A presentation posted by the City of Santa Monica provides new details on the design and timeline of the proposed makeover of Memorial Park.

Located at 1401 Olympic Boulevard, the 10.3-acre Memorial Park's current offerings include include baseball fields, tennis courts, and a skate park.  Under the proposed master plan, designed by AHBE|MIG, the green space would be expanded onto the adjacent Fisher Lumber property, which spans Colorado Avenue between 14th and 16th Streets.  Upon completion, Memorial Park would span 13.2 cares, just south of the Expo Line's 17th Street/SMC Station.

The rebuild and expansion of the park would occur in three phases, at a cost that could range as high as $116 million.

The first, budgeted at between $25 million and $30 million, would include clearing the Fisher Lumber site, as well as the existing tennis courts, parking lot, children's playground, restrooms, and concession stand.  This would be followed by the construction of a new community hub building, four combination athletic fields, a baseball practice field, a 128-car surface parking lot with four rooftop tennis courts, and a replacement playground.  Construction would occur over a period of 18 to 24 months.

The project's second phase would focus on the southeast corner of the park.  The existing little league field would be demolished, making way for three new baseball and softball fields.  Additionally, the existing skate park would be renovated and expanded, and new exercise stations and a walking trail would be constructed around the park.  Phase two would be built over a period of 12 to 18 months, with costs ranging between $15 million and $18 million.

The final phase of the master plan, budgeted at $60 million to $68 million, would consist of rebuilding Memorial Park's Community Recreation Center.  Construction would occur over a period of 24 to 30 months.

Santa Monica is providing public viewings of the master plan materials at two upcoming events:

  • Info Booth with City Staff Saturday, June 1, 2019 10am-2pm, Memorial Park 
  • Presentation to Field Sports Advisory Council Thursday, June 6, 2019 7pm, Virginia Avenue Park, Patio Room

Consideration by the Santa Monica City Council is expected in August 2019.

Elsewhere in Santa Monica, another public park is also poised for a major expansion.  Airport Park, located just west of Bundy Drive, is poised to quadruple in size with Santa Monica Airport expected to cease operations in 2028.