Of all the current Civic Center area development projects in the pipeline, the new Malibu campus for Santa Monica College (SMC) may be the least controversial — it replaces an existing building instead of breaking new ground.
During a special public meeting at Malibu City Hall last Wednesday, the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees heard public comments about the project, certified the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and passed the resolutions and amendments that will allow the project to proceed.
The new satellite campus will be located on approximately three acres of a nine-acre parcel owned by LA County, located directly across the street from Legacy Park. The 16,603 square-foot sheriff’s station building currently on that site — decommissioned in the early ’90s — will be demolished. In its place, a new five-classroom/lab campus building, a police substation, a community room that will double as an emergency operations center and interpretive center will be built. The former Los Angeles County Superior Court building and recently remodeled Public Library will not be affected.
Several residents made public comments expressing concern over the future of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange (MCLE), which operates out of a trailer on the site’s parking lot.
Al Sturgeon, dean of students at Pepperdine University School of Law and executive director of MCLE, said MCLE has been a valuable learning tool for students and described manager Oscar Mondragon as a “community treasure.”
“I wanted to share the message of how much our students benefit from volunteering there,” he said. “It has been a great value to many colleges within our university.”
Later in the meeting, Don Girard, senior director government relations for SMC, revealed that the MCLE problem appears to be resolved.
“I spoke to Maria Chong-Castillo (deputy for public works under County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl), and the county has committed to relocating the MCLE trailer to the area just east of the library,” he reported.
SMC Superintendent Jeff Shimizu put the MCLE supporters further at ease by adding a resolution to the proceedings to “not commence construction until MCLE is relocated.”
Other citizens made public comments about future increases in traffic, construction noise and the environment. The traffic consultant for the project gave a presentation that was interrupted by resident Steve Uhring, who was immediately stopped by Trustee Margaret Quinones-Perez and instructed to “send her a note if he objected to the traffic data.”
Seemingly annoyed, Quinones-Perez said, “This project started in 2004, and some of these concerns are the first time I’ve heard of them, like the MCLE and the traffic.”
The Board then called City Manager Jim Thorsen to “come forward” and clarify the traffic study information. He explained that the numbers were based on 2012 data, and although the peak volume of traffic has remained relatively stable over the years, the peak hours have expanded — an apparent point of contention with some residents. He summarized his position by saying, “We feel the EIR is adequate and follows our traffic guidelines.”
After that, the Board was satisfied, and the EIR was passed.
Chair Louise Jaffe closed by saying, “For me, this is a real capstone and a wonderful facility for the entire community. It’s a rare thing that’s so good in every way.”
Trustee Rob Rader, a Pepperdine law school professor, added, “This has been a long road, and I so appreciate that staff has kept this moving forward. We’re really committed to being partners in Malibu.”
Now that the EIR is certified, the next step in the process will be a hearing at the Malibu Planning Commission, tentatively scheduled for early March. In addition to making sure the project conforms to Malibu’s Local Coastal Plan (LCP), planning will also be asked to consider minor variances on communications tower height, building height and parking space dimensions.
Following final approvals by planning, “We’ll be ready to go out to bid, which is a 45-day process,” Girard said in an interview. “It’s already been approved by the state architect, but we’ll need to time the construction to coincide with the [Civic Center area] water/wastewater treatment plant’s completion.”
Construction will be funded by Measure S, which allots $25 million to the Malibu campus and was approved by Santa Monica and Malibu voters in 2004 to fund SMC facilities projects. The campus is expected to provide college-level classes, including adult Emeritus College classes.