Bluffs Subdivision and Rambla Pacifico Road Recon Start EIRs

• Two Very Different Projects Are Slated for Scoping Meetings and Public Input

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Crummer site subdivision and the Rambla Pacifico Road reconstruction project are scheduled for scoping meetings for their upcoming Environmental Impact Reports.
The so-called Crummer site subdivision, located on a 24-acre parcel, borders Malibu Bluffs Park to the west and Pacific Coast Highway to the north, and is adjacent to private property to the east and south.
The public scoping session for Crummer is planned for Thursday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. in the large conference room at Malibu City Hall.
The Rambla Pacifico Road project is scheduled for a public scoping meeting for a focused EIR on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. in city council chambers.
The site consists of acreage near the area north of Pacific Coast Highway, west of Las Flores Canyon Road, east of Paseo Hidalgo and Rambla Orienta Street and south of Deerpath Lane and the northern city limits.
The plans for the Crummer site include subdividing the property into eight individual lots.
Lots one through five would be developed with single-family residences. Lot six would be developed with a new private street, which would connect the proposed residences to Winter Mesa. The remaining two lots, Lots A and B would be maintained as private and public open space.
Lot B would be dedicated to the city and be developed with a baseball field. The dedication of Lot B to the city would expand Malibu Bluffs Park by two acres. To serve the ball fields, 35 parking spaces would be created along Winter Mesa.
The Rambla project consists of the reconstruction and realignment of a private section of Rambla Pacifico, which was destroyed by a landslide in 1984,
The proposed 1800-foot-gated road would re-establish a linkage between the northern and southern sections of Rambla Pacifico.
The proposed roadway would include two lanes, one lane in each direction. The road would be private and gated with the Rambla Road Owner’s Association owning the road and the rights of easement.
The public easement held by the city on the destroyed road would be vacated prior to the finalization of the new road, according to municipal documents.
Each residence of the Crummer subdivision would be two-story homes of about 11,100 square feet each. Most of the lots are of two or three acres, and plans call for basements and swimming pools. Homes planned for lots two, three, four and five include a detached cabana, and residences on lots one and five would have detached guesthouses, according to municipal planners.
The gated street to the housing tract would be a private tree-lined road and would terminate in a cul-de-sac. No variances should be required for the homes, according to the applicant.
The proposed Rambla Road alignment includes gates, retaining walls, and drainage devices. The proposed roadway includes automated gates on both the north and south that could be opened by any of the members of the road association. Boxes for emergency access will also be in place.
Three retaining walls will be constructed along the northern boundary of the road between the roadway and adjacent hillside. Concrete drainage swales and drop-in catch basins will be built along each side of the road to collect and convey surface runoff out of the landslide area. An underground storm drain pipe system is proposed for the conveyance of the flows discharging from the catch basins.
About 32,670 cubic yards of cut and 23,080 cubic yards of fill will be required to build the road, including nearly 9,590 cubic yards of exported material. The construction would take place over three and one-half-month time frame.