Suggestions for community land use in Malibu is about to be narrowed down
It’s not too late to make your voice heard and provide feedback on what the City of Malibu should do with open, undeveloped land: Phase 2 of the Community Lands Project is now underway.
After months of meetings and community engagement, this next phase of the project will collect specific feedback on the types of categories Malibu residents envision for sites that could be developed on city-owned property. 
There are five properties up for consideration for development. The sites include what is known as the Chili Cook-Off property, the La Paz lot, and the Triangle lot close by at PCH and Webb Way, all in the Malibu Civic Center area; the Heathercliff lot in Point Dume, and the Trancas lot in west Malibu.
The latest community meeting on Aug. 28 at City Hall was not as well attended as when nearly 100 people showed up to the first meeting in May earlier this year, but the meeting was attended by Councilmembers Marianne Riggins and Paul Grisanti, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Dane Skophammer, city managers, and a few residents.
Consulting firm Tripepi Smith has been collecting the data on what suggestions have been made for the properties so far. “We collected general feedback from all types of community members,” said consultant Ryder Todd Smith.
Stakeholders including residents, business owners in the community, and people who work in Malibu filled out online forms, surveys and “extensive participation at three community meetings plus popup events” according to Smith.
“If you go on our website malibucommunitylands.org, you’ll see an extensive amount of documentation showcasing all the information that’s been provided for the public on this process so it’s completely transparent to all of our stakeholders,” he continued.
Smith called the feedback “robust. There’s a lot of community passion on this issue.” Two hundred fifty-nine suggestions were received by email and website forms, 322 suggestions were made through in-person meetings, and 210 suggestions were made through a community survey, although only 142 of those provided a Malibu address.
Based on feedback so far, the consultants came up with 10 categories for suggested usage. In alphabetical order they are: commercial use which includes parking; a community center which could include a senior center, youth center, library, and visitor center; grass sports fields for soccer, football, baseball and softball; housing for workforce and seniors; indoor theater/arts center; open space that could include pathways, trails, and community garden; outdooramphitheater; pool/splash pad; sport courts for basketball, pickleball, tennis, and bocce; and a category entitled “other” for possible usage as a dog park, skate park, bike trails, or bike park.
“Phase One was about let’s shoot for the stars. Phase two is about let’s get pragmatic,” Smith explained. “What can actually take place on each property either given zoning and land restrictions or what makes sense for programming relative to the location.”
The Chili Cook-Off site, at more than 9 acres, must have 100 parking spaces available per an agreement with LA Metrofrom which the city acquired the property. The Triangle property, at just over 1 acre, could be feasible for parking, open space, grass field or other unspecified usage. It also has a requirement for 100 parking spaces. Heathercliff at 19 acreshas some unspecified environmental considerations, but is technically feasible for “all categories” of development. An agreement with LA Metro that once owned the property requires 200 parking spaces. Trancas, the largest piece of land at 29.67 acres, is technically feasible for all categories within certain environmental considerations. The La Paz property at 2.3 acres is technically feasible within certain environmental considerations for open space, grass sports fields, or other unspecified usage.
In deciding on what amenities residents and stakeholders want to see in Malibu, Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown reminded that other agencies, including the from the county, Coastal Commission, Caltrans, etc., “will be part of the conversation. …if there is development. This is truly the first step because after this comes the council discussion, the weighing of options and directions of staff is what we do next. Part of that goes into the master plan.” Any traffic studies or other reviews by partner agencies will come after development plans are narrowed down.
The next in-person community meeting happens Thursday, Sept. 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the Trancas lot. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, there will be another meeting at the Chili Cook-Off lot at 10 a.m.
“Please tell your friends and check it out,” Smith said about the website, checked daily for input.
Find out more at MalibuCommunityLands.org or email MalibuCommunityLands@MalibuCity.org