The California Coastal Commission on Thursday approved a landmark land use plan for the Santa Monica Mountains, giving LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky a major victory as he wraps up his final year on the board.
Coastal Commissioners unanimously (12-0) approved the local coastal program (LCP), which toughens development regulations in the Santa Monica mountains and will make the county the sole authority on development and construction projects in the Santa Monica Mountains.Â
Although the LCP was written and approved by the county back in 2007, the county spent the last six years making changes and working with stakeholders to finalize the plan for better chances of approval from the coastal body.Â
“It’s a tribute to all the stakeholders — environmentalists, equestrians, homeowners, agricultural interests, among others — who came together to find common ground,” Yaroslavsky said after the 12-0 vote.Â
Yaroslavsky was among hundreds who attend Thursday’s Coastal Commission meeting in Santa Barbara to speak about the LCP, with a majority in favor of its passage.Â
The LCP was hotly opposed by some in the development and vineyard industry who feel it is too restrictive on agricultural uses. The LCP runs adjacent to Malibu city limits, covering unincorporated areas of the Santa Monica Mountains within LA County’s coastal zone—an area of about 80 square miles. In the absence of an LCP, the area has been operating under a Malibu Land Use Plan (LUP) certified by the Coastal Commission in 1986.Â