With only one regular City Council meeting taking place this month, as opposed to the usual two, the city has crammed the upcoming Monday meeting schedule with several important items.
The council will be asked to vote on designating another $1.2 million (for a total contract of up to $2.5 million) to consultant RMC Water and Environment for its design of the Legacy Park Project. The consultant was hired last year for the project, which includes creating Legacy Park and designing the wastewater/storm water treatment system that will include the use of the park. According to a city staff report, the additional money is for a second phase of the project, which includes “the final design of the storm water improvements in the Civic Center area and landscape improvements to the Legacy Park site.”
A meeting is taking place this week on Wednesday night to review environmental and technical details of the Legacy Park Project and to take public testimony in preparation of writing the environmental impact report. Residents can learn what happens at that meeting by going to The Malibu Times’ Web site, www.malibutimes.com, later this week According to a time line released by the city, the final design of the project is expected to be submitted to the city on April 16. A final design of the landscaping for Legacy Park should be ready by Aug. 29.
The city is planning to fund its ambitious project through a variety of methods, including state and federal grants and private donations. Susan Shaw Noble, who is heading the city’s fundraising effort, said this week she did not have an exact tally on how much the city has earned through private donations, but she was expecting to make “a big announcement” at Monday’s meeting.
Another ballot measure possible
Also on Monday, the council will vote on whether to put an item on the April ballot that would ask voters if they would be interested in an ordinance that would require the removal of trimmings and landscaping in order to restore and maintain primary views from private homes. Passage of the measure would not create an ordinance, but rather give the council an indication of whether this is something that interests the people.
At its Nov. 26 meeting, the council approved, by a 4-1 vote, a viewshed ordinance for the Malibu Country Estates neighborhood. At one time, the proposed ordinance (which went before the council in several forms over numerous meetings) was supposed to operate as a pilot program for a future citywide ordinance. But it has since been determined by city staff that the Malibu Country Estates law is too specific to that neighborhood’s issues and would not give any insight for a citywide ordinance.
Retail and POS ordinances
The council will review on Monday Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich’s proposed ordinance language for a law that would require those constructing or reconstructing a commercial project at a cost of $1 million or more provide the city with public art or pay a fee that would go toward the city’s art program. The council members will not be voting on the ordinance. They will inform city staff if they are interested in pursuing with the proposal.
A proposed law on the agenda that will not be addressed by the council is the Point of Sale Ordinance. The proposal, which requires a septic system to be examined by a city-certified inspector prior to a property being sold, has been hotly debated over the last year between local Realtors and city staff officials. According to the staff report for the item, the proposal has gone through some major revisions, and city officials want to meet with the Malibu Board of Realtors and the city’s wastewater committee before bringing it to the council. The recent fires have gotten in the way of having those sessions.
Community Development Director Vic Peterson told The Malibu Times this week that he “is shooting” for the item to be ready for the council by late January or early February.
City takes on LNG
Also on Monday, the council will take a vote on whether to oppose the OceanWay liquefied natural gas facility, which is proposed to be located 21 miles off the coast from Point Dume. The project is currently in the application stage by owner Woodside Energy, an Australian company.
A staff report for this item states, “It is imperative that the city continue to voice its opposition and keep the state of California and the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission informed of the real threat LNG ports pose to the environment, public safety tourism and property values in Malibu and the surrounding areas.”
Woodside Energy officials did not immediately return a call Tuesday for comment.
Malipalooza, take two
The council is being asked to designate $19,000 for a second edition of Malipalooza. Although billed as a fundraiser for the Legacy Park Project, the first annual event this summer, which included performances by local bands and the 40th anniversary screening of Malibu resident Lou Adler’s “Monterey Pop,” actually lost more than $1,000. The staff report, however, refers to it as an “overall success,” stating that $50,000 was raised “as a direct result” of the event.”
The money designated for next year’s event is $12,000 less than spent on this summer’s festival. The staff report proposes a major cost reduction of eliminating the VIP Room, which this summer allowed people to view, at a cost, the artwork of Grace Slick, among other features. According to the staff report, the room was “well received by those who bought tickets, however the overall sales and expenses associated with it were below expectations.”
Next year’s Malipalooza will not necessarily be a Legacy Park fundraiser, Shaw Noble said this week.
Park plan to be reviewed
The council will review the preliminary design of the proposed Trancas Canyon Park, which will include a dog park and practice or playing fields.