A wolf in sheep’s clothing?

The California Department of Parks and Recreation, the National Park Service and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy have begun making plans for how to develop the recently acquired Soka University property near Calabasas. We say develop because, yes, there will be development at the site.

If those residents who voted last fall against the Malibu Valley Inn and Spa across the street from Soka on Mulholland Highway think the area will remain in its current pristine state, they are mistaken. Government agencies can be developers, too.

It’s expected that both the state and national park services will place their headquarters at the location just east of Las Virgenes Road. There will be a good-sized visitor center, and parking, too. Even the Cold Creek Community Council, the area’s environmental guardian, admits the new park project will have a “huge impact on our traffic.”

“We must pay close attention to plans for its development,” the council states in its recent newsletter. We agree wholeheartedly.

It’s hard to believe how Soka, in its current no-growth state, would have been a bigger traffic producer than what’s being planned for the region. Voters last November defeated the proposed Inn and Spa commercial project on grounds that the development would be too intense. We hope the plans for the adjacent property aren’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

In addition, who’s to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the new park facility? We just contributed $35 million in taxpayer dollars to purchase and preserve the Soka property, formerly known as Gillette Ranch, but what about these ongoing operational expenses?

Stewards of the land must ensure that the new development remains confined to the existing Soka footprint and that any large, new buildings are prohibited.

The area is a wonderful postcard for our local Santa Monica Mountains and a passive greeting area at the property would be welcomed. Another Yosemite National Park, however, is not what we envision.