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The 24th annual International Chili Society’s sanctioned Malibu Chili Cook-off was held over Labor Day weekend.
The land on which the event typically takes place, may soon be changing ownership. The city of Malibu hopes to buy the land to use it for a water treatment program. The city also hopes to use it as a public park for the city’s use.
The Malibu Bay Co., which currently owns the land, has agreed to allow the city until Dec. 31 to collect the $25 million necessary to purchase the site.
Pepperdine will also be contributing to the project.
The university owns nine acres of land, located behind the old city hall on Civic Center Way and has agreed to donate two acres for the city’s use in efforts to purify water from the Civic Center’s septic system and roof run-off.
The project is contingent upon the city’s ability to buy the Chili Cook-off site, however. Also, it will take several years to complete. In addition, the system to purify the water will likely be costly.
The city is moving forward with planning and fundraising, however.
Mayor pro tem Ken Kearsley said the city is hoping to purchase a total of 20 acres, 17 of those undeveloped, by the end of the year.
If this is successful, there are several steps to complete before work on the project can begin.
The city will have to endure an Environmental Impact Report, which could take up to two years. The process of beginning waste management and water purification could take up to five years.
Kearsley said the primary reason for purchasing the land was for water purification, but a secondary reason for the purchase was to build a public park. Kearsley said the city would restore the natural vegetation of the area to create a place for people to congregate. The park would include wetlands and a pond.
Kearsley said he hoped that the Chili Cook-off would continue, despite the land changes, and that the park could create a place for the community, including Pepperdine students, to meet.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Malibu, including Pepperdine, to build a “Central Park” for Malibu … a central focal point for the city,” he said.
Those at the Chili Cook-off agreed that a feeling of community is important for the city of Malibu.
Ali Wilson, 15, is a lifetime resident of Topanga. “It’s for friends and family. Community life is important. I don’t know what you could substitute this with,” Wilson said of the cook-off.
Submitted 09-08-2005
MALIBU, CA
