Study to Determine Costs of Civic Center

The amount of space the city of Calabasas ultimately decides it wants for a civic center may come down to what it can reasonably afford.

Council members want to see the city take over the full 4.5 acres of usable land available to it in Calabasas Park Centre. However, city staff members are expected to conduct a more detailed study of the cost of acquiring the property.

At a meeting Wednesday night, the council was given three size options on which to base future negotiations with Kilroy Calabasas.

The developer has agreed to transfer the land to the city if Calabasas agrees to take over the Mello Roos debt for that land for roads and other infrastructure improvements.

Mayor Lesley Devine said she would like to see the city get the entire 4.5 acres.

She said the city should consider what it would like to do with the property in the coming years, and not box itself into a small space.

But City Manager Charles Cate said that while the larger parcel would give Calabasas the flexibility to expand the project--which now is envisioned to include a city hall, library and civic plaza--the city has to be sure the move is financially sound. He said he will take the issue back to the council, providing it with more financial data on the cost implications of the city’s options.

If the city decides to go with the entire parcel, it would be able to construct as much as 110,000 square feet of building space, but would pay an average of $307,000 annually for 20 years.

The council also may choose to take over a smaller lot, he said.

For a parcel that would accommodate approximately 40,000 square feet of building, the city would pay about $114,000 per year.

Devine said the city has estimated that the project might cost from $10 million to $12 million, from planning to furnishing the buildings, and would likely take as long as a year to begin construction.