City Short of Public Parkland, Study Says

Upscale Calabasas is a suburban Eden of sorts in the minds of some, yet it is curiously lacking in one crucial amenity: public parks, according to a city study.

Based on its population, the city needs 68 acres of parkland; it currently has just 22.6 acres, says the study by the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. The figures are based on the city’s General Plan guidelines, which call for three acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents.

The city’s 21,000 residents have access to three public parks: Freedom Park, Grape Arbor Park and Gates Canyon Park, which is outside the city limits and is leased from Los Angeles County. A new park, 9.8-acre Juan Bautista de Anza Park, is under construction at Las Virgenes and Lost Hills roads.

The study is part of the parks and recreation master plan being drawn up by the commission, which is expected to complete its work by the end of the summer, said Greg Johnson, the city’s community services director. The plan, a blueprint for new parks and recreational facilities, takes inventory of existing facilities and recreational programs to determine whether they are adequate.

Contributing to the park shortage problem is the fact that many existing “parks,” such as the Calabasas Golf and Country Club, are private, officials said. And, they said, the city can’t afford to purchase land. So how do you obtain land?

“You pray a lot,” said Ellen Pangarliotas, chairwoman of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Traditionally, cities obtain land from developers in exchange for city approval of their projects, officials said. To help ensure that parkland is available in the future, Calabasas officials said, the master plan is expected to include an ordinance that would require developers to set aside land for parks and recreation activities.