SANTA MONICA—On January 4, the city of Santa Monica posted on its Facebook page that it is starting a Mass Timber Accelerator, a year-long pilot program for developers interested in exploring the use of mass timber.
Participants will receive free technical assistance to support them in integrating mass timber into project designs as well as a financial incentive for completing the accelerator program.
Mass timber construction has the potential to unlock benefits to Santa Monica’s building sector including faster construction times and associated cost savings, decreased carbon emissions, and beautiful exposed wood aesthetic design throughout the community.
The Mass Timber Accelerator is an opportunity to continue this tradition by bringing together city staff and the local building design, development, and construction community to explore opportunities for sustainable wood construction.
Mass timber construction uses high-strength prefabricated wood products like columns, beams, and panels that can be assembled quickly on-site and result in faster construction times than when using traditional concrete and steel construction methods. While Southern California is a growing market for mass timber products and construction is common globally and across the country, especially in areas with abundant natural wood resources.
Santa Monica’s Mass Timber Accelerator is part of the Accelerator Cities Program—co-funded by the Softwood Lumber Board and the USDA Forest Service—which provides a structured pathway for local governments to explore, implement, and showcase the benefits of advanced wood building systems. Through the program, Santa Monica and participants will receive financial, technical, and educational support from federal and industry partners. Participants will receive expert assistance from WoodWorks on structural design, fire resistance, code compliance, and detailing of mass timber systems.
Santa Monica Mass Timber Accelerator Goals
-Identify the potential for cost savings and shorter construction timelines with the use of mass timber construction.
-Raise public awareness of the embodied carbon reduction potential, economic benefits, and aesthetic beauty of mass timber construction.
-Connect design teams and City stakeholders interested in advancing use of mass timber (MT) / cross-laminated timber (CLT)
-Introduce more practitioners to the details and feasibility of MT/CLT construction
-Identify development opportunities resulting in new building and infrastructure projects in Santa Monica constructed with mass timber
-Assess workforce capacity and identify the potential for job creation through the expansion of MT/CLT construction
The Santa Monica Mass Timber Accelerator program will competitively select up to five private development projects for funding and technical assistance. With technical support, the selected development teams will explore the benefits and assess the feasibility of incorporating mass timber structural building materials and practices into their building projects.
Applications can be completed via the Use the Santa Monica Mass Timber Application Guide. Applications are due to the Office of Sustainability & the Environment on February 27, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.
By Danny Jones