sr-072677-11dSanta Monica, California, July 18, 1977
l I .~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: City Staff
Subject: Skateboard Park
JUL ~ ~ i977
Introduction:
At the City Council meeting of May 24, 1977, the City Council
directed the City Staff to investigate the feasibility of
establishing both commercial and non-,commercial skateboard parks
in the City. This action was a result of the City Council
receiving petitions with 275 names urging a special facility
for the benefit and safety of the many skateboard enthusiasts
in the community.
Background;
At the August 16, 1976, meeting o.f_ the Santa Monica Recreation
and Parks Commission, a proposal was made by BowlRiders, Inc, for
a skateboard park on the Deauville property.. The Recreation and
Parks Commission reviewed the proposal and unanimously approved it,
A report regarding this proposal was submitted to the City Council
at their September 14, 1976, meeting. The City Council referred
the matter back to the Commission for public hearing, and report.,
In November, 1976, the Recreation and Parks Commission voted to
hold a public hearing on January 20, 1977, to discuss a combination
skateboard and paddle tennis complex on the Deauville property.
Tn I~?arch 1977, the City Council passed an ordinance which regu-
lated the use of_ skateboards on the Mall area and Palisades Park.
The Recreation and Parks Commission, at their May 19, 1977, meeting
JUL 2~ 19771 ~~~
To: Mayor and City Council -2- July 18, 1977
requested the Recreation and Parks staff investigate the status
of the System Development Corporation property as a possible skate-
board park site. In a subsequent report in June, staff reported
that S.D.C. indicated the property was not for sale and they intended
to use it for private development. At this writing, the property
is still not available for public park purposes.
The Santa ?Monica Planning Commission held a public. hearing at their
June, 1977, meeting concerning a commercial skateboard park at the
northwest corner of Ocean Park Boulevard and Centinela Avenue. The
Planning Director recommended that a conditional use permit be
granted f_or the skateboard park with certain conditions. The
Planning Commission denied the conditional use permit for the park
at that location.
(,anaral ('nnci rlarati nnc
A 1976 Skateboarder Magazine survey provided the following information:
1. 94% of the users are boys.
2. General age range of participants is from 6 - 26 years old.
3. 49°! have been skateboarding for one year or less,
4. 37% have a family income of $15,000 or more.
5. Average age is fourteen years.
6. Last year over 5300,000,000 was spent on skateboarding with
an industry projected one billion dollars within two years.
Skateboards can be purchased for ,as little as $10.00 or over $100.00,
and they come with a variety of accessories and safety equipment.
Skateboarding has become a sport and competition has become more
prevalent with skateboard teams.
To: Mayor and City Council ~3- July 18, 1977
Skateboards have the same rights as pedestrians but do become a
traffic hazard. The City of Santa Konica has already recorded
one fatality this year as a result of the use of a skateboard in
City streets. The problem of improper use of skateboards became
so prevalent that the City of Los Angeles Police Department
developed a lesson plan outline for skateboard safety and a film
to show youth groups and at schools, The City of Irvine has
developed a safety handout called "Hey Skateboarder" and their
high school has a summer school class.
The City of Santa Monica is currently giving the school age
children skateboard safety hints through it's."Officer Bill"
program. The Recreation and Parks Department has conducted
skateboard competition and plans on emphasizing skateboard safety
in the coming months. In the last few years skateboard parks have
been developed throughout the United States, particularly in
Southern California and Florida. There are presently six in the
Los Angeles area.
Existing skateboard narks m Southern California indicate that
patrons come from as far as 50 miles away to skate in the parks
because of the lack of adequate and challenging facilities.. They
are willing to pay membership fees ($2,00-5.00) and hourly or
session rates ($1.00-2.50) for the use of the facilities.
Skateboard Park Development:
Basically skateboard parks have been developed four different ways:
1. Commercial Park: A private development using private
capital and land and its' operation is profit motivated.
To: Mayor and City Council -4- July 18, 1977
2. Concession Parks: Lease arrangement with City whereby
concessionaire leases property, provides the development
funds and operates the park. The City receives lease fee
plus a percentage {6% - 12%) of the gross income. Generally
the City establishes certain conditions regarding developing
and operation. The City is named co-insured by the lessee
and is covered for insurance by the operator.
3. Public Park: The City develops the park and operates it
on a break-even or profit incentive.
Commercial parks are being developed in a cost range of $1.50-4.00
per square foot. Generally about one and one half acres are re-
quired, which includes buildings and parking. They include runs
for the beginner, intermediate and advanced, with an area set aside
for free style. They run a £ood concession stand, rent safety equip,
ment and boards, sell equipment and provide for a repair area. At
peak times existing parks are accommodating 150-250 persons per
session. The Commercial park operator controls the use of their
facilities with strict safety rules and regulations and teaches
classes on the art of skateboarding.
Possible Sites:
From all indications, the City of Santa Monica is a prime location
for a skateboard park. The proximity to the beach and the many
youth that enjoy surfing would indicate a reasonably successful
operation. During the last few months the Recreation and Parks
Department has been contacted by several developers who are
interested in leasing a parcel of City property for the development
of a skateboard park. The location of any future commercial parks
To; Mayor and City .Council -,5-:
July 18, 1977
will be limited by zoning ordinances and restrictions. The develop-
went of a concessionaire skateboard park on City property is possible
on the following areas:
1. Deauville Property: Located on the beach on the north
side of the Santa Monica Pier. It contains approximately
67,500 square feet or 1.55 acres. A portion of this property
is planned for the construction of the six paddle tennis
courts with funds. in the 1977-78 budget. This would appear
to be an excellent site for the development of a skateboard
park. Parking is available on the State owned lots adjacent
to this property.
2. Santa Monica Pier: The east end of the Pier which is
currently being cleared has an area approximately 14,000
square feet. rrThile the area is smaller than would generally
be desirable, a rather interesting but limited type of park
could be developed.
3.' McDonnell-Douglas Site: If a public park was approved a
skateboard facility could be included in the overall plan.
4. Pacific Ocean Park Site: The City owned beach is the largest
parcel of land west of the airport. It would be more suited
for paddle tennis courts planned for the Deauville property.
Econoinir Inp~ct
The private development of a commercial skateboard park in Santa
Monica would have little economic impact on the community. The
City would receive increased tax revenues from property taxes, sales
taxes and business license fees. This would be difficult to deter-
mine at this point without knowing the exact type of development
To; Mayor and City Council -6-
July 1&, 1977
of a concessionaire park similar to the "Concrete Glave" in Anaheim,
it could realize increased revenue from the leasing arrangements
and a percentage of revenues. (A copy of an article appearing in
the August, 1976, issue of the California Parks and Recreation
Society Magazine is attached.)
Alternatives:
1. The City of Santa Monica can issue conditional use permits
for the private development of skateboard parks.
2. The City enter into agreements for concessionaire park on
the Deauville property on a land lease percentage of the
gross income.
Recommendation:
The City Council approve Aternative ~k2 and authorize staff to pro-
ceed with the development of a skateboard park on the Deauville
property through a contract with a private developer on a land
lease, with the city being paid a percentage of the gross income.
The Recreation and Parks Commission approved this concept.
Prepared by:
Donald T. Arnett
Edward Tit. Adams
11
m
By Dave Romano
Since the skateboard craze has hit
it has become the joy of youngsters,
the scorn of mothers and an often
perplexing problem for parks and
recreation people. Although skate-
boarding has brought a new form of
free-wheeling excitement to many, it
has led to a variety of injuries and
created a hazard to park visitors
who often times find themselves
dodging the speedy riders. The
obvious solution is to isolate the
skateboarders in a facility designed
for this activity. While enhancing
the enjoyment of the sport, it would
cut down on injuries and keep the
riders away from other people in the
park.
To help meet this need, the Ana-
heim Parks and Recreation Com-
mission asked the Director of the
Parks, Recreation and the Arts
Department, Jim Ruth, to draft
a recommendation on how the
department could accommodate the
deluge of skateboarders using the
city parks and streets. With a limited
park and recreation budget, it was
hard to justify the building of a
facility to be used for a special
interest group in the community. On
the other hand, a private business
might find the purchase of land and
the construction and maintenance
of this type of facility too costly for
the returns it might bring.
Ruth suggested a joint venture
where the city would lease land to a
private business and, in return,
would receive a percentage of the
profits and the assurance that a
public need is being met. For the city
of Anaheim and the firm of C and K
skatepark, Inc., the joint venture
has proven to be the solution. They
have teamed up and are in the
process of building the fourth skate-
board park in the country. The
unique projec4 received unanimous
support from the city council and
the parks and recreation com-
mission.
Under the agreement, Anaheim is
leasing 1.5 acres of underdeveloped
park land to the skateboard facility
for a period of ten years with an
option to renew for an additional
five years. Under the terms of the
lease, the city will annually receive a
percentage of the agreed upon value
of the premises. C & K skatepark
will be responsible for all main-
tenance, utilities, supervision,
insurance and crowd control. This
is the first joint venture of its kind
in _alifornia. When completed, the
$150,000 facility will be named "The
Concrete Wave" and will accomo-
date nearly 250 skaters at one time.
Located near Disneyland, the facility
will include skateboard runs, rest-
rooms, park and a 2,000 square foot
building. The Anaheim Parks,
Recreation and the Arts Depart-
ment will install landscaping, picnic
facilities and a children's play area.
Michael T. Collins, one of the
builders along with John Kogler,
describes why the new Anaheim
skatepark will be different from the
others which have been built: "The
otherskateparkslackedtheexpertise
that our facility will have,° said
Collins. "We took great pains to
make sure our facility had a definite
plan and design before we started to
build it. Our park will have separate
sections for different types and styles
of skateboarding."
The skateboard section of the
park will be completed in two
construction phases. Phase one
construction, which started in early
July and will be completed the first
week in September, includes a run
for beginners and four separate
runs for everyone from interme-
diates to advanced skaters. There
will be straightaways, curves, and
even apentagon-shaped bowl for
skaters to perform special tricks.
"Phase two construction should
open shortly after phase one," said
Collins. "Phase two will consist
mainly of ideas from the people
who are using the course. We fee]
they are the best judges of what
kinds of runs and obstacles are
needed to help improve the park."
For safety reasons, pads and
helmets will be required for all
skaters and this equipment will be
available to rent at the facility.
In addition, the Anaheim Parks,
Recreation and the Arts Depart-
ment will sponsor tournaments and
lessons at the park.
Anaheim's new skatepark is an
outstanding example of government
and private enterprise joining to-
gether toprovide apublic recreation
facility with minimum impact on the
taxpayer. ~ ^
Dave Romano is the Publicity Director for the
Anaheim Parks, Recreation and the Arts De-
partment.
AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1976 27