The National Park Service has extended the public comment period for a study evaluating whether portions of the Los Angeles coastline could be designated as a unit of the National Park System, giving residents and stakeholders until May 23, 2026, to submit input.
The extension pushes back the original April 6 deadline for the Los Angeles Coastal Special Resource Study, a congressionally authorized evaluation examining the national significance, suitability and feasibility of bringing a stretch of the Santa Monica Bay shoreline under federal protection.
The study was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, also known as Public Law 117-328, and incorporates public input as part of its assessment of the area's historical, cultural and environmental resources. Any findings and recommendations from the Secretary of the Interior will be submitted to Congress.
What the Study Covers
The study area runs along the Santa Monica Bay coastline from Will Rogers State Beach south to Torrance Beach, extending approximately 200 yards inland from the mean high tide line. It also encompasses areas in and around Ballona Creek, the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, the Baldwin Hills and the San Pedro section of Los Angeles. The Port of Los Angeles north of Crescent Avenue is excluded from the study boundary, as are private residences and other privately held properties.
The National Park Service held a virtual public meeting Feb. 11 to solicit initial comments on the study.
What Designation Would — and Wouldn't — Mean
Completing the study would not itself create a new park. Only Congress, through legislation, or the president, through the Antiquities Act, has the authority to designate new national park units. Historically, roughly one in four such studies results in an actual park being established.
NPS project manager Sarah Bodo said a potential designation could bring conservation benefits for natural and historic resources as well as economic activity in nearby communities. NPS official Carrie Miller noted a designation could unlock additional federal funding that is not currently available outside the national park system.
Officials have described a possible "partnership park" model under which the National Park Service would directly own and manage only a limited portion of land within any authorized boundary. California's Coastal Commission, state government and local municipalities would retain significant elements of control over the broader area.
Timeline
The NPS study team planned to gather data through spring 2026, analyze findings through fall and finalize its report in early 2027. Following completion, the Secretary of the Interior would transmit findings to Congress, which would then decide whether to act on any recommendations.
How to Comment
Comments may be submitted online through the project website or by postal mail to:
National Park Service
Denver Service Center
Attn: Los Angeles Coastal SRS
One Denver Federal Center, Building 50
Denver, CO 80225
Additional information is available at parkplanning.nps.gov/LosAngelesCoastal.