As a longtime resident of Pt. Dume, I am disturbed by the little reported fact that a “Yes” vote on Measure M would allow a 123,000 square foot shopping mall (the size of the Ralph’s shopping center) to be built at the corner of Heathercliff and Pacific Coast Highway, without a safe entrance or exit on to PCH. Pt. Dume is already jammed with more commercial development and traffic than most people desire. Another commercial development with very severe traffic hazards would be thrust upon us.
On the other hand, the City Council may have seen the error of their ways and decided to do this because it would be too dangerous for children and seniors to have ball fields and a community center on the same site. Now the City Council has dumped this dilemma in the lap of the citizens, without all the necessary studies, stating that it has the utmost faith in the Malibu electorate. The Malibu electorate is smart, but we are not psychic.
Why has this burden shifted to the citizens that the Council should be protecting? Is it unreasonable to assume that they want to avoid what would be a difficult campaign issue in the April City Council election where three of them are running for re-election (Jennings, Kearsley and House) and the fourth (Barovsky) will be running their campaign? Instead of doing the hard work of planning sustainable development, they have asked us to gamble with the fate of Malibu. I will be voting “No” on M.
Steven R. Landaal