Council hears Trancas Park design proposals

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Trancas Park is located approximately a half mile north of Pacific Coast Highway off Trancas Canyon Road and would contain a practice-only sports field, a picnic area, tot-lot and a dog park, among other features. Plans for a basketball half court were eliminated, and the picnic area was reduced from 5,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet. The dog park was reduced by approximately 17,000 square feet.

The original park project design caused concern over environmental impacts, among other issues.

By Olivia Damavandi / Staff Writer

The Malibu City Council Tuesday night was scheduled to review the long awaited, $153,500 design modifications to the $3.7 million Trancas Canyon Park Project suggested by residents during a workshop last month. In addition to the park’s appearance, the modifications will dictate the continuance of an environmental lawsuit filed last month against the city by local nonprofit, Malibu Township Council. (The council met before the The Malibu Times went to print Tuesday night. Look online later this week for the council’s actions.)

Also included in the meeting agenda was a public hearing regarding the proposed budget and general fund grants for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and a proposed amendment to the city’s agreement with MNS Engineers for the second phase of the Las Flores Canyon Creek Park Project.

In a closed session held prior to the regular meeting, the council was also scheduled to discuss potential leasing agreements for the city-owned, 4,848-square-foot commercial property located on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Webb Way, which housed Coldwell Banker until December.

Weintraub Financial Services, Malibu Urgent Care, Anawalt Lumber Company and Ace Hardware have each submitted an application.

Local Realtor Tony Dorn, who submitted the application on behalf of Malibu Urgent Care, said Tuesday in a telephone interview that his recent discussions with Ace Hardware led him to believe the store is “very serious” about leasing the property.

“They think a small professional hardware store would be successful if rent could be contained, and it’s something the community really needs,” Dorn said.

The average sales price for office space in the Civic Center area is approximately $6.80 per square foot, with rental amounts for office space ranging from $5.20 to $9.35 per square foot. Rental amounts for commercial retail space have rented recently for as high as $22 per square foot, with the average closer to $12 per square foot.

As of May 2008, the annual rent collected by the city from the commercial property leased by Coldwell Banker was approximately $337,000, which was used to meet the debt service for the Certificate of Participations issued to purchase the Chili Cook-off site in 2006.

Trancas Park Project

While facing a potential lawsuit from Malibu Township Council over the Trancas Park Project, the council Tuesday was set to review comments and suggestions by residents on the park’s design.

Based on its current conceptual design, Trancas Canyon Park, a proposed public, seven-acre park to be built on a 13.5-acre site approximately a half mile north of the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Trancas Canyon Road, will contain a multi-use (practice-only) sports field, a basketball half-court, picnic area, tot-lot, dog park, restroom/maintenance building, storage building, shade structures, onsite wastewater treatment system, parking area and a storm water detention basin.

The total cost of the modifications is anticipated to increase the cost of the $3.7 million project by $153,500. They include the overall reduction of the park size and its components, added fencing for residential privacy and youth safety, and the reduced grading of a natural rock formation, among others.

The council members are required to ensure that each modification they choose to incorporate in the park plans complies with the conditions of the coastal development permit. Council members must also analyze whether the modifications require discretionary approvals or preparation of a subsequent or supplemental environmental impact report.

Furthermore, the continuation of a lawsuit field against the city by Malibu Township Council is contingent depending on residents’ satisfaction with the modifications selected by the council. The lawsuit, filed last month, claims the city’s approval of the environmental impact report for Trancas Canyon Park violated the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act of 1976, the Malibu Local Coastal Program, and the city’s general plan and zoning ordinance.

Frank Angel, attorney for MTC, in an interview with The Malibu Times last month said the lawsuit going forward is dependent on whether the city council decides to acquiesce to residents’ requests to change the parks development plans.

$30K more needed for Las Flores Park

In addition to receiving public input regarding the city’s proposed 2009-2010 fiscal year budget, which will be discussed in greater depth at a later date, the council was set Tuesday to decide whether to add $29,275 to the city’s $109,730 to complete the design and obtain the permits to construct the second phase of the Las Flores Canyon Creek Park.

The second phase consists of the installations of a pedestrian bridge that will connect the parking area to both sides of the park; a restroom facility that includes water conservation features such as an advanced onsite wastewater treatment system.

Approved Modifications

After an April 23 workshop on the design of Trancas Park, the City Council approved the following design modifications to the park:

– Eliminate the basketball half-court

– Reduce the group picnic area from 5,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet

– Reduce the tot lot and playground area from 10,000 square feet to 7,300 square feet

– Reduce the total dog park area from 45,520 square feet to 28,337 square feet

– Reduce the dog park flat area from 29,000 square feet to 21,595 square feet

– Reduce the number of shade structures from seven (three in the dog park) to three (two in the dog park)

– Reduce the number of picnic tables from 24 (five in the dog park) to eight (three in the dog park)

– Reduce the number of benches from 17 (11 in the dog park) to 11 (eight in the dog park)

– Reduce the parking lot from 64 spaces (61 and 3 ADA) to 45 spaces (43 and 2 ADA)

– Reduce total grading from 126,528 cubic yards (64,615 cubic yards of cut and 61,913 cubic yards off-fill) to 77,502 cubic yards (38,660 cubic yards of cut and 38,842 cubic yards off-fill)

– Reduce grading export from 2,702 cubic yards to 0 cubic yards

– Increase grading import from 0 cubic yards to 5,000 cubic yards

– Increase retaining wall square footage from 579 square feet to 2,950 square feet

– Leave the ridge located in the northern area intact