New developments are coming to Malibu’s five vacant parcels of land. From hiking trails to sports fields, the city is gearing up for a big change.
The 61 acres of land are spread between five distinct lots: La Paz, Triangle, Trancas, Heathercliff and Loki (Chili-Cook Off). The Malibu City Council split the project into two separate phases to engage with residents and collect their feedback. Some locals and Malibu officials want to use the plots of land to make Malibu more family-oriented.
“If you build things that scream community like a community pool or a community center or a performing arts center,” Malibu City Councilmember Haylynn Conrad said. “That means people will look at Malibu as a place to raise a family.”
Phase One
Malibu City Council members collected general feedback from the community to envision future uses for the lands. They gathered insight through in-person meetings, pop-up events, city-created website forums and emails. Phase one concluded with a community survey via FlashVote.
Through the various distribution channels, the Malibu City Council received 723 suggestions. The city identified the 10 most frequent ideas to develop the following categories:
These suggestions concluded the community’s outreach and engagement program in September 2024. They presented a final report to the city council detailing their engagement efforts including the 10 developmental ideas to kick off phase two according to the Malibu Community Lands website.
Zoning Requirements and Preliminary Feasibility
During phase one, the city informed the public that three of the lots have specific requirements for parking spaces. In accordance with the city’s agreement with LA Metro, the Triangle, Heathercliff, and Loki (Chili Cook-Off) lots must accommodate 100-200 parking spaces, according to the Special Zoning Requirements section on the Malibu Community Lands website.
The developmental plans for the parking spaces are unknown, according to a March 4 email from Matt Myerhoff, media information officer for the Malibu Community Lands Project.
“Development plans, including parking spaces, have not been determined at this time,” Myerhoff said.
Malibu performed a preliminary feasibility review of each parcel based on environmental health, geology and public works considerations. Due to geographical constraints, La Paz and Triangle have development limitations.
The spreadsheet from the Community Lands website, Preliminary Departmental Submittal Requirements and Technical Feasibility of the 5 Vacant Lots shows the developments each land is capable of maintaining. La Paz and Triangle could allow for grass sports fields, open space or other developments such as bike trails. The three other lots can allow for a wider variety of developments such as an outdoor amphitheater, community center or commercial uses.
Phase Two
Phase two involved taking the resident’s frequent suggestions from the various distribution channels and narrowing down preferences for development on the lands. The following graph shows the top three developmental ideas received for each parcel of land, as well as the number of votes each suggestion received.
Phase two showcased the types of uses Malibu residents want for the five parcels of land according to the Malibu Community Lands website. The city can start to develop the community lands based on the resident’s top suggestions.
Current Status
With ongoing fire recovery, the city’s efforts towards the land projects have ceased.
“The City has redirected efforts to respond to the 2024 Franklin Fire and 2025 Palisades Fire,” Myerhoff said. “At this time, the City is prioritizing recovery and rebuilding efforts for those affected by the fires.”
The Council approved a phased approach for developing some of the parcels at the Oct. 28 City Council meeting. For the Heathercliff and Loki (Chili Cook-Off) lots the city is exploring a range of developmental options.
“The City will explore options for new soccer, baseball and softball fields as well as a multigenerational community center, including a pool, gymnasium, senior center and expanded library services,” Myerhoff said.
The Council authorized the developer of Cross Creek Ranch to work with staff to make a conceptual design for a performing center on the La Paz lot.
As for the Triangle and Trancas lots, the Council has not set a direction for the development of these lots.
Since the Oct. 28 meeting, no further progress has been made leaving people wondering what happened to the project.
“It would be great if we knew the status of it,” Conrad said.
While rebuilding and recovery is important for the residents of Malibu, some think that the city could be using their energy to work on multiple projects.
“I am very worried that the community lands are not going to be developed for a very long time,” Conrad said. “Because it does not seem like the city is capable of multitasking.”
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Email Sydnie Nuss: sydnie.nuss@pepperdine.edu
