Council approves permanent soccer fields at Chili Cook-Off site Play

The Malibu City Council on Monday night approved building two permanent soccer fields at the Chili Cook-Off site on Civic Center Way, after an angry debate over process and a proposed land swap.

The issue was what to do with the city's three vacant park-site lots: the Chili Cook-Off site, the Triangle lot at the corner of PCH and Webb Way, and the vacant lot on PCH near Heathercliff on Point Dume.

A City Council subcommittee, after working extensively with the community, came up with lists for projects.

But City Councilman Bruce Silverstein blasted the two council members on that subcommittee. He said Haylynn Conrad and Marianne Riggins had ignored their marching orders from the City Council, which had specifically said it wanted plans for temporary soccer fields down at the Civic Center.

Emphasis on temporary.

Councilmember Steve Uhring joined in, complaining that the proposal for permanent soccer fields from Conrad and Riggins was not what the City Council had ordered.

"I am disappointed that there wasn't some ability to put in temporary soccer fields. They could be in by now," Uhring said.

"The second thing I'm disappointed with — we're building a $600 million school. Why the hell aren't we using some of that stuff for the residents?

"The residents are paying $600 million for a school. We've only got 300 kids in. There's got to be some things we can do in that school."

But the taxpayers voted for $395 million in school bonds specifically to build classrooms, not to build athletic fields.

Conrad fired back on the other issues: "What I heard was it was going to take the same amount of time and money to make temporary fields as it would permanent. So why not go permanent?

"But really, the information would have been the same. You would have wasted the city's money basically by doing it. I would have put one field in. It wouldn't have worked, is what I understood."

Silverstein was also unhappy with the omission of temporary fields on the subcommittee's report. And he's still holding out for consideration of a land swap.

The swap is a vague request from some person or group that wants to build a resort hotel right next to City Hal,l and use part of the Ioki parkland to do it. In exchange, the resort developers would give the city the vacant land on the west side of Stuart Ranch Road.

The swap advocates have not made any public disclosure about the resort, the swap, or what their vision would be. The public has not even been told who they are.

On Monday night, Silverstein stressed that he's not in favor of the swap. But he argued in favor of opening talks with the developers to see what the proposal would entail.

Council Member Doug Stewart said trying to make a deal with resort developers would simply add years to the soccer field construction effort.

"You're talking about an extensive negotiation. We're talking about years before we'd have a clear-cut who's going to build what where.

"So if we want to get these soccer fields built, the waste of time would probably be negotiating a land swap. Let's take the land swap off the table.

"And Bruce, I appreciate you trying to promote it, but it doesn't look like you have the votes."

Silverstein bristled at that: "If the City Council wants to make uninformed, knee-jerk decisions without having had any correct information, I guess that's their business."

Riggins jumped in: "You can't just throw a statement out there and not allow other people to respond to that, because I think that that is absolutely irresponsible and disrespectful to our community.

"These plans and this idea was put forth to our community. They didn't want to hear anything about a land swap. Our residents rejected it.

"And you can try and minimize that — 'oh, it's only 130 (people taking) the survey.'"

Riggins went on, saying voters "want these lands to be used for community recreation and to get things built and to stop messing around with delays of land swaps and anything else.

"They want soccer fields now."

Riggins also pointed out that two city commissions, including Silverstein's appointees, had extensive hearings on this and voted to drop the land swap.

But Silverstein kept saying the land swap needs to be studied. He said it's a mistake to commit the Chili Cook-Off site to soccer fields if a better idea comes along.

"People being wedded to that particular piece of property rather than the potential that it offers, I think, is not sensible," he opined.

"And I think we have an inadequate record to be foreclosing something that could be very beneficial to the entire city."

Conrad responded: "Well, I mean, I could discuss it, but I'm not going to change my mind.

"I heard from many, many, many, many residents that they didn't buy those parcels. I've heard from many, many, many residents that they don't want to do a trade or a deal.

"I've heard from many, many, many residents that said they want soccer fields soon.

"And if we start negotiating with a dealer, we may get stuck. And time is of the essence. These kids are growing up."

The council majority approved moving ahead with the construction of permanent soccer fields at the Chili Cook-Off site, rejecting any proposed land swap.

As a side note: although a public pool is still possible "some day" at Ioki Park, for now the upper part of that lot would remain a temporary parking lot for the city's maintenance vehicles. And it will also become an impound yard for cars towed for violating parking rules.

Uhring said the city really needs that.

"Look, we got to find a place to put the maintenance yard, because we got problems going on over there, and we need a place for a tow yard," he said. "So as a temporary solution, I have no problem with that.

Doug Stewart chipped in: "The tow yard and the maintenance yard are about as hidden there as there's going to be any place in the city, and it can always be ripped up and you can put a swimming pool in there."

The council approved spending $400,000 for the two soccer fields at Ioki, and and $125,000 for traffic studies, including at the Heathercliff lot.

They're also talking about still putting in swimming pools out there, but not in the near future.

A correction: on some of our newscasts Tuesday we said the vote on the soccer field had been postponed indefinitely. That was a middle of the night recording error. We meant to say that the full report would air Wednesday, as it just did.

We apologize for the error.