The Malibu City Council, at its quarterly review meeting last week, considered allocating $1 million for the Michael Landon Center expansion and adopting a citywide gas shutoff valve ordinance.
The council also authorized the professional production and recording of a song intended to generate revenues for the city’s water quality programs. The authorization is only valid until Saturday, by which time a renowned music industry professional must contact the city and show interest in the project in order for it to proceed. City Manager Jim Thorsen on Tuesday said no artists or producers had yet contacted the city.
The development plan to expand the Michael Landon Center, located at Bluffs Park, currently consists of three options. The first option is to tear down and rebuild the center incorporating a design conducive to community use, and the second option is to construct a second floor structurally independent from the first floor in order to avoid reinforcement of the existing foundation. The first two options will cost approximately $1.5 million, although option one could possibly be completed for less.
The third option is to remove the center’s existing roof and construct a second floor with a new roof, which would cost a minimum of $1.5 million.
City council members unanimously agreed that it would make most financial sense to tear down and rebuild the center, and thus directed staff to evaluate their proposal to allocate $1 million for the project. Staff is expected to return with a resolution during an upcoming council meeting at an undetermined date.
Gas shutoff valve ordinance
The council also directed staff to draft a citywide ordinance that would require the installation of seismic automatic gas shutoff valves in residential and commercial buildings. The valves would stop the flow of gas in the event of an earthquake to prevent fires.
“Fires following an earthquake can be more damaging than the earthquake itself,” resident Marshall Thompson told the council, adding that they cost $350 to install.
The question, however, is whether all existing structures should be required to install the valves, or if the ordinance should only pertain to new structures at the time of their sale or renovation.
The city’s Public Safety Commission in May voted to recommend that the city council adopt an ordinance requiring the installation of automatic gas shutoff valves for all new construction, any remodel that cost more than $10,000 and at the point of sale. City Community Development Director Vic Peterson voiced concern of the impact such an ordinance could have on the real estate industry.
“Including [the ordinance] at the point of sale puts in a whole other element that could be problematic for the real estate community and homeowners as well,” Peterson told the council. “We’ll make it work, but I just want you to know that the real estate community will need to know and will probably have something to say about this.”
Mayor Pro Tem Sharon Barovsky said, “It should be clear that if you come in for permits and have ‘X’ amount of money, you have to put one of these [valves] in.”
The direct costs of implementing the ordinance are undetermined, but include preparing and printing educational materials to inform residents about a seismic automatic shutoff valve program. Additional staff time would be necessary to review plans for compliance to a new requirement and for inspectors to verify that the valves have been installed; however, those costs would be recovered by assessing appropriate permit fees.
Actions from the Oct. 28 Quarterly City Council meeting
– Reaffirmed the following goals and objectives as priorities of the Environmental Community Development Department: Institutional Zoning District Development Standards; View Protection Ordinance; Offsite Wastewater Treatment Systems ZTA; Green Building Ordinance; Formula Retail Ordinance; Public Arts Program; Sign Ordinance; Trails Incentives Plan; Revised Commercial Landscape; Temporary Use Permits
– Received first quarter fiscal year 2009-2010 work program status reports
– Received and filed fiscal year 2008-2009 year end financial report and fiscal year 2009-2010 first quarter financial report
– Authorized Geosyntec Consultants to provide legal consulting services related to the Santa Monica Baykeeper/Natural Defense Resources Council lawsuit and the notice of violation issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, and allocated $80,000 from the general fund reserve to the city attorney’s professional services account