City puts final touches on Calabasas Civic Center

Photo courtesy City of Calabasas GOATS IN THE HOUSE—Members of the Calabasas City Council, including newly-elected Jonathon Wolfson, left, James Bozajian, leaning, and Mary Sue Maurer, middle, greet a pair of graze-happy goats named Lewis and Clark during a discussion about the clearance of undeveloped land between the civic center and Park Granada. The city wants to remove the nonnative brush on the 5-acre lot and replace it with native vegetation only. The area will become a passive park. The Calabasas City Council wants to turn undeveloped land at the civic center into a new park.

Plans call for a 20-acre park utilizing 5 acres of Calabasas Civic Center property and 15 acres of open space between the center and Park Granada. It will be used for passive recreation such as hiking, picnicking and sightseeing.

The larger parcel was originally owned by Kilroy Calabasas Association and was reserved for open space as part of a 1989 agreement known as the Park Center Master Plan. The site was turned over to the city in 2000, although an official title transfer is still in the works.

The first phase of the project and $180,000 in funding were approved by the City Council earlier this month.

The plan includes removing nonnative plants including juniper, pine, eucalyptus, bottlebrush and cactus over three years. Native vegetation including 250 species oak trees will be planted, and an oak woodland will gradually be developed. Picnic furniture will be installed and trails established.

Neighboring communities, such as Oak Park Calabasas, Classic Calabasas and Vista Point stand to benefit the most.

"This will be a good way to get a pedestrian connection between those communities and the civic center areas," senior planner Glenn Michitsch said. "It promotes health, and this community is very active in using its open space."

The park's construction will be spread out over time to limit visual disruption to the area.

The first phase will mostly include work on the civic center parcel, including nonnative tree removal, weed eradication, trail establishment and irrigation installation. Workers will build a picnic area and plant native ground cover.

Phase 2 will focus on the Kilroy property and will begin in 2010. Removal of all remaining non-native trees will take place during the final phase in 2011. The last of the weeds will be removed and the remaining oaks will be planted.

Goats and sheep will be brought in to help with weed removal.