Tag: public input

MALIBU—On Tuesday, October 15, the city of Malibu announced on its Facebook page that the Malibu City Council, Parks & Recreation Commission and Arts and Culture Commission will review the feedback received from late-April through September and determine the next steps in the process at several meetings in October.

There will be several public meetings to discuss the Malibu Community Lands Project. The upcoming meeting schedule is as follows:

-Parks & Recreation Commission & Arts and Culture Commission Meeting: Tuesday, October 22 at 5 p.m.  at City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Rd)

-Malibu City Council Special Meeting: Thursday, October 24 at 1 p.m. at City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Rd)

-Malibu City Council Meeting: Monday, October 28 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Rd)

The city of Malibu currently owns five parcels of vacant land spanning just over 61 acres. To ensure the future of these community lands aligns with the community’s priorities, the City of Malibu is launching a robust outreach and engagement program to collect your feedback.

In Phase 1 of the outreach process, the City collected general community feedback on the types of uses the community envisions and prefers for the future of these lands. The City hosted multiple in-person meetings and pop-up events, gathered input via email and website forms and conducted a community survey via FlashVote. Based on the extensive public input received, the City identified the most frequent suggestions to develop the following 10 categories (in alphabetical order, not rank order):

Commercial use (parking, business development)
Community center (senior center, youth center, library, visitor center)
Community pool/splash pad
Grass sports fields (soccer, football, baseball, softball)
Housing (workforce and senior)
Indoor theatre/arts center
Open space (pathways and trails, community garden)
Outdoor amphitheater
Sports courts (basketball, pickleball, tennis, bocci)
Other (dog park, skate park, bike trails, bike parks)
(listed alphabetically, no prioritization or ranking implied)

As part of Phase 2, the city asked the community to share which category of uses they prefer for each of the lands from August through September.

The city performed a technical feasibility review of each of the lands based on planning, geology, environmental health and public works considerations. Based on their evaluation, La Paz and Triangle have feasibility limitations. Visit the Community Lands page to learn more. For more details on the project visit www.MalibuCommunityLands.org.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—On Friday, July 5, the city of Santa Monica announced that on Tuesday, July 9, the Santa Monica City Council will vote on Brighter Blue, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) five-year plan to improve Big Blue Bus service in the city and West Los Angeles.

According to a press release from the city of Santa Monica, the proposed plan was created as a result of travel and behavior changes since the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapidly growing regional rail network. Brighter Blue is informed by an extensive analysis of Big Blue Bus’s existing service and an 18-month rider outreach and stakeholder engagement effort that utilized on-board and online surveys, focus group meetings, public workshops and hearings, and an extended public comment period.

Brighter Blue calls for greater investments in service frequency and span, and enhanced connections to Metro Rail’s expanding network. Brighter Blue will provide riders with fast, sustainable and reliable access to jobs, healthcare, education and other essential destinations, and help deliver a world-class transit experience during major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.

If the Santa Monica City Council adopts Brighter Blue, Big Blue Bus riders can anticipate the following enhancements:

-More frequent service on most routes, including a high frequency network with weekday service every 10 minutes or better on select corridors during peak hours.

-Expanded operating hours so that most routes start earlier in the day, end later at night and operate on weekends.

-Improved connectivity to key destinations, such as the LAX/Metro Transit Center, Culver City Transit Center and the Metro Rail D Line extension.

The city is alerting the public to support Brighter Blue by participating at the meeting on July 9 at 5:30 p.m. Submit a written public comment via email to councilmtgitems@santamonica.gov before 12 p.m. on July 9. To learn more about Brighter Blue visit www.BrighterBlueBBB.com.

By Trevor

MALIBU—On Wednesday, March 27, the city of Malibu announced that the community is invited to an upcoming workshop focused on the Coastal Vulnerability Assessment, offered in-person April 18 and virtually on April 30. The workshop provides a opportunity for the community to share feedback and engage in talks regarding the next steps in addressing the projected impacts of sea-level rise in Malibu.

“We live in a seaside community that is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, so it is crucial to get everyone in Malibu informed and involved in the efforts to address it,” said Mayor Steve Uhring. “If we collaborate and share ideas, then we can be better able to shape the future of our coastline, and make sure Malibu stays strong and resilient for future generations.”

The city of Malibu noted on its website that the in-person workshop on Thursday, April 18, will take place at 5 p.m. at Malibu City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Road). The virtual workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 3 p.m. Zoom link for the virtual workshop is posted at https://tinyurl.com/MalibuCVA.  RSVPs are not required for the events.

Malibu previously presented technical results of projected sea-level rise impacts in the mid-century and late-century at in-person and virtual workshops in November 2023. The recording of the virtual workshop is available at https://youtu.be/qf51xGSahRs.  The draft Coastal Vulnerability Assessment report and interactive GIS map is available at https://malibucity.org/coastal.

The community’s input, gathered through the upcoming workshop, will shape the final stages of the Coastal Vulnerability Assessment as the project approaches completion. For more details, visit https://malibucity.org/coastal, call 310-456-2489, ext. 390, or email mbuilding@malibucity.org.

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city is spreading the word that Metro will be hosting meetings on September 19 and September 26 to provide an update to the community about the environmental study underway to bring future Metro rail service to West Hollywood.

The meetings are for residents and stakeholders to provide feedback to Metro about what members find important and routes preferred for the Northern Extension of the Metro K Line (formerly known as the Crenshaw/LAX Line).

The city of West Hollywood indicated in a press release that Metro will select a final route for the project with community input. Depending on the chosen route, the city will be served by a single station on the City’s eastern municipal border or could be served by as many as four underground rail stations located in West Hollywood.

On Tuesday, September 19 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Metro will host a virtual webinar on Zoom, which will consist of a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Participants can join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87336933668.

On Tuesday, September 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Metro will host an in-person meeting at the West Hollywood Park Aquatic and Recreation Center’s Doheny Room, located at 8750 El Tovar Place, next to the West Hollywood Library. The meeting will provide an opportunity for attendees to get the latest information about the project and provide feedback to the Metro team about what destinations, route alternatives, and design considerations should be served by future rail service.

For individuals not able to attend, Metro will accept feedback by email and on its project hotline. Emails can be sent to klinenorth@metro.net or contact (213) 418-3093. For more details about the project, to sign up for project updates, or to submit feedback, visit www.weho.org/metro.

To learn more about the Metro K Line Northern Extension project visit https://www.metro.net/projects/kline-northern-extension.

Metro is in the process of completing an environmental study to examine the possible impacts of the future rail project and to inform its decision as it prepares to select the final route for rail between Mid-City Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Hollywood. During its September meetings, Metro will provide an update on work since the last community meetings in June 2022.

Of the three routes under consideration (La Brea, Fairfax, and the Fairfax-San Vicente Hybrid), West Hollywood supports the Fairfax-San Vicente Hybrid alignment, which would serve more residents and businesses as well as more key regional destinations, healthcare and cultural resources, and job centers in nearby areas of Los Angeles.

Metro will solicit additional public feedback on the project one final time to inform its work on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which is expected to be released in early 2024. Once the current environmental study process is complete, the Metro Board will determine on a final project definition and route known as a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).

For approximately six years, West Hollywood has been working with West Hollywood Advocates for Metro Rail (WHAM), the All on Board Coalition, and Los Angeles to build support for Metro’s K Line Northern Extension project. For additional information visit www.weho.org/metro.

By Trevor