City officials on Tuesday approved the county’s $5.5-million plans to make Dan Blocker Beach, a longtime public land holding, more accessible to the public. The project could get under way as early as April.
In a 3-0 vote, the Malibu Planning Commission approved a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the project, which includes construction of 14 parking spaces and one ADA-compliant space, public viewing areas and a public restroom along the one-mile stretch of beach near Pacific Coast Highway and Corral Canyon Road. The commission tacked on three modifications to the plans, though:
-Revise plans to include a pay station, instead of 14 individual parking meters
-Limit foliage height to 42 inches
-Apply for a “No U-Turn” sign to be installed by Caltrans at Latigo Shore Drive and Pacific Coast Highway
Commissioners John Mazza, Mikke Pierson and Roohi Stack voted to approve the permit; Chair Jeff Jennings abstained; Commissioner David Brotman was absent.
Actors Michael Landon and Lorne Greene, who bought the beach and named it after their co-star Blocker, a.k.a. “Hoss,” on the western-themed television show “Bonanza,” donated the property to the state in 1979. The one-mile stretch of beach runs from Latigo Shore Drive east to Corral Canyon Road along Pacific Coast Highway. Greene and Landon intended the land to be used for public recreation. After acquiring a couple of pieces of neighboring land, the state donated Blocker Beach to the county in 1995.
But the one-mile stretch of beach has devolved into a rather meager eyesore in the past three decades, as decades-old fencing keeps out the public while litter from passersby piles up among the brush.
After facing pressure from city officials in 2011, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky began working on pushing the access project through several bureaucratic layers. Next up, the Dept. of LA County Beaches and Harbors must solicit bids from firms wishing to construct the project.