Firm to Unveil Parkland Proposals for Canyons

Residents will have the opportunity to comment on plans for 210 acres of canyon land in Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, the last major undeveloped tracts in the area, at public hearings today and Saturday.

After more than six months of gathering community input, Community Development by Design, a park planning firm, will unveil 19 proposed uses for the land, including botanical gardens, equestrian areas and playing fields.

The land encompasses five sites: 140 acres in Temescal Canyon, 31 acres in Los Liones Canyon, 26 acres in Las Pulgas Canyon, 8 acres in Sullivan Canyon and 5 1/2 acres in Marquez Canyon.

The tracts are either owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or are targeted for ownership by the organization. In the case of Marquez Canyon, the conservancy is negotiating a lease between the Los Angeles Unified School District, which owns the property, and an equestrian group that uses the land.

The firm will gather responses to the proposals and present its recommendations to the conservancy. Community Development by Design declined to elaborate on the proposals. Marcia McNally, a partner in the Berkeley-based firm, would only say that many of the proposals originated from community groups and residents. Altogether, she said, more than 100 people, including residents, community activists and environmentalists, were interviewed during the public comment period.

Still, McNally said it would be difficult to predict the response to the proposals at the hearings.

Today’s meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Conference Center, 15601 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, and will address the Los Liones and Sullivan Canyon parcels. Saturday’s meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. at Gabrielson Hall in the Pacific Palisades Community United Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz, will deal with plans for Las Pulgas, Marquez and Temescal canyons.