Agoura Hills pledges $25,000 toward MRCA bid to protect 56-acre Liberty Canyon parcel

The Agoura Hills City Council voted 5‑0 to commit $25,000 from the city’s Open Space Fund as part of a coalition supporting the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority’s (MRCA) bid to acquire roughly 56.2 acres east of Cornell and south of Agoura Road, land the MRCA says is critical to wildlife linkage and viewshed protection.

Assistant City Manager Ramiro Adeva explained that the MRCA approached the city seeking financial support for a pre‑application to the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB). The MRCA proposed that, if acquired, the parcel would be added to MRCA’s managed conservation lands and serve as a buffer adjacent to the Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing and MRCA‑owned properties such as Triangle Ranch and Cornerstone Ranch.

Staff said the parcel is currently listed for sale and that sellers previously had an asking price appraised near $21 million but had negotiated a reduced asking price of approximately $13 million. The MRCA’s pre‑application requests $8 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board; other pledged or proposed contributions cited in the packet include $3 million from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (Prop 40‑type funds), $2 million from private philanthropy and $100,000 from MRCA itself.

The city’s proposed $25,000 is a commitment to strengthen the funding coalition and would be recorded in the pre‑application. City staff clarified that the city is not expected to buy or maintain the property; the intent is to support acquisition by MRCA, which would assume long‑term stewardship if the purchase proceeds. Staff also noted the city has approximately $116,000 in its Open Space Fund available in the current fiscal year.

Supporters on the council said the parcel is biologically significant and that this is a rare opportunity to expand protected wildlife linkage inside the city. Council member Jeremy Wolf highlighted the parcel’s biodiversity (including sensitive plant occurrences) and viewshed protection as reasons to participate in a funding coalition. Bill Tucker, a local property stakeholder, and Danielle Borgia of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce spoke in favor of the city’s participation.

Council member Chris Anstead moved the staff recommendation to contribute $25,000 and to authorize the city manager to proceed with pre‑application steps; Council member Deborah Klein Lopez seconded. The motion passed 5‑0.

Next steps: staff will notify the Wildlife Conservation Board of the city’s commitment, continue coordination with MRCA and report back to council as the grant application progresses.

Clarifying detail: the packet cites an original seller appraisal near $21 million with a negotiated sale price of about $13 million; the MRCA’s pre‑application to the WCB requests $8 million in WCB funds while listing other pledged contributions.