A representative from the proposed La Paz project, which offers the city land for a City Hall, says the plan to build a City Hall on the Point Dume property makes him feel “like the jolted bride who was left at the altar.”
By Nora Fleming / Special to The Malibu Times
Several residents and city officials spoke enthusiastically at the City Council meeting last week on Tuesday about the possibility of a municipal purchase of a 9.8-acre Point Dume property on which a City Hall, library and community center and other facilities are all possibilities. But others did not share this excitement, including one council member who was concerned about shifting the city services to the west. Also, a representative of the La Paz project in the Civic Center area was bothered by the talk of a City Hall being built in Point Dume since the offer of land for a City Hall is part of the La Paz proposal.
The Point Dume property is located on the north side of Pacific Coast Highway off Heathercliff Road. It is owned by longtime Malibu resident Kristi Dewind. The land is on the market with a $4.9 million price tag. The council voted at the meeting for City Manager Jim Thorsen to negotiate a concrete price with the owner and to determine future costs if the land were to be purchased.
The council heard from several residents about what could be done with the property. One of them was David Ashwell, a landscape painter and 25-year Malibu resident.
“With more and more of the current city center being given way to high-end boutiques, I believe the needs of those full-time residents [in the Point Dume area] will be better served if the City Hall, community center and library was closer to where they live,” Ashwell said.
Daniel Stern, the president of the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, spoke in support of building a teen center on the property, which he called a “terrific idea.” Stern has been active in expanding the Malibu Boys & Girls Club, located at Malibu High School. But he said the club is not large enough to meet the needs of all the local youth.
“We need a place for these kids to congregate,” said Stern, who added that a lack of community space for Malibu teens has lead them to partying, drunk driving on Pacific Coast Highway and drug use.
Not sharing the love was Don Schmitz, the planning consultant for the owners of the La Paz property. He said he was troubled by the staff report’s statement, “Land development agreements that would have provided the city with space on which to construct a City Hall, such as the La Paz agreement, have not come to fruition.” Although the Planning Commission earlier this year recommended the City Council reject the La Paz offer, the council has not voted on the item. The council hearing on the project is on delay for a few months while city staff analyze a recently submitted wastewater system plan.”I stand before you today feeling a little like the jolted bride who was left at the altar,” Schmitz said. He added, “We’re not going to go quietly into the night just because you’re flirting with a new property.”
Schmitz said he predicted purchasing and developing the Point Dume site would be a lengthy and expensive project that could be avoided if the city accepted the La Paz deal.
The city has been leasing the building where the current City Hall and Senior Center are since 2002. City officials have said the 17,000-square-foot building is not large enough to meet city needs and a larger space is necessary for requisite facilities such as meeting space and common areas.
Although the city’s lease continues through 2017, it has an option to give notice to exit in 2012. It could take until that year or later to develop the Point Dume property if it were purchased by the city.
The Point Dume property is large enough for other facilities, including a teen center, emergency operations center, Sheriff’s substation or a city library, city finance head Reva Feldman said. Thorsen said at least 30,000 square feet would be needed to build these facilities.
The council members had varying opinions about the potential purchase, including Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, who was cautious about the prospect.”I’m not opposed to buying the property, but I am opposed to how we are going about it,” she said.
Barovsky said she felt too many ideas for the property were up in the air and wanted Thorsen to determine if they could have a sliding scale appraisal for purchase or at least more of a definite price for what it would cost the city. Barovsky also voiced concern over “disenfranchising the east end of Malibu,” by concentrating city services on the west end.
Councilmember Andy Stern said he was not opposed to looking into acquiring the land if it did not cost the city any money, but he was not in favor of building on property that was zoned rural residential as the Point Dume site is. If the city were to purchase the land, amendments to the city’s zoning map and Local Coastal Program would be needed for any facilities to be built there.
In addition to purchasing the property and costs for future infrastructure construction, the city would also have to pay for an environmental review of the property, which includes surveying and geotechnical services. Feldman estimated this could cost the city $200,000 to $400,000, with the exact price determined by the possible necessity of a costly environmental impact report.
Feldman’s suggestions for funding the project included the issuance of certificates of participation (which are similar to bonds), the use of revenue collected from the current library and the use of money saved from an early exit on the lease.
New tenant possible for Legacy Park
Also at the meeting, the council discussed Coldwell Banker’s lease on the city-owned Legacy Park. The real estate agency leases its building for $6.83 per square foot for an annual total of $337,000. The lease expires on Dec. 31.
The council voted in favor of a city staff recommendation to negotiate a one-year extension on the lease, with the city proposal being for the rent to be increased to $7.37 per square foot, which is the rate paid by the neighboring Malibu Animal Hospital.
The council also voted for a request for proposals document to be issued to find a potential new lessee. Coldwell Banker could apply for the lease. Feldman said the RFP process should take six to eight months and will also coincide with a groundwater modeling process that is underway.