Some neighbors of the university oppose the project because of noise and traffic issues, and others worry about traffic safety impacts.
By Knowles Adkisson / The Malibu Times
The controversial plans by Pepperdine University to add additional student housing of 468 beds, and expand its athletic center seating by nearly 2,000 seats, among other designs in its Campus Life Project, will be addressed by the city council at its meeting Monday. The council is also scheduled to discuss the Rambla Pacifico Road project, and an item proposed by one councilmember to utilize school district and city facilities for practice fields.
While the city can issue a vote of confidence or no confidence regarding the Campus Life Project, it does not have any permitting authority since the university lies within unincorporated Los Angeles borders. The university’s project must receive approval from the county and then the California Coastal Commission.
The major factor determining the city’s vote are the results of an environmental impact report (EIR), which address traffic, noise and other environmental issues, submitted by Pepperdine on the project. City planning officials were expected to post the staff recommendation on the project to the council on the city’s Web site by the end of the day Tuesday, but had not done so before this paper went to print Tuesday night (see www.malibutimes.com for city staff’s recommendation on this project Wednesday).
At the Monday meeting, council members will consider the recommendation, then approve a final version, which will be submitted to the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. Public comment on the project must be received by Jan. 10. More information about the Campus Life Project can be obtained online at planning.lacounty.gov/case/all, under Project No. R2007-03064.
The expansion plan, which would take place on existing campus acreage, consists of, among other things, renovating residential housing on campus, which would add 468 beds, expanding athletic stadium seating from 3,104 to 5,470, adding outdoor lighting to the women’s soccer field, building a welcome center and making a parking lot for the School of Law. Many of the last renovations of the university took place in the 1970s and representatives from the campus say the updates are much needed.
However, at the last council meeting in December, Malibu Country Estates residents voiced their worry that the new improvements will add unwanted traffic to an already busy area.
Homeowner Benjamin Efraim said during the public comment portion of that meeting, “We really would appreciate it if the city took a stance opposing the scope and magnitude of the proposed developments. The traffic is already bad and the existing sports facility has been a constant source of annoyance and disturbance, with people parking or congregating. This is a very small sports facility in comparison to what they’re planning on building.”
Two mothers, Ellen Shane and Teri Love, who lost their children in accidents on Pacific Coast Highway, also expressed worry at the meeting about traffic from the Pepperdine expansion at the December meeting. They believe some type of program should be implemented in order to teach students about the dangers of the road.
Pepperdine University’s legal counsel Cindy Starrett, attorney at Latham & Watkins, has said that adding more student housing could actually decrease traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway and surrounding areas. Starrett said much of the current traffic in the area is due to students commuting to class from off-campus residences. With more campus housing, presumably that traffic would decrease. Malibu Country Estates residents expressed skepticism about that claim.
Starrett said Pepperdine will also be working with the county, their neighbors and a traffic engineer on mitigation plans for when there is a major event on campus, in order to avoid traffic issues.
Rambla Pacifico
The City Council will also consider whether to vacate portions of Rambla Pacifico Road at the Monday night meeting. The two portions under consideration by the council are on the lower part of Rambla Pacifico Road near Pacific Coast Highway. Parts of the road were destroyed previously by landslides, and the Lower Rambla Pacifico Road Owners Association was granted a permit in June to build a private road connecting the upper and lower Rambla Pacifico Road sections destroyed by the landslides. The road, which has been closed since 1984, would allow for a significantly shorter drive for residents and emergency vehicles. Residents are hoping to get the project finished soon because of the potential threat of fire.
City staff has recommended that the portions be vacated, the area is no longer suitable for a public road. The staff recommendation noted that by vacating the portions, it would “eliminate any further burden on the city for existing and future maintenance.”
The road project has been a subject of contention between area homeowners, regarding easement and other issues.
Also on the agenda is a request by Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich to consider using Malibu High School athletic fields and city facilities as practice fields for use by youth sports. Ulich requested confirmation on whether the Joint Use Agreement between the city and the school district prevents such sharing of facilities.