The topic of the California Coastal Commission hearing last week was the rezoning of the Crummer site, but the subject turned to the number of overnight opportunities for visitors in Malibu. Several commissioners say it is too low. A Malibu councilmember says if the members are so concerned, the commission should reconsider its 2005 rejection of the Forge Lodge.
By Jonathan Friedman / Special to The Malibu Times
The City of Malibu took a verbal beating from several members of the California Coastal Commission at a meeting last week in Oceanside. Noting what they considered a limited amount of overnight lodgings in Malibu for visitors, the commissioners accused the city of being unsupportive of public access. Councilmember Andy Stern said the commissioners were wrong, and that Malibu is the most visitor-friendly city in the world.
The commissioners’ comments came during a hearing on a proposal to change the zoning of the 24-acre Crummer property, which is located next to Bluffs Park, from visitor-serving commercial to residential. The property owner, Richard Ackerman, wants to build five homes on the site. By a 10-2 vote, the commissioners approved the proposal.
Ackerman must pay $2 million to the state to make up for the loss of possible motel/hotel space in the Malibu area. In addition, he will donate a seven-acre easement to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which owns a majority of Bluffs Park. Most of the donation money will go toward the redevelopment of the Topanga Ranch Motel, which the state purchased in 2004. Commissioner Sara Wan, a Malibu resident, had initially suggested $1 million of the donation go toward the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s controversial project to build overnight camping sites in Malibu. But the other commissioners agreed with the Coastal Commission staff’s recommendation that all the money go toward the motel rehabilitation, which was described as a “multimillion dollar” effort.
Although the approval of the zoning change and financial arrangement received overwhelming support from the commission, many who voted for the measure said they felt uneasy about doing so.
“We’re putting a price on what it costs to screw the public out of our responsibility to provide access in the form of visitor-serving locations,” Commissioner Steve Blank said.
Blank called it “embarrassing for Malibu” that according to a Coastal Commission document the city has a total of 117 hotel or motel rooms, including 31 considered “affordable.” He said Malibu has “the worst combination on the coast of California with beautiful beaches and lack of public access.”
Esther Sanchez, who voted against the zoning change along with Commissioner Mark Stone asked, “How are we going to get public access to the coast when we have communities that don’t want the public to have access to their particular piece of the coast?”
Stern, who did not attend the meeting but heard about the commissioners’ comments from The Malibu Times, said it was sad the commissioners “don’t recognize that the City of Malibu for its size is the most visitor-serving friendly city in the world.”
“We are pleased to welcome over 15 million people every year, which is a record unmatched anywhere in the world,” Stern said.
He also noted that the city council in 2003 approved the 27-unit Forge Lodge proposal, which would have placed a bed and breakfast next to the BeauRivage restaurant. The Coastal Commission rejected the proposal two years later.
“If the Coastal Commission wants hotel rooms, they should look at their own decisions, and revisit that [Forge Lodge], and approve it,” Stern said.
The development proposal for the Crummer site, which is currently under environmental review by a city consultant, calls for five luxury homes (approximately 9,500 to 11,000 square feet each) and a private road. As part of a development agreement, Ackerman has offered to donate 1.75 acres to the city to be used for expanding Bluffs Park with an additional sports field and 35 parking spaces. Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas said at the meeting that he did not want the donated land to be designated for sports because it should be for “passive use.” It is not clear if his statement was part of an official resolution or just an opinion. Coastal Commission officials could not be reached for comment on the matter.
Ackerman purchased the site in 2005 from the Crummer family for an undisclosed sum. The Crummer property had long been sought after by city officials and park advocates as a site for ball fields and other recreational development. During its extended conflict with the State Department of Parks and Recreation about Malibu Little League’s use of Bluffs Parks, it was proposed several times that the ball fields would be moved to the Crummer site. Even after the city brokered a deal in early 2005 to purchase the 10-acre portion of Bluffs Park containing the ball fields, the Crummer site still remained on people’s minds because of what they considered a need for more local ball fields.