Planning Commission unanimously denies LADWP Corral Canyon yard; Appeal Due Aug. 17

By Barbara Burke · Fri Aug 14 2026

City Planning Commission unanimously denies Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s application to place a storage yard in Corral Canyon

Led by the Malibu Township Council, a group of incredulous, furious, and vociferous local residents showed up in force at the Malibu Planning Commission on August 4 to oppose the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s proposal to establish a seven-year utility storage and laydown yard in Corral Canyon. The agency owns the property located approximately a half mile up from Pacific Coast Highway and proposed repurposing the parcel as a staging area for materials it uses to underground utilities and to transport the materials approximately ten miles from the location to service Pacific Palisades. 

LAWDP proposed installing eight storage containers, six portable toilets, and up to six trucks hauling loads to Pacific Palisades between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. six days a week.  

The Commission considered the utility’s proposal, noting that it had received approximately 26 letters from citizens objecting to the idea and listened attentively to testimony from irate residents before a packed auditorium. Bill Sampson of MTC noted that in the past LADWP has proposed establishing a nuclear facility on the same property, while several residents who live above the site noted that they are served by the single winding canyon road and adding large trucks travelling on the road could harm the road and, even more importantly, possibly block traffic in the event of an evacuation.  

Attorneys for the MTC asserted that the project was not legally eligible for the emergency permit the city council had originally given to LADWP in March to help facilitate the agency’s response after the Palisades Fire. That permit expired in June, motivating the agency to seek permanent approval for the site. 

Although the LADWP incident commander and supportive staff informed the Commission that the yard was essential to rebuilding, Commissioner John Mazza questioned that postulation, noting that the agency owns many properties throughout Los Angeles County and has easements along utility poles that could store some equipment.  

Ultimately, in a unanimous decision, the three-member commission rejected LADWP’s proposal and ordered the agency to restore the site to its original condition within two months and hopefully sooner, given the forthcoming rainy season.   The agency has until August 17th to appeal the decision. As of this writing, no appeal has been filed.