Politics & Government

Malibu Residents Rank Walking, Biking Trails as Greatest Recreational Need

The public is invited to hear a presentation on the draft of the 2012 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which will go before the Malibu Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Malibu residents ranked walking, biking trails and greenways as the most important recreational need in the city, according to a study included in the updated draft of the 2012 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Indoor swimming pools, small neighborhood parks and off-leash dog parks trailed not far behind in the ranking of Malibu facility and amenities priorities.

A special meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11. Following a one-hour presentation, there will be time for questions from the public, according to Bob Stallings, Malibu's Parks and Recreation director.

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The plan was drafted based on input through a series of public workshops, focus groups and stakeholder meetings, Stallings said.

"The Master Plan will also be used to determine immediate and long-range goals in establishing priorities and statements of direction based on researched and documented facts," he said.

Find out what's happening in Malibuwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to a survey of the community, the top five priorities out of 28 outlined by residents included walking and biking trails, small neighborhood parks, indoor swimming pools, off-leash dog parks and a multi-generational community center.

The residents ranked adult soccer fields, youth football fields, year-round synthetic fields, adult baseball and softball fields as the lowest priority.

The plan, which recognizes the limited amount of land available in Malibu for recreation, outlines a goal to extend partnerships with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to allow for increased community use of school properties.

Other goals outlined in the draft include creating "a more accessible community through greater use of walking, biking trails and greenways," as well as evaluating the need of a new multi-generational community recreation center, according to the draft.

The city's first Master Plan was approved by the Malibu City Council in 2000 and identified several unmet recreational needs in Malibu.

Several of the goals of the first plan were addressed, including the purchase of Malibu Bluffs Park in 2006, the completion of the Las Flores Creek Park the construction of Trancas Canyon Park and Legacy Park in 2010, according to Stallings.


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