100 signatures reached
To: Mr. Oliver Chi, Santa Monica City Manager
Make It Right, City of Santa Monica! Save Mar Vista Single Family Homes & Relocate SM Trapeze Lease
Opposition to Santa Monica Trapeze School’s placement at 2800 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Who: Mar Vista Households on Dewey Street and surrounding blocks
What: Formal objection to the Santa Monica Trapeze School relocating to 2800 Airport Avenue
Urgent Deadline: Construction/groundbreaking is set for Monday, March 30, 2026 — neighbors demand a halt within 24 hours
Key Grievances
- Broken Promise by the City of SM – At a Sept. 23, 2024 SM Airport Commission meeting, the City promised to notify adjacent residents. Over the following 18 months, that outreach never happened. Neighbors only found out March 22, 2026, when a sign was posted on the site and construction process began.
- Major Change of Use, No Public Review — The site was formerly a low-intensity parking area for SMC. The trapeze school brings amplified music, crowds, a 40+ foot structure, and operations 7 days a week, permitted hours of 10am to10pm — yet received less review than a minor 1984 permit on the same parcel.
- Documented Property Value Loss — Local real estate experts estimate a single 1,200 square ft. adjacent home could lose up to 20% in its value, or $400K–$700K with the visual/audible obstruction of this trapeze school. Across 25+ homes, the cumulative impact is enormous.
- Unresolved Safety Dangers — The 40-foot metal trapeze structure sits near high-voltage power lines managed by SCE and LADWP. There is no evidence either utility was consulted or issued safety clearance. The school also has a prior $2M personal injury settlement on record (Jan. 2026).
- Neighborhood Incompatibility — Daily amplified music, PA announcements, vocal commands, evening lighting, and direct sightlines into private backyards will disrupt a quiet residential community whose residents had no vote in Santa Monica's process.
- Increased Traffic – Airport Avenue is a single, two-way lane. With the forecasted distraction of trapeze clients and staff flying through the air, in close proximity to the heavily used 23rd/Walgrove Ave, traffic will be impaired, causing back up and additional noise, particularly during the peak hours of operation and rush hour.
- The City of SM Created This Problem — Santa Monica displaced the trapeze school from the Pier (a decision even City Councilmember Negrete called "heartbreaking"), and is now effectively offloading that burden onto a residential neighborhood of Los Angeles. They should support this small business, but without creating an incompatible situation
- The Big Picture - This lease represents a potential first step in the Airport2Park conversion, whatever side of the argument you stand, this will be the largest re-development project our neighborhood will see in our lifetime, and the city quietly decided to move in a pier attraction into the area. Let"s make our voices heard that Mar Vista needs proper consideration moving forward, or else who knows what is next.
Why is this important?
Action Items for Neighbors
- ✅ Sign this petition — add your household to the list of objecting residents
- ✅ Express your opposition to the Santa Monica Trapeze School directly to:
- Santa Monica City Manager Oliver Chi at (310) 458-8301 / [email protected]
- Councilwoman Traci Park's office (LA 11th District) and request her formal inclusion in all future planning discussions - (310) 575-8461 / [email protected]
- Santa Monica Trapeze School at (505) 249-6565 / [email protected]
- ✅ Show Up / Speak Up — attend the April 14, 5 P.M., Santa Monica City Council meeting and/or submit public comments prior to start of meeting [email protected]
- ✅ Spread the Word — share this petition! The more households formally on record, the stronger the legal and political standing
- ✅ Join a Community Meeting (TBA - will be included in updates below)