Coastal Panel OKs Equestrian Center

The California Coastal Commission has approved county plans for a $1-million public equestrian center on 20 acres in the hills above Zuma Beach.

The coastal permit is the second awarded this year for long-term neighborhood park use on public land in Malibu, ending more than a decade of lobbying by residents who said their children had no place for organized, non-beach activities.

In March, the coastal panel allowed the Malibu Little League to continue using three ball fields on five acres of ocean-view bluffs near Pepperdine University, lifting a 1987 deadline.

Both parks were approved on the condition that the county add picnic areas and hiking trails.

Although there are beaches and thousands of acres of mountain property, residents “need places for kids to play on a daily basis,” said James Park, a facilities planner for the county Department of Parks and Recreation.

Malibu has no public riding arenas, although Park estimated that residents own hundreds of horses. The state and county have begun developing an extensive horse trail network through the Santa Monica Mountains that is planned to stretch for 200 miles.

The equestrian center is to include a connector trail to nearby Zuma Ridge Trail.