A 10,000 SF hangar that needed to become a showroom.
Inside an active airport.
In four months.
A leading light aircraft manufacturer based at Santa Monica Airport needed a 10,000 SF hangar remodel that matched the precision of the aircraft they build. Ground-floor showroom, second-floor offices, full A&E services, every crew member vetted for active airfield access. Four months. On time. On budget.
Building inside an active airport is not a project you hand to a contractor who has never done it.
You have a hangar. You have a vision for what it needs to become. You have a brand that does not accept average. And you are trying to find a contractor who can navigate an active airport environment without getting your crew access revoked, your project shut down, or your opening date pushed back six weeks while everyone figures out what they should have planned before they started.
That is exactly the situation a leading light aircraft manufacturer based at Santa Monica Airport was in when they came to Pacific Southern Development. They needed a 10,000 SF hangar transformed into a flagship showroom and operational headquarters, in four months, inside an active airfield where every crew member required individual background screening and credentialing before stepping on site.
Most contractors cannot do this. Not because the construction is beyond them, but because the logistics, the permitting coordination, the crew vetting, and the daily access management across four months of active construction is a level of operational discipline most commercial contractors have never had to develop. Getting it wrong does not just delay the project. It shuts it down.
Airfield Access Requires Individual Vetting
Every crew member, every subcontractor, every delivery driver entering the secured perimeter of Santa Monica Airport must be individually background-screened and credentialed by the airport authority. A single uncleared person on site is an immediate security violation and work stoppage. Coordinating this across every trade for four months is a logistics challenge most contractors are not equipped to manage.
Dual Jurisdiction Permitting
Projects at Santa Monica Airport do not go through LADBS. They go through the City of Santa Monica's own Building and Safety Department, with additional coordination required through airport management. Missing either layer of this process delays the project. Getting ahead of it from day one is what keeps the schedule intact.
Pacific Southern Development has built where other contractors cannot. That is not an accident.
Working inside an active airport is not something you improvise. It requires pre-project planning, complete crew credentialing before groundbreaking, and a project management approach that treats access logistics as seriously as construction sequencing.
Full Crew Credentialing Before Day One
We coordinated the complete background screening and airport credentialing process for every crew member across every trade before construction started. Not a single person stepped on the airfield without clearance. Not once across the entire four-month build.
Permit Timelines Planned From the Start
We submitted architecture and engineering documents to the City of Santa Monica and coordinated with airport management from pre-construction so permit review timelines were built into the four-month schedule, not discovered mid-project.
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Under One Roof
We provided full A&E services and served as general contractor on this project. One team, one contract, one point of accountability from the first drawing to the final inspection. No gaps between design and construction. No finger-pointing when challenges came up.
The experience that made this project possible
A hangar remodel for a precision aircraft manufacturer at an active airport is not a project you hand to a contractor without a proven track record in complex commercial environments.
Serving Los Angeles
20+ years of commercial construction across the most demanding markets in LA.
Years Combined Experience
Leadership with decades of complex commercial construction management.
Google & Yelp Rated
Clients cite communication, precision, and on-schedule delivery.
Licensed & Insured
General Contractor B, C-10 Lic #884094. BBB Accredited.
Aircraft Showroom & Headquarters Hangar Remodel, Santa Monica Airport
A leading light aircraft manufacturer based at Santa Monica Airport needed to transform their 10,000 SF hangar into a showroom and operational headquarters that reflected the quality and precision of their aircraft. The ground floor was converted into a flagship showroom environment for client presentations and aircraft display. The second floor was built out as a functional office headquarters for the company's operations team.
Pacific Southern Development provided full architectural and engineering services, pulling permits through the City of Santa Monica and coordinating with airport management throughout. The showroom floor was ground, stained, and sealed to the polished finish that a premium aviation brand requires. Showroom lighting was upgraded with an $8,000 allowance to illuminate the aircraft and the space at the level the brand demands. The second floor received new conference rooms including dedicated Debrief A and B rooms, an executive corridor, a full kitchen build-out, and a complete low-voltage upgrade from CAT4 to CAT6 throughout.
Every crew member was individually vetted and credentialed for active airfield access before work began. Not a single access incident occurred across the four-month project. The completed space was delivered on time and on budget, fully permitted and inspected through the City of Santa Monica.
What building inside an active airport actually requires
Every Worker. Every Day. Credentialed for Active Airfield Access.
Santa Monica Airport is an active airfield with flight operations running alongside construction. That means every crew member, every subcontractor, and every delivery driver who enters the secured perimeter must be individually background-screened and credentialed by the airport authority before they set foot on site.
One uncleared person on the airfield is not a warning. It is an immediate shutdown. Managing this across a full construction team, multiple trades, and a four-month schedule requires a level of pre-project coordination and daily logistics discipline that most commercial contractors have never had to develop.
Pacific Southern Development coordinated the complete vetting and credentialing process for every crew member across every trade before groundbreaking. Airfield access was tracked and maintained throughout the project. Not a single access incident occurred from start to finish.
How we delivered a 10,000 SF hangar remodel inside an active airport in four months
A project at an active airport cannot be improvised. Every step, from crew credentialing to permit sequencing to trade coordination, was planned before construction started.
Pre-Construction: Credentials, Permits & Sequencing
Architecture and engineering completed and submitted to City of Santa Monica. Airport authority coordination initiated. Full crew credentialing process launched across all trades. Every material delivery, trade sequence, and fabrication lead time locked before groundbreaking. Nothing improvised on a fixed four-month timeline.
Construction: Coordinated, Credentialed, On Schedule
Demo, framing, HVAC, electrical, low voltage, plumbing, flooring, paint, millwork, and fire alarm sequenced across both floors. Daily airfield access tracked for every crew member. City of Santa Monica inspections coordinated at each phase. Client updated at every milestone.
Handoff: On the Date. Fully Operational.
City of Santa Monica final inspection passed. Full punch list resolved before handoff. The client received a completed aircraft showroom and operational headquarters on the date they planned from day one, with every scope item delivered as specified.
The Completed Showroom & Headquarters
Every trade. One contract. Full accountability from first drawing to final inspection.
Pacific Southern Development provided architecture, engineering, and general contracting on this project. Every scope item below was delivered under one contract with one team.
Architecture & Engineering
Full A&E services provided for permit submission to City of Santa Monica Building and Safety, including all required drawings and engineering calculations.
Demolition
- First floor walls removed to create reception and flex space
- Second floor walls removed for open workspace
- Projection screen removed and discarded
- Perimeter short wall demolished
- All existing flooring removed on both floors
Framing, Drywall & Ceilings
- Conference room framed into Debrief A & B rooms
- Executive office exit corridor framed
- Fire riser system enclosed with door
- T-bar repaired and reconfigured post-demo
- Misc. wall patching throughout
Electrical & Low Voltage
- Showroom lighting upgraded ($8,000 allowance)
- Debrief room switching and occupancy sensors added
- EM lights replaced throughout
- All fixtures re-lamped
- Wall-mount TV electrical and data at 3 locations
- Full CAT4 to CAT6 rewire
HVAC
- Full HVAC startup, test, and balance
- All filters replaced prior to startup
- New thermostats throughout
- Return register added in Debrief room
Flooring
- Showroom floor ground, stained, and sealed
- All flooring replaced with specified materials
- All base replaced with specified
- Rubber stair tread installed
Plumbing
New sinks and faucets installed in restrooms and kitchen throughout both floors.
Paint
- All walls and doors prepped and painted
- Metal handrails painted
- Exposed ducts painted
- Hangar door hardware painted
- Exposed sprinklers painted
Kitchen, Fire & Miscellaneous
- Kitchen cabinets and countertops installed
- Fire alarm system tested and verified
- Fire extinguishers installed in recessed cabinets
- Storefront window tinted
- All doors verified, adjusted, and repaired
- Restroom signage installed
A showroom and headquarters that matched the standard this manufacturer holds for everything they build.
10,000 SF. Two floors. Active airport logistics. Dual-jurisdiction permitting. Full A&E services. Every trade coordinated under one contract. Four months. Delivered on time and on budget.
Square Feet Delivered
Full hangar remodel across ground floor showroom and second floor offices.
On Schedule
Complete build-out from groundbreaking to handoff in four months.
Access Incidents
Full crew vetted and credentialed. Not a single airfield access violation across the project.
"We had every crew member credentialed, permits submitted, and a sequenced construction schedule before anyone touched a single wall. That is not how most contractors operate, and it is exactly why we did not have a single access issue or permit delay across the entire four-month project. The showroom we ended up with reflects the standard we hold our aircraft to. That was the requirement. Pacific Southern Development delivered it."
Picture your space finished. Your team inside it. Your brand represented the way you always intended. That is the only outcome that matters.
If you have a project in a restricted environment, a complex jurisdiction, or a space that needs to reflect a brand that does not accept average, here is what the other side of a project like this looks like when the right contractor is running it.
Your crew walks into the finished space on the date you planned.
Not the date that kept slipping because permits were not submitted on time, or because a crew member was denied airfield access, or because no one sequenced the trades before groundbreaking. The date you put on the calendar before the contract was signed. That is what planning looks like when it is done correctly.
Your aircraft is on display in a space that makes the right impression.
The showroom floor is polished. The lighting makes the aircraft look the way it was designed to look. The second floor operates the way your team needs it to operate. Every detail reflects the standard your brand holds for everything it builds. That is what the client in this case study walked into.
You never had to manage the construction site yourself.
No chasing permits. No tracking crew credentials. No calling the inspector to reschedule. No wondering what is happening on site between updates. One contractor, one contract, one team that handled every moving part from the first drawing to the day you walked in and the space was ready. That is what working with the right contractor actually feels like.
Common Questions About Commercial Construction at Santa Monica Airport
The Build in Process
