Council directs staff to develop temporary sports fields at IOKI and to explore a native-plant nursery on city land

The Malibu City Council directed staff and its community-lands ad hoc group to move forward on two near-term items after a staff presentation on five city-owned parcels and extensive public comment.

The council voted to instruct staff to prepare plans for temporary sports/recreation space on the IOKI (Chile cook-off) parcel, with the ad hoc working with youth-sports groups and staff to identify quick, low-cost options — including temporary, roll-out turf and minimal infrastructure — so the community can begin organized play while longer-term planning continues. AYSO and other youth-league representatives repeatedly urged IOKI as the only practical site for regulation-size fields; AYSO regional leadership told council, “the only place where the fields can go is AOK” and urged immediate action.

Simultaneously, council approved direction for staff to work with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund and other nonprofit partners to identify at least one acre of city land for a native-plant nursery and communal garden. The fund asked for a low-cost, no-permanent-structure lease to expand native-plant propagation and restoration work that supports regional habitat recovery and local restoration projects.

Why it matters: Council-acquired community lands are scarce and constrained; the public has consistently ranked open space, recreation and habitat restoration as top priorities. Council members said temporary fields would serve displaced and returning families and provide staging for community events, while a nursery would support restoration and provide volunteer and workforce opportunities.

Next steps and budget: Staff said design work for Heathercliffe (a separate parcel with a proposed multi-generational center) will return to council in March. For the IOKI temporary-fields direction, staff will return with a plan identifying required permits, a work timeline and a cost estimate aimed at rapid deployment. For the nursery, staff will explore potential city parcels, lease terms and funding partnerships and return with recommendations. Council also paused active pursuit of a private-development swap at Cross Creek/Le Paz pending further review and scheduled follow-up discussion in March.

Council emphasized urgency but asked staff to prioritize low-cost, temporary options and to return with firm budgets and timelines before construction or major expenditures.