The Canyon at Peace Park is expected to tear down several buildings that were built without permits and pay $525,000 in fines.
By Melissa Caskey / Special to The Malibu Times
A rehab center that ran afoul of the California Coastal Commission when it built several structures in unincorporated Malibu without permits is expected to settle this week by tearing down the buildings and paying a hefty fine.
The California Coastal Commission is set to approve a consent cease and desist agreement at its Thursday meeting with The Canyon at Peace Park, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility off Kanan Dume Road, resolving violations first brought to the commission’s attention in 2008.
According to a commission staff report, five structures on the drug and rehabilitation’s 120-acre property are in violation of the California Coastal Act, and The Canyon has agreed to make the necessary changes and pay $525,000 in fines.
The Canyon must completely remove two structures, restore one and apply for a development permit to keep two.
Lisa Haage, the Coastal Commission’s chief of enforcement, spearheaded the effort to reach a resolution.
“We weren’t aware of these violations until 2008 or later,” Haage said. “We’re prepared to answer questions from the public and from the commission.”
The Canyon at Peace Park began leasing its land from United World of the Universe Foundation in 2004, which is also named as a consenting party to the agreement in the staff report. United World owns 240 acres total in the Santa Monica Mountains off Kanan and The Canyon occupies the eastern side of the property. Michael Segal, son of fashion store magnate Fred Segal, has run United World since his father retired and his signature appears on the consent staff report.
On its website, The Canyon is billed as “the premiere sanctuary of healing for individuals with co-occurring conditions.” Programs at the center include a sweat lodge ceremony and “adventure therapy,” according to the website. The center treats patients with mental illness, behavioral problems, substance abuse issues and eating disorders, among other problems.
According to the center’s website, in the past it received a visit from the Dalai Lama, who meditated there. The center is located several miles inland at 2900 South Kanan Dume Road, on 120 secluded acres in Ramirez Canyon, which might explain how the unlicensed construction went undetected.
A permit was issued by the commission to United World during the 1990s for a 10×10-foot pump house. According to the staff report, the pump house was developed into 1,250-square-foot by 2001—without a coastal permit. Now The Canyon is consenting to restore it to 10×10-feet.
A tree house and an “A-frame” structure were also built without permission and must be removed.
A women’s facility and a men’s facility, which were constructed without a coastal permit, can stay as long as The Canyon applies for a new permit retroactive to when the buildings were erected.
In a statement issued to The Malibu Times, the president of The Canyon at Peace Park said the organizations have willfully complied with the Coastal Commission on resolving the property development issues.
“For the past two years, United World and The Canyon have worked in close partnership with Coastal Commission staff to address and correct compliance issues related to development on the property,” Peace Park President Rob Wagenner said.
During the initial building process, The Canyon was under the impression that it did not need a coastal permit after receiving permission from the county to construct the women’s and men’s facilities, according Susan McCabe, an advisor retained by The Canyon to help obtain a coastal development permit.
“The county told them they didn’t need the Coastal Commission’s permission to go on building,” McCabe said.
Once the violations were brought to light, though, all parties say they were on the same page in wanting to meeting coastal regulations and the commission is expected to unanimously approve the consent.
“We’re hopeful,” Haage said. “We spent a lot of time on this. We were trying to figure out what could fit within the [California Coastal Act] and hopefully the commission will agree with us.”
The commission meets July 12 in Chula Vista.