For years, many people in Malibu have apparently wanted some kind of park at the west side of Malibu. And there has been a lot of time to think about all of the amenities they would like a park to include. So Trancas Park was proposed.
However, it only became known to Malibu West residents as recently as last November, that the beautiful ridge between Trancas and Paseo Canyon, a prominent feature of the neighborhood, would be flattened on top by the park, as it has now been approved by the city council.
A lot of weight has been given to the people who have had years to express their wish list for a park, but until November, this was like looking at only the asset side of a balance sheet and saying yes, all those features would be great! This is not entirely about neighbors having opposing points of view, but about information that was not known.
Most importantly, I feel sure that many people who would like to have their entire wish list fulfilled in a park, would not want that at the expense of making a neighborhood so passionately unhappy. There are good people living here who want a park and also good people who want to preserve their home environment, and we can find a compromise together, in a somewhat smaller park.
Those of us who feel our homes are being diminished by the severe loss of beauty and privacy cannot simply let the issue lie.
Lynn Norton