La Paz Plans Back for Another Round

• Council Set to Act on Revised Development Agreement

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council is scheduled next week to once again consider approval of the plans for the Malibu La Paz Ranch shopping center and office space complex after previously proposing changes to the terms of the development agreement.
In a move that could shore up the city’s credibility with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the council could include a municipal benefit of a sewage plant on the 2.3 acres that would be dedicated to the municipality instead of using it for a city hall.
Council members at their last session talked about the difficulty of securing a site for a Civic Center area treatment plant. Though the proposed development agreement requires the approval of the California Coastal Commission, city officials would be able to tell RWQCB members at a crucial meeting on Nov. 13, that they are attempting to secure a site, despite the fact that they did not approve going forward with $2 million of wastewater studies because of affordability issues.
The council had previously heard the item and sent the matter back to the staff to revise the development agreement to include a wastewater facility instead of a city hall, as well as increase the length of time to complete the development process from five years to 10 years, and add other conditions.
The council, per protocol, sent the proposed agreement to the municipal planning commission, which narrowly approved recommending the revisions in the development agreement.
The council is now faced with the choice of approving the development agreement for the smaller project with no public benefits, or approving a larger 112,058-square-foot shopping center and office complex with the 2.3-acre dedication.
The staff had also been asked to explore whether it would be feasible to further alter the plans by switching the location of the offices to the back of the property to facilitate municipal use, and explore the possibility of future connection of the new Civic Center wastewater system to the site.
“Staff has reviewed the potential to switch the location of the offices on parcel B with the municipal use on parcel C. While the potential exists, it is essentially starting the entire project over with a redesign of all the proposed parcel lines and a completely different project description requiring all new environmental review,” wrote staff planner Stefanie Edmondson, who also indicated the owner does not support such a change.
The planner indicated without some kind of plan, it was difficult to review how a future connection of the proposed Civic Center wastewater system to the site could occur. “As there is no definite plan to address this concern, the project will be conditioned to provide for this future capability to connect when feasible,” Edmonson added.