MALIBU — The Malibu Planning Commission approved a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the Dan Blocker Beach Project last week. The goal of the project, which will cost $5.5 million is to make the beach fully accessible to the public.
Dan Blocker Beach has been owned by the city since 1979 and is currently undeveloped and inhabited by nothing more than fences and dry brush. It was named after Dan Blocker, an actor on the 1960s television show “Bonanza,” by his costars Michael Landon and Lorne Greene, who bought the beach and donated it to the state, intending it to be used for public recreation.
In 1995, the state donated the beach to the county after acquiring other pieces of neighboring land. On January 6, 2014, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works sought permit approval from the Malibu Planning Commission.
In 2011, former Malibu Mayor Jefferson Wagner and current Councilman John Sibert attempted to persuade the county to allow the City of Malibu to have ownership of the beach, but the county refused. In November 2012, the county acquired a final one-acre piece of neighboring land for $400,000, but would not be able to obtain the permit to start construction on the beach until this year.
“The basic delay was that there was a parcel we needed to acquire adjacent to the beach to complete the parking,” said Joel Bellman, spokesman for Third District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, to Canyon News. “We didn’t own it, and the negotiations just took longer than we expected and hoped.” After the real estate negotiations were concluded, the county was able to move forward with its plans.
The plan for the project includes the construction of 14 parking spaces with 90-minute parking meters, one parking space that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), three public viewing areas, concrete picnic tables and benches and a 242-square-foot public restroom. The DanBlocker Beach stretches for one mile, running from Latigo Shore Drive east toCorral Canyon Road along Pacific Coast Highway; it is about 300 feet in length and 50 feet in width.
At the request of the city, the project is expected to be addressed in two segments: two access points will be constructed on the eastern portion of the beach and parking and other facilities will be constructed in the western portion. The project is expected to be funded by the Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition passed in 1996, state vehicle license fees and the Los Angeles County 2012-2013 capital project/refurbishment budget. Construction is estimated to start in April.
