LOS ANGELES _ Capping decades of legal battles and protests, officials on Saturday announced that Santa Monica Airport would close in 2028 and be replaced by a sprawling park and other developments.
The city of Santa Monica has been fighting to close the general aviation airport _ long a favorite of celebrities, Hollywood titans and business leaders _ saying it is unsafe and pollutes the environment.
But aviation interests and federal regulators have opposed a shutdown.
City officials said Saturday that the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal officials agreed to the closure.
"The agreement ends a long-standing legal battle and secures, with absolute certainty, that the 227-acres of aviation land will be returned to the residents of Santa Monica," the city said in a statement.
The closure represents a huge shift in both aviation and land-use policy in Southern California.
It leaves the Los Angeles basin with one less general aviation airport. And it allows Santa Monica to remake its southeastern corner and provides vast new open space on the Westside.
Santa Monica officials have been trying to close the airport since the early 1980s. A series of crashes _ notably one in 2015 involving actor Harrison Ford _ has contributed to a swing in support recently for the effort.
National Transportation Safety Board records and news reports show there have been at least 42 Santa Monica-related crashes since 1982 within five miles of the airport. In 11 of the crashes, the planes came down in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles neighborhoods.
One crashed in a Venice intersection and two, including Ford's plane, came down on Penmar Golf Course.
In 2013, four people died when a jet crashed into a hangar at the airport. A decade earlier, a plane from the airport slammed into an apartment building in the Fairfax district, killing five.
Based on the number of accidents per 100,000 takeoffs and landings, Santa Monica ranks in the middle of the 11 busiest general aviation airports with control towers in Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside counties.
Recently, Santa Monica adopted a so-called starvation strategy that aimed at closing the airport within two years. The idea was to start evicting tenants from the airport, but the FAA objected.
The airport has about 270 aircraft and averages 452 takeoffs and landings per day. Supporters say it is an economic benefit for the region, provides a base of operations for major emergencies and helps relieve crowded airspace at Los Angeles International Airport.
Airport opponents contend it should be closed because of noise pollution, potentially harmful emissions from aircraft engines and the risk of a serious crash in surrounding neighborhoods.
The FAA on Saturday called the closure plan a "fair resolution" to the long-running dispute.
"Mutual cooperation between the FAA and the city enabled us to reach this innovative solution, which resolves long-standing legal and regulatory disputes," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement. "This is a fair resolution for all concerned because it strikes an appropriate balance between the public's interest in making local decisions about land use practices and its interests in safe and efficient aviation services."
The FAA noted the agreement requires Santa Monica to "maintain continuous and stable operation of the airport for 12 years."
