WE NEED MORE PARKS! -- Community Commentary

Santa Monicans yearning for more parks, closer parks and larger parks were short-changed by last Tuesday's Council budget vote to set aside just 1.5 million this year for buying new public land... the price of only two or three house-sized lots in most parts of town.

Turning deaf ears to a wide range of park-seeking residents, including groups of young soccer players, an unfortunate Council majority declined to shift other accumulated funds, now sitting unused, over to purchasing parks.

Like many Santa Monicans, I live more than half a mile from my nearest city park. This kind of distance is particularly difficult for seniors and children. I believe budget cycles like this, when city coffers are full, are the appropriate time to fill in our recreational gaps.

Over the past year a joint committee from Santa Monica's neighborhood groups has worked with City staff seeking ways to implement our recently passed Recreation and Parks Master Plan and Open Space Element. I attended every committee meeting as chair of the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition.

We focused first on identifying possible park land acquisitions. What we learned is that expanding our stock of parks is a matter of serendipity, opportunity and financial liquidity.

Suitable parcels of land become available rarely. They typically must be purchased immediately, before they become rededicated to other uses, with no time for fund-raising or contentious Council out-of-season budget votes requiring five ayes.

What's more, as I've discovered working on housing issues, land costs in Santa Monica are skyrocketing. Park land potentially affordable today will likely be far out of public reach in just a few years. A proposed park bond has been postponed this election year, but the need for new park land cannot be postponed.

This year's otherwise exemplary adopted budget is marred by Council short-sightedness on the importance of parks and usable open space to the people of our community. We must work together in coming years to ensure the timely acquisition of adequate park land for current and future Santa Monicans.

Kevin McKeown
kevin@mckeown.net
Santa Monica

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