Hopes To Establish A Fly-In Community In SoCal

Aero-News April 1 Special Edition

A private developer has asked the Santa Monica City Council for a variance to build a second, parallel runway at Santa Monica Airport with the hopes of establishing a fly-in community in the Los Angeles suburb.

City records show that the request for a variance was submitted by Needmore Airplanes LLC, a new corporation formed specifically for the purpose of the new development.

The developer proposes to buy up a strip of the houses currently encroaching on the existing airport and tearing them down, leaving room for a new 5,000-foot runway and about 100 luxury homes with hangar/garages and dedicated taxiways. Homeowners would have access to the FBO services currently offered at KSMO.

A spokesman for the developer told Aero-News that the long-range plan is to have the runway and homes built by the time the city closes down its public airport. “At least this way, the people living near the airport will WANT to live near an airport. Of course, the people living there now knew it was there when they bought their houses, but apparently didn’t understand what living close to an airport means,” the spokesman said.

Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole was terse. “Oh HELL no,” he said when he was contacted for comment … and then hung up the phone.

But the developer, who currently keeps his airplane at KSMO, said through the spokesman that the plan at the very least will keep things tied up on court for years, if not decades, which will have the added benefit of keeping the existing airport open while the litigation works its way through the courts.

One resident who has been approached about selling their home but who wished to remain anonymous for fear of the city council descending on his home with pitchforks and torches said he’s strongly considering the offer, and so are the neighbors. “If the price is right, everything’s for sale,” the homeowner said.

FMI: www.smgov.net/departments/airport