After a one-month hiatus, the City Council is back in session on Monday with a regular meeting. There are several items on the agenda, including the finalization of the city’s plastic foam ban, the council’s official approval for the purchase of a portion of Bluffs Park, an appeal of a proposed development project and the initiation of the new Local Coastal Program amendment process.
The proposed plastic foam ban has been debated and delayed for more than six months. The council is expected to pass an ordinance with little discussion that will prohibit the selling of food and drinks in plastic foam containers. Several environmental groups will conduct a multiyear study to determine the ordinance’s effect on pollution.
Also on Monday, the council is scheduled to officially vote on the city’s purchase of 10 acres of Bluffs Park. The council already unanimously approved the deal in concept earlier this year. As part of a deal, the city will give the California Department of Parks and Recreation $2 million, the appraised value of the land, for the 10 acres. This will allow the city to take possession of the ball fields there and guarantee the Malibu Little League and AYSO will not be forced off the property, as State Parks had threatened previously.
Additionally, the council will vote on an amendment to the Malibu LCP for California Coastal Commission consideration. The proposed amendment must be reviewed by the Planning Commission and then again by the City Council. It will then be sent to the Coastal Commission staff, which by an agreement with the city must either recommend the Coastal Commission voting body approve the amendment or tell the city why the amendment is unacceptable.
Lastly, the council will hear an appeal on a proposal to build a 5,388-square-foot, two-story home on Pacific Coast Highway in West Malibu. The appeal was filed by Thousand Oaks resident Paul W. Clark on behalf of an organization called Protection of Coastal Habitat.