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Agoura Hills commits $25,000 toward Liberty Canyon linkage pre-application to protect 56.2 acres
Summary
The council approved a $25,000 contribution from the city’s open-space fund to support a Wildlife Conservation Board pre-application for the Liberty Canyon Linkage Project, intended to keep ~56.2 acres adjacent to the Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing from development; MRCA and other partners have pledged additional funding.
Agoura Hills — The City Council on Wednesday voted 5–0 to pledge $25,000 from the city’s open-space fund toward a pre-application to the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) for the Liberty Canyon Linkage Project.
Staff said the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) brought the opportunity to the city’s attention; the property (about 56.2 acres east of Cornell Boulevard and south of Agoura Road) is listed for sale and has been shown in broker materials as developable. The preliminary proposal intends to acquire the land and ultimately transfer it to MRCA for conservation management, protecting habitat adjacent to the Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.
City staff summarized the proposed funding package in the pre-application: the MRCA has committed $100,000, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was listed as contributing about $3 million in Prop 40 funds, a private philanthropy was noted at $2 million, and the WCB pre-application requested $8 million toward an estimated reduced purchase price (staff said the property’s asking price had been negotiated from an earlier appraisal of about $21 million to $13 million). City staff said the city’s $25,000 commitment would take the form of a documented pledge in the pre-application; no city check would be written until grant awards and acquisition terms are finalized.
Council members emphasized the parcel’s biological and connectivity value. “This is one of the last pieces of open space within our region that... we have the opportunity here to save in perpetuity,” Council member Wolf said, citing endangered plants and wildlife linkage value. Staff said the city currently has roughly $116,000 in its open‑space fund and that the $25,000 pledge would strengthen a coalition-style application to the WCB.
The council approved the staff recommendation to contribute $25,000 and to authorize the city manager to continue next steps in the pre-application process and report back as the acquisition progresses.
Next steps: Staff will confirm the pledge with WCB as part of the pre-application, coordinate with MRCA and other partners on the formal grant application, and report back to council as the acquisition process advances.
