand children's play areasreceived the andplaying tennis. The results of theyouth mostmention as existingfacilities that Santa surveys revealed somewhat different leisure time
34 Park and Recreation Master PIan, March 1997 telephonesurvey preferences-while high schoolstudents also addition,a majority of fitnessclasses (63Vo), ratedwalking highly, they showedstrong respondentsindicated gym (63Vo),and sports involvementin more activerecreational openplay field or sports (547o)were important activitiessuch as swimming,playing basketball, leaguesand tournaments bicyclingand skating sports, as well as for adults. diversionsthat promote opportunities for social of the interaction-the mostpopular leisure activity The youthoutreach completed in PhaseI amongthis agegroup was "hanging out" Parksand Recreation Master Plan and included followedby eating,socializing and shopping in the CommunityVoices report found that the (Table17). mostpopular sports and outdoor recreation activitiesamong Santa Monica youthare Favorite Park Activities. When askedto walking(38Vo), swimming (317o), basketball identifytheir favorite park activities,both high (26Vo),bicycling(26Vo), skating and roller schooland elementaryschool students favored blading(247o), and running/jogging (23To)- baseball,basketball, soccer and football. The City hasapproximately 1,765 youths Visiting Third StreetPromenade, the beach,the involved in organizedbaseball and softball, and Pier and playing roller hockey/skateboarding/ approximately1,600 youths in soccer.Santa skatingwere identified as the most popular open Monicahas over 100men's, 40 women's,and spaceand pathway activities among Santa 60 co-edsoftball teams; 35-40 adult basketball Monica'syouth. teams;and 70-90 adult volleyball teams. Specificneeds identified in the outreachefforts Community Sports. SantaMonicans are active and documentedin the CommunityVoices in a variety of sportsactivities. Survey report relateto facility needsand include the respondentsindicated that sportsinstruction, needfor more recreationalswim opportunities swimming,organized competitive sports and (particularly for seniors)and additional fitnessclasses were all imponant programsfor opportunitiesfor softbalVbaseball,soccer, children and youth (77-93Vo of respondents football, and other field sportsplay. The sports indicatedthese activities were "important"). In facilities in the City are heavily used,creating
lmprove or renovate 91% existingparks and facilities ' Developnew : parksand facilities 75%
Providemore tree-shaded pedestrian-orientedstreets
Providemore public plazasand gatheringareas
uk. . . ' 50./,, ' r00% Figure4 lmportant CommunityPriorities Very lmportant
Appendix V: Community Priorities 35 Table15 CommunitYPriorities t.ftou"ment or Expansionof Facilities More of lmprovement ExistingFacilitY Needed (Percent) (Percent) ExistingFacilitY 26 40 Bicyclepaths 23 60 SwimmingPools 13 55 Off-leashdog areas 12 57 Children'sPlaY areas 11 37 Joggingpaths 63 Youthcenters 10 32 Basketballcourts 9 33 Tenniscourts 9 45 Landscaped/grassyareas 8 39 Athleticfields 6 57 Seniorcenters 5 42 CommunitYgardens 4 43 Cymnasiums 4
4 30 Volleyballcourts
'Park, Suruq'' Sanrce: Recreation, andOpen SpaceNeeds Assessment AtY of SantaMonica, February 1996'
maintenanceproblems and scheduling issues. cultural events,disability servicesor special The Santa MonicaYouth Athletic Foundation interest classes,several of the respondents has detailed these issues and documented expressed the desire for more free, outdoor athleticfacility needsin its 1995'A Call to concerts and dance instruction. Badminton, Action" report. fencing, adult craft classes,and inter-genera- tional activities were also mentioned. Pico Community Programs. The City's telephone residentswere the most likely to believe that suryey,designed to reach a representativecross improvements to social events and trips are section of the Santa Monica population, found important (747o, compared to 59Voor Iessfor the that adults prefer cultural events(917o indicated other 5 neighborhoodsin Santa Monica). that developmentor improvement was Finally, eighty-eight percent (88Vo)of the " important"), disability services(8 | Vo),and telephone respondentsindicated they would special interestclasses (727o). Although the support the use of schoolsfor adult recreation survey did not enumeratespecific types of programs in the eveningsand on weekends.
36 Park and RecreationMaster Plan, March | 997 Table17 FavoriteLeisure Activities Percentof Percentof StudentSurveY Adult SurveY Respondents Activity Respondents 6 HangingOuVRelaxing 56 17 Eating 45 4 Socializing 43 Shopping 42 21 Walking 38 57 6 Swimming 31
A Basketball 26 Bicycling 26 29 Skating/Blading/Skateboarding 24 9 Running/Jogging 23 14 Football 22 1 AfterschoolSPorts 19 1 WatchingSports 19 0 Soccer 17 3 FitnessActivities 16 3 '12 Tennis 14
Sanrce:"Parl Cultural Arts Programs. The community In additionto cultural events,substantive and per- overwhelminglysupports enhancement and manent arts programming and instruction (such expansionof culturalevents, as well as artsand asan artscontinuum) for youth havesurfaced as a crafts,drama, mime, and music instruction for community priority, due in part to the limited children. The City's telephonesurvey found that amount of public school arts instructionat the 917oof respondentsfelt culturalevents were presenttime. The communityhas also expressed importantto developand improve. This wasthe the need,through various community outreach numberone response among a list of eight efforts,for facilities which could servecurrent and programchoices which includedfitness classes, expandedfuture culturalprogramming. The fa- sportsinstruction and league play, social events cilities most often mentionedinclude a midsize andtrips. theatrevenue (in the 200-400seat range) for the Appendix V: Community Priorities 37 openspace (visiting the performing arts (particularly since Miles Play- basketball,and soccer), the beach,and the pier) house is currently closed for earthquake repairs) Third StreetPromenade, (participatingin clubs, and a venue which has a sprung wood floor for andrecreation activities activities)' dancegroups and instruction. drama/music,and dances/social class Children, Teensand Families' Youth have had a In addition,a focusgroup was held with a voice in the planning of the SantaMonica Parks, of high schoolstudents on November21, 1996 Recreation,and Open SpacesNeeds Assessment. to furtherdelineate what youthmean about Throughout the firstphase, youth from the elemen- havinga placeto hangout andassess their tary schoolsto the high school were askedto give interestin establishinga youth council. These their opinion about recreation programs into the youthclearly identified that a placeto hangout 21st century. A comparison was also made be- meansan unstructuredfacility that doesnot have tween the student questionnairesand the telephone a lot of adultsupervision, but hasa activities survey results. In addition, a focus group with suchas pool tables,coffee/soda bar, and a dance parentsof young children (birth to five years)was floor for specialnights. held December 5, 1995 to sharetheir ideas about how they currently use SantaMonica's parks and Programsfor Personswith Disabilities. The recreational facilities. These parents identified the communitystrongly believes that servicesfor need for improved park facilities and children's personswith disabilitiesare important to play areas(the recent renovation of Lincoln Park developand improve. The respondentsin the was mentioned as a good example of what was City's telephonesurvey identified disability desired), cleaner restrooms, more park seating servicesas the numberone priority among (particularly around the play area), day care, programsfor youth and the numbertwo priority afterschooland weekend programs for children. amongprograms for adults. In the survey,there werealso specific comments for accessto the Elementary and Middle School students(5-13 beachand ocean, better access to the parks,and years) were given the chanceto tell their plans moreaccessible benches. for recreationneeds and open spacesthrough a specific activity packet disseminatedthrough On December3,1996, the City conducteda focus their classroomteachers. These studentswere groupsession with manyof the local organizations given the chanceto draw and/or write about past thatprovide services for personswith disabilities. play experiences,their ideal park, or their vision The groupdiscussed unmet needs, the integration of SantaMonica parks, open spaces,and of personswith disabilitiesinto City-offered recreationin the future. These children classesand programming, the City's role in expressedtheir primary desire for swings and ensuringaccessibility, and other disability-related slides, and other playground equipment in their issues.The focusgroup's discussion informs the artwork and writing. They especially liked programsffategies in the area. adventure-typeplaygrounds and activities such as in-line skating and skateboarding. Senior Programs.The City's survey foundthat the communig (57Va)supported improving On JanuaryIl,1996,148 SAMOHI students existingsenior centers (tied for third in priority participatedin two lunchtime Roving Activity among14 choices).However, only 5Vo(1lth Chart projects, The studentsplaced dots next to priority among14 choices)supported building their top 3 priority park (baseball/softball, an additionalnew seniorcenter. 3B Park and RecreationMaster PIan, March 1997 A senior group meeting held last December in PalisadesPark (about 10 seniorsin attendance) revealedthat seniorswould like to seemore and better maintained park amenities(restrooms, benches,telephones), a new or renovatedsenior center; that they are concernedwith pedestrian issuessuch as conflicts with skatersand bicyclists; and that they would like to seea new swim facility (preferably indoors) and more programs. Specific programs/classesmentioned were one-day excursions,arts and crafts instruction, and seasonalworkshops' An executive focus group meeting was convened on November 6,1996 with many of the local senior serviceproviders in attendanceto discuss the City's role in senior services,programming, and the type of senior or community center desiredto serve presentand 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 needsof 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 discussionideas have been incorporatedinto, and form the basis of, the goals and policies outlined below. Appendix V: Community Priorities 39 Parkand RecreationMaster PIan. March 1997 Acknowledgements City Staff Consultants BarbaraStinchfield, Acting Director, Communityand CulturalServices ROMA Design Group SuzanneFrick, Director, BonnieFisher, Pri nci pal-in-Charge Planningand Community Development BorisDramov, Principal KarenCinsberg, Planning Manager RickBarrett BrettHorner, Senior Administrative Analyst PeterOwens LauraBeck, Associate Planner CarolvnRadisch RobertHolloway Community & Cultural ServicesDepartment LauraNardozza ProgramsTeam Economic & Planning Systems ChristinaBagger JimMusbach Maria Luisade Herrera SoniaJacques Mark Furlong JessicaLaveen Mary Humm Dino Leonardi SportsManagement Grou p PattyLoggins MindyFlynn KathyKucharski JudithMeister Comm un ity Parti c ipants Audrey Parker Thanksto the 3,000residents, the many JulieRusk communitygroups, and the City's RichRollins governmentalpartners (Santa Monica Malibu JulieTaren UnifiedSchool District and SantaMonica AnitaYbarra College)for invaluableinput. Staff Support JohnAguila JohnLynd JoeMcCrath AnnetteMorales