MRCA Plans New Trail From PCH To Escondido Falls, Asks Coastal For OK To Scrape Side of Canyon

EDITOR’S NOTE:  This story has been corrected to reflect that the Coastal Commission meeting will be Sept. 11, not this week.

Plans to scrape a public trail up the side of Escondido Canyon go before the Coastal Commission in two weeks. 

The MRCA goes before the California Coastal Commission tomorrow with plans for a big construction project … to build a trail connection in Ramirez Canyon.

The trail would be up a steep hillside … next to a proposed private house at the top of Via Escondido.

Via Escondido is a network of private driveways … owned by local residents … that the MRCA claims partial ownership rights to. 

MRCA has apparently entered into a deal with the owner of a lot up that canyon … a deal that allows the Mountain Resource and Conservation Authority to bulldoze in another trail linking PCH to Ramirez Falls. 

Going before the Coastal Commission tomorrow is a plan to build a 3 foot wide trail …  1,630 feet long.

It will be steep … 10 percent … up a moutjnain slope.

It will need retaining walls, switchbacks, steps, drainage, silt fences during construction, trail signs.

It will require 335 cubic yards of grading … that’s about 55 large dump trucks … with the dirt being hauled out down the narrow connection of private driveways that make up Via Escondido.

All this goes back to a house that was built about 9 years ago … and a homeowner who promised to build this trail for the mRCA in exchange for getting coastal permits.

The trial was impossible… too steep … on private property for the switchbacks. 

The Coastal Commission opened an enforcement action against the homeowner. .. it;’s been sold three times … 

And last May … the latest private homeowner threw up their hands and sold the entire house to the MRCA. 

So now … the MRCA is asking Coastal for permission to bulldoze the hillside … an environmental sensitive habit area … to build the trail.

And the trial would connect to PCH via the system of connected driveways … owned by homeowners … maintained by homeowners … and insured by homeowners.

MRCA has not said what it plans to do with the very nice house.

The proposed agreement goes before the California Coastal Commission Thursday Sept. 11 at 9.

They will be meeting in Fort Bragg … 550 miles north of Malibu.

But people can testify via computer. 

Pepperdine Plans To Remove Covid Tents Outside Dorms

Also tomorrow … before Coastal … 

Pepperdine University plans to tear down a temporary building set up near its dorms … set up to deal with the Covid breakout several years ago.

The plastic … semirigid structure was built next to the Seaside Residence Hall in the heart of the campus. 

Pepperdine is going before the Coastal Commission this week to ask permission to demolish the 59-hundred square foot building .. and move some soil around. 

It’s not a major project … in fact .. the commission basically has been given an FYI memo that their staff has already tentatively approved it.

This comes as the school is in the final touches of finishing a huge new complex called the Mountain at Mullin Park.

The structure has been topped off … and now interior work is well under way. 

That includes a new field house … student gym and activity center … and a gigantic parking garage.

The field house … essentially a fancy basketball stadium … includes a 360-degree, high-definition scoreboard and video system.

Pepperdine also promises an amenity-filled clubhouse and two exclusive viewing suites.

Next to the arena …. a huge gym for teams and students. 

Also … a centrally located Student Café  … central plaza and a Vista Tower … will overlook the lower campus and offer stunning views of the Malibu coastline.

Pepperdine was carefully excluded from the Malibu city limits 35 years ago … and all of this building is under LA County and California Coastal Commission zoning rules. 

Temporary Skate Ramps Will Be Auctioned Off By City, Skateboard Park To Be Closed Next Week Until Almost Xmas

Malibu’s temporary wooden skatepark ramps will live on … even though they have to be closed and removed to make way for construction.

The city council decided Monday that it will sell the temporary ramps to the highest bidder.

City council members Steve Uhring and Haylynn Conrad were opposed to the plan.

Unhng wanted the temporary skate park to stay open… even though contractors say they need to dig a trench through the entrance to build a new skate park.

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“And I guess I really don’t understand. I mean I’ve heard a bunch of different stories spoken to a lot of different people regarding why we’ve gotta pull the skate park …. the temporary skate park now.

“And a lot of people suggested had we … did we build a plan in the beginning with the contractor on what we wanted to ufo?

“Did we position your equipment … did we position all that stuff position … to keep that temporary skate park going.”

City officials have told the council that sewer lines and water lines need to be dug through the temporary skate park … to build bathrooms at the new skatepark … toilets that that the city council wanted to be added. 

The head of city parks … Kristen Riesgo … said tMonday night here were never any guarantees that the temporary skatepark could remain open until the new permanent skatepark was ready.

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“We were under the assumption, that the skate parkwould stay until we needed to use the space for the permanent park.

“I don’t think there was any promises that the park was open, but we definitely wanted to keep that park open until we needed space for the permanent skate park.”

And Riesgo said moving the equipment would take months. 

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“To relocate it would be costly and timely, we would have to get a Coastal Development Permit if we wanted to move it to a different location

“Also additional considerations would be CEQA, if we wanted to do that process, and we would also have to review zoning as well.”

Council member Hayliynn Conrad voted against auctioning off the old gear.

Conrad wants to give the wooden ramps to the local skateboard community … maybe to build a second temporary skatepark on city land at PCH and Heathercliff.

City public works director Rob DuBoux says the first concrete was poured two days ago for the new skate park … under construction next door to the temporary facility at Bluffs Park.

Du Boux says the ramps should be ready for skating in December … but the restrooms and parking lots won’t be done until about January 20th.

Santa Monica Sand Dune Project, Feared As Homeless Magnet, Goes Before Coastal Thursday

Plans for sand dune restoration on Santa Monica beach got before the California Coastal Commission tomorrow..

The city of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Bay Foundation are behind the project.

They say sand dunes will prevent flooding and give birds habitat.

They want to install sand dunes in front of houses from the Santa Monica Pier north a half mile to the city limits … near where San Vicente Bouelvard ends. 

There would be no fencing … but beach access across the sand would be funneled into one pathway .. in the middle of that blocks-long habitat …  by ropes. 

Some residents are furious.

They say the dunes will become homeless enticing homeless camping sites. 

The Santa Monica sand dune project may be a sign of things to come for Malibu .. as LA County and the state have begun studies for sand replenishment projects in Malibu.

The Coastal Commission will consider the matter tomorrow at its meeting … in Fort Bragg … 550 miles north of Santa Monica.