MRCA Acquires 86 Acres in Escondido Canyon

The Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority acquired 612 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains, including 86 acres in Escondido Canyon near Malibu, earlier this week for $8.3 million.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the acquisition at its Tuesday meeting, according to a blog post on Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website.

“In terms of interior, non-coastal acquisitions, there hasn’t been anything this big in a long, long time,” MRCA's chief of natural resources and planning Paul Edelman said.

The 86-acre property, which will remain undeveloped, in Escondido Canyon near Malibu features a deeply shaded creek that flows year-round, Edelman said.

Developers more than a decade ago proposed to the turn the Escondido Canyon property into a New Age retreat with Mongolian tents, swimming pools, tennis courts and other features.

MRCA also acquired more than 525 acres in unincorporated Cornell, near Agoura Hills. The Ladyface Mountain property can be seen form Kanan Dume Road.

The purchase of both properties is being funded by Third District funds mainly from Proposition A, the parks measure approved by county voters in 1992 and 1996.

Read more about the deal on Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website.