MALIBU—The Malibu City Council held a special meeting on November 2 to discuss the potential usage of Trancas Field.
City Council approved the purchase of Trancas Field, which encompasses approximately 35 acres of undeveloped space located on Trancas Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway, on August 8. City Council has no formal plans for how the land should be used and asked for residents to provide impact on the recently acquired parcel of land.
Malibu Surfside News reported that 40 local residents attended the meeting, where the city presented the property boundaries and showed the possible use of land, such as recreational facilities or to keep the space open. Participants were encouraged to express their preference of the usage of the land by placing a colored stickers next to the options they favored or writing down their comments.
Some residents preferred to have an open space to maintain the rural character of the area as they concerned the safety of the land nearby Pacific Coast Highway. Others preferred to have the land used as a recreational facilities, for youth.
Parents of John Strange, a Malibu native died during base jumping in Swiss Alps, offered to donate $1 million toward construction of a skate park in their son’s name at Trancas Field.
“There are many people in the room who don’t like the idea,” Shamra Tankersley-Strange told Malibu Surfside News. “But I’ve also met a lot of people with kids who love the idea, because they’re currently having to go to Venice to skate.”
The city will have a series of community discussions that will include an online questionnaire to get feedback from residents. Upon gather data from workshops, focus groups and online questionnaires, in addition to date from the Parks and Recreation Department Master Needs Assessment, a decision regarding the property’s best use will be announced to the public.
The city of Malibu will hold a Community Workshop at City Hall on November 30. For additional information on the project and community involvement, visit http://www.malibucity.org/TrancasField or contact (310) 456-2489 Ext. 350 or email KRiesgo@malibucity.org.
Written By John Hui and Casey Jacobs
