An Expansion Project Would Combine the 10.3-acre Park With an Adjacent 2.9 Acre Property.
By Zach Armstrong
The city of Santa Monica has applied for $6 million in grant funds from the California Department of Parks and Recreation Land along with the Water Conservation Fund Grant Program for the Memorial Park Expansion Project.
The expansion project would combine the existing 10.3-acre Memorial Park with the adjacent 2.9 acre former Fisher Lumber site to create a renovated community park. The proposed $6 million grant would contribute to the project’s first phase, which includes a synthetic turf field for high school baseball games, adult softball games or collegiate softball games; sixteen pickleball courts; and mobility and streetscape improvements on 14th Street and Colorado Avenue.
“Expanding Memorial Park is a long-standing priority project for Santa Monica residents.” an agenda item stated. “[Memorial Park] is important to the overall park system, serving as the primary park for baseball and softball, offering a space for pickleball and tennis and being the home of the City’s only public gymnasium and skate park.”
In 2019, city staff coordinated to create a phase 1 of the project at an estimated cost of $30 million. In fall 2022, staff presented a reduced scope of work for Phase 1 due to limited funding and increased construction costs, while only $20 million dedicated to park redevelopment from a Santa Monica College bond measure remained available. In March, staff identified LWCF grant funding as a potential resource for the project.
The expansion project phase 1 has an estimated cost of $26 million, according to the agenda item.
