March 29, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Civic Playing Field + Parking Garage = $95.4 million

By Jennifer Eden

Santa Monica City released its Staff Report Wednesday outlining the options of building a long-awaited sports field on the Civic parking lot located on Main Street, north of Pico.

Leading the report; a temporary field budgeted at $8.6 million plus $250,000 for a parking study, and a permanent field plus two levels of subterranean parking costing a cool $95.4 million.

The seemingly-astronomical figures have sent ripples through the local community, many who have been calling for a playing field on the space for almost 20 years.

“Using the plot as an additional playing field should not be problematic, it should be welcomed,” former Chair of Santa Monica’s Recreation and Parks Commission and current Arts Commissioner, Phil Brock told The Mirror, balking at the projected costs.

“That’s ludicrous,” Brock said, referring to the temporary field estimate. “That is a totally unhinged financial quote.” Brock has been involved in the push for a field on the Civic site from the onset, and explained that while researching costs for building a multi-purpose soccer and lacrosse field himself, using an array of private contractors and California Recreation and Parks Association resources, he found prices landed in the $1.5-2 million arena.

The students at Samohi have needed a playing field for years, Brock added, explaining that the timeline could also be expedited to help the 3,000 students at the high school access sporting facilities in their schooling lifetime.

City staff told The Mirror that the estimates were from consultants RJM Design, and that parking study costs were fixed due to requirements set by the California Coastal Commission.

“Because the site is in the Coastal Zone, the loss of 600 spaces and the impact of the loss on the zone must be studied,” the City explained. Despite the south east corner of the Civic lot being almost always empty, the $250,000 study is essential, they said.

Additional options presented in the Staff Report including building a permanent field with one level of parking for $60 million, or a temporary field at Memorial Park for an unknown cost.

Of course, there is always the option to do nothing, and defer the decision until an RFP for the Civic Auditorium is issued.

The item is set for discussion during City Council’s Tuesday June 27 meeting at City Hall.

Photos: Courtesy Santa Monica City.
A permanent field with two levels of parking is estimated to cost $95.4 million with completion September 2022.
A temporary field with no new parking is estimated to cost $8.6 million plus $250,000 for a parking study with completion March 2021.
Related Posts

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Kay Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs Overdose Case

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

October sentencing comes over three years after 2019 overdose in Southlake, Texas Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was...

Update: Santa Monica Girls Softball Team Fundraising for USA Softball National Championships

July 25, 2022

July 25, 2022

By Ashley Sloan The Santa Monica Girls U14 Softball Fastpitch team has advanced to the USA Softball National Championship in...

Super Bowl Pre-Game Show to Be Broadcast From Santa Monica Pier

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

The Santa Monica Pier will be the location for the Super Bowl Pre-Game show broadcast. Learn more in this video...

Santa Monica Youth Basketball Staying and Playing Strong

October 13, 2021

October 13, 2021

By Dr. Paul Drew Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Paul Drew.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to...

Local Hoopers Rejoice As Venice Basketball League Returns

September 6, 2021

September 6, 2021

The Venice Basketball League is officially back on the courts after nearly 2 years of closure. Nick Ansom joins us...

Westside Olympic Swimmer Shares Her Journey To The Games

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2021

Two time Olympian, Westside Local, and Medical Student Andi Murez has returned from the Tokyo games, hear about her journey...

Local Little League All-Star Team Wins More Than Just Championships

August 10, 2021

August 10, 2021

The Venice Baseball Academy’s little league team, the Tide, recently won the SoCal State Championships but it’s more than winning...

Crossroads Wins CIF and State Regionals

June 15, 2021

June 15, 2021

The Crossroads Varsity Boys Soccer Team had a stellar championship season starting with a true underdog story with CIF Division 6 Playoff...

Samohi Vikings Frosh-Soph Defeat Culver City Centaurs in Final Seconds

April 20, 2021

April 20, 2021

2020 was a tough year for Santa Monica High School football as Covid-19 restrictions forced all high school sports to...

Pali Riptide Baseball Club Tryouts

January 7, 2021

January 7, 2021

January 9th and 10th at Pali Rec Center The Pali Riptide Baseball Club is preparing for a spring season and...

Grand Jury Indicts Former Angel Employee in Tyler Skaggs’ Fatal Overdose

October 19, 2020

October 19, 2020

Fort Wayne grand jury indicts Eric Prescott Kay on drug distribution and drug conspiracy charges By Sam Catanzaro A federal...

Column: How to Play it Safe to Prevent Deadly Heat Exhaustion

August 24, 2020

August 24, 2020

By Shawn McCann  As the Southland region broils in a summer heatwave, the coronavirus pandemic has created additional concern for...

Former Angels Employee Charged in Tyler Skagg’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

August 7, 2020

August 7, 2020

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay faces up to 20 years in prison By Sam Catanzaro An ex-employee of...

LA Marathon to Exclude Santa Monica

July 24, 2020

July 24, 2020

Race organizers, citing “bigger footprint at the finish line”, choose Century City end point By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica has...