Several possibilities could exist if the city buys the land for sale near Malibu High School.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
A new city hall, teen and senior center, a library and Sheriff’s substation are all possibilities for a vacant 9.8-acre Point Dume property the city of Malibu is interested in purchasing.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the City Council will vote on whether to have city staff begin a negotiation with the property owners of the site located on the north side of Pacific Coast Highway off Heathercliff Road.
The property is owned by longtime Malibu resident Kristi Dewind. The site is vacant, but contains a private nursery. It is listed at a $4.9 million asking price with Realtor Chris Frost.
The property is currently zoned Rural Residential 5, which means one home can be built per five acres. If the city were to purchase the site to build municipal facilities, amendments to the city’s zoning map and the Local Coastal Program would be needed. The council will vote Tuesday on whether to begin the amendment process. The California Coastal Commission has the final word on LCP amendments.
Frost said Conley Ulich first approached Dewind about selling the property.
Conley Ulich refused to comment on this.
An appraisal of the site would need to be done as state law prohibits a municipality from buying land for more than it is determined to be worth. If the council gives the go-ahead to begin a negotiation process, city staff will proceed with an environmental review.
The staff report drafted by Administrative Services Director Reva Feldman refers to the property as “ideal for a City Hall and other municipal facilities.” She noted its close proximity to Malibu High School and two of the city’s three public elementary schools.
“For several years, the city has been actively pursuing opportunities to acquire property on which a City Hall and other municipal facilities could be developed,” Feldman wrote. “Due to the lack of vacant commercial space in the city, the increase in the cost of the land and the high cost of construction, the city has been unable to purchase any vacant commercial property. 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.”
One proposal involving the La Paz project is an offering of land by the property’s owner for a City Hall in the Civic Center area in exchange for increased development.
The Planning Commission earlier this year recommended the offer be rejected. The City Council will vote on the proposal later this year. The city currently rents a 17,000-square-foot facility for its senior center and City Hall.
“It is estimated that a 30,000-square-foot City Hall is necessary to appropriately accommodate staff, common areas, meeting space, a City Council chamber, a senior center and storage areas,” Feldman wrote.
The property could also be used for a library, teen center, emergency operations center or a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s sub-station, Feldman wrote.
Conley Ulich said on Monday that a library on the property could meet a goal in the city’s Library Needs Assessment that calls for library services on the west end of the city. She said she wants to hear other ideas as well.
“I am open to whatever the community needs and whatever the community wants,” Conley Ulich said. “I am open to all suggestions at this point.”
Foundation targets property for possible teen center
Daniel Stern, president of the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, said the property would be a great place to build a teen center, possibility combined with a place for seniors.
“The Boys and Girls Club [located behind Malibu High School] is fine for middle school kids,” Stern said. “It’s convenient for them to go to after school, but we aren’t getting the participation from high schoolers. They need a place of their own.”
The foundation began research last year as to what high school students would want by conducting surveys with teens, teachers and school staff. The most popular response was a bowling alley, where youth could spend time and also get jobs.
Stern said a facility could also offer job and college counseling, as well as access to internships and jobs within the community.
“We have our finger on the pulse of the community, and we can offer our research to the city to begin a partnership,” said Stern, who said the foundation has a limited annual budget of $750,000 just to keep the current operation going. He is attempting to raise money to create a $10 million endowment, but said more money would be needed to build a facility, and that’s where a partnership with the city would come in.
Stern said he had initial conversations with four council members, and they seemed to like the idea of a teen center on the property.
Also at the meeting on Tuesday, the council will get its first look at the proposed budget for the 2008-09 Fiscal Year, which begins in July. And the council will vote on extending and possibly increasing Coldwell Banker’s $337,000 rent for its building on the city-owned Legacy Park.