Members of the public participate in Santa Monica Civic Center Park's Community Workshop + Open House + Site Walk on Saturday, July 24, 2010. The workshop was held on the project site, directly across from City Hall. This workshop was the first in a series that will give the public an opportunity to meet the project team, become familiar with the site, and engage in a number of activities that will yield input to help shape the parks.

The planning and design process that will turn seven acres of open space in Santa Monica’s Civic Center into two important new public parks is beginning. Community members are encouraged to make their mark by visiting the project website at www.smciviccenterparks.com, taking the online survey, and attending a community workshops.

As envisioned in the City’s Civic Center Specific Plan, the new parks will be located directly in front of and across the street from Santa Monica City Hall, 1685 Main Street. They will provide a vital connection between the Civic Center area, the Santa Monica Pier and Palisades Park. James Corner Field Operations was selected to lead the project design team.

Whether or not members of the public can attend the workshop, all are encouraged to complete a brief on-line survey at www.smciviccenterparks.com, and sign up for the project interest list to receive notices of future meetings.

Questions can be emailed to ccs@smgov.net.