Proposed Facilities Master Plan for SMC’s Main Campus

Key Goals

• Modernize Academic and Student Spaces
• Replace Or Renovate Buildings in Critical Condition
• Create A Flexible Plan That Can Shift with Unknowns
• Beautify and Activate Pico Boulevard
• Demolish Temporary and Modular Buildings
• Move the College Toward Sustainability Goals
• Maintain the Quality and Character of the Campus Open Space
• Improve Public Access and Public Safety along Pearl Street

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Role of the Campus Master Plan

The proposed Campus Master Plan is the principal planning document for SMC’s Main Campus. As the key planning resource, it defines and sets the direction for the ongoing development of the campus environment that supports the mission, core values, and heritage of the institution. The focus of the plan is about optimizing the existing campus over the next ten years through recommendations related to land use, open space, and infrastructure. 

A Focus on Flexibility

Planning is an ongoing process and requires a flexible framework that can respond to current and future needs. While the goals, principles, and values of the master plan remain consistent over time, the physical implementation of the plan may evolve to adapt to the changing needs of the institution. 

A Collective Vision

The proposed master plan is an ambitious yet realistic vision for the college, crafted primarily by listening to the needs of campus and community stakeholders. The collaborative process sought to create collective ownership over the actions and projects recommended in the plan to ensure a dynamic plan with many champions on campus.

A Phased Approach

The proposed master plan envisions a phased approach, with construction of the replacement Pico Boulevard classroom buildings and the replacement SMC Police sub-station in the first phase, a replacement student health center and student activities building in the second phase, and a replacement operations and maintenance facility in the final phase. 

Project Funding

Projects will be funded from local bond proceeds, including Measure V approved by District voters in 2016 and Measure SMC approved by District voters in 2022. Additionally, SMC has applied for state funding to assist with the construction of the Pico Boulevard classroom projects.

Project Highlights

• Replacement of temporary classrooms—built in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s, these facilities are past their useful life.
• Replacement of a shop-lab building designed to train students for obsolete industrial jobs in the 1950s and 1960s with modern classrooms where students can learn today’s career skills. 
• Upgrading the Veterans Success Center.
• Constructing a Santa Monica College Police Department sub-station.
• Replacement of the Student Activities Building to provide improved and additional resources for the Student Health Center and for student basic needs programs, including food resources and mental health.