for Malibu Legacy Park Project
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Changing his tune from a workshop earlier in the year, the city’s consultant on the Malibu Legacy Park Project said at a meeting on Thursday that the municipality would not need to acquire additional land to fulfill its wastewater/storm water treatment goal with the project.
Consultant Steve Clary told a joint session of the Planning Commission and City Council that with the existing development in the Civic Center Area, plus other lands that would be connected to this system (including a portion of Malibu Road and the homes in Malibu Colony), approximately 15,000,000 gallons of wastewater per year would need to be reused. Half of that water would be used for irrigation on Legacy Park (the current Chili Cook-Off site). An additional six acres of land, Clary said, would be needed for dispersal. Clary said that land would include a one-acre property at the corner of Stuart Ranch Road and Civic Center Way along with five acres in the area. He said the five acres could include the shoulders of Civic Center Way.
When activist John Mazza asked if that meant the city would need to purchase at least an additional five acres, City Manager Jim Thorsen quickly shot back that this was not the case.
“We don’t need to buy any property with this project,” Thorsen said. “We have plenty of ample opportunities to disperse the water.”
Thorsen said existing roadways could be used for dispersal. Also, he said, as additional development came to the area, those property owners would be required to accept treated wastewater dispersal as a condition for their permits.
The workshop, the second of three planned for this year, also delved into the subject of the technical details of how the wastewater treatment system would work. Three different possibilities exist, involving pumps that would send water to a centralized facility proposed to be located at the Wave Property behind the old City Hall located on Civic Center Way. The water would be treated there and then distributed to Legacy Park and other areas.
Storm water, as the project is proposed, would be managed fully on Legacy Park. A two-foot deep pond on the land would capture excess storm water runoff treated at a nearby Civic Center treatment facility, preventing runoff into the Malibu watershed.
During the dry season, the pond area would remain unfilled.
It was stressed at the meeting that although homeowners from Malibu Colony and a portion of Malibu Road would be able to hook up to this system, they would not be required to do so.
Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, a Malibu Road resident, said she had spoken to residents in both areas. “There is a lot of interest, but I don’t think anybody wants to be forced in,” Barovsky said.
Also during the workshop, further insight was given into what Legacy Park could look like. Landscape architect Barbara Lundburg showed two proposals of a park with vegetation, a prairie area and small holes that could be filled with water, known as vernal pools. She said vernal pools and prairies support different species of vegetation and animals.
“This project is storm water-driven, but we have a wonderful opportunity here of recreating some wonderful habitat that has been lost,” Lundburg said.
Pathways, an outdoor classroom area and other features for learning have also been proposed. Additionally, a linear park is planned for the project. It would consist of a pathway that would include new trails and current pieces of land allowing a person to walk to Bluffs Park from Legacy Park.
An environmental impact report is being drafted for this project as the process continues. A final draft copy is expected to be ready before the end of the year. Hearings on the project could begin early next year.