The owner of the property formerly owned by the Crummer family wants to build five luxury homes on the 24-acre parcel of land.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
It’s still early in the game, but the Malibu resident who last year bought the city government-desired Crummer property might allow a ball field and open-space areas to be built on a portion of the site.
A presentation will be made at Monday’s City Council meeting about a possible deal that would involve real estate investor Richard Ackerman building five luxury homes (approximately 9,500 to 11,000 square feet in size) on the 24-acre parcel located adjacent to Bluffs Park. Ackerman, at his expense, would also build a ball field and create two separate open-space areas that could be used for picnics or a dog park. Also, the Bluffs Park parking area would be expanded by 35 spaces onto the Crummer property.
“We recognize that the city reached a milestone when it purchased [a portion of] Bluffs Park last year,” said Richard Lichtenstein, Ackerman’s spokesperson. “This [Crummer] property is adjacent to Bluffs Park, and it’s clear that’s where open space belongs.”
Ackerman is not asking for an agreement that would allow him to build beyond what city and zoning laws would allow.
“We’re actually just looking to engage in a process,” said Ackerman’s attorney, Richard Volpert. “Developing property in Malibu can be challenging, we just want to participate in a process.”
Volpert is well aware of the difficulties that come with trying to develop land in Malibu. He served as the Malibu Bay Co. lawyer during the Malibu Bay Co. Development Agreement hearings and the failed Measure M election that followed. Lichtenstein has also worked as a spokesperson for Malibu Bay and its president, Jerry Perenchio.
In this proposed project, the Crummer property homes would be built on 2.5- to 3.75-acre lots. Architect Richard Landry, a Malibu resident, has proposed a concept with extensive landscaping, making the properties look as if they are in a park-like setting. A landscaped buffer would separate the private property from the public-serving portions. There would also be a gate and a private road for the residential area.
All involved in the negotiations stressed that everything is preliminary. No application had been put in with the city. If and when that does happen, the usual permitting process would be pursued, including various studies and public hearings. As of now, there have only been discussions between Ackerman’s people and some members of the city staff. No City Council members contacted by The Malibu Times said they were familiar with the project proposal beyond what was included in a staff report written by City Attorney Christi Hogin, which was released this week.
Hogin wrote in the report that she wanted to get feedback from the council members on Monday on whether they would be interested in pursuing a deal.
“Before committing the substantial resources required to define precisely and study the proposal, the owner has asked whether the concept is of interest to the city,” Hogin wrote.
The Crummer property has long been sought after by the city of Malibu. During its extended conflict with the State Department of Parks and Recreation about Malibu Little League’s use of Bluffs Parks, it was proposed several times that the ball fields would be moved to the Crummer site. Even after the city brokered a deal in early 2005 to purchase the 10-acre portion of Bluffs Park containing the ball fields (although the transaction was not finalized until the fall of 2006), the Crummer site still remained on people’s minds because of a perceived need for more ball fields.
Ackerman, who works in Apollo Real Estate’s Los Angeles office, purchased the property from the Crummer family for an undisclosed sum in August 2005. The property had been on the market for some time for $26 million. After he bought the land, several council members said they hoped a deal could be made with the Malibu resident for some of the property to be used for ball fields.
Ackerman also owns another property east of the Crummer land, separated by a ravine. It is not, at least at this early stage, part of this project proposal.