Unfortunately, I was not able to make this week’s meeting and am not familiar with the outcome, but I want to speak on the subject of saving Malibu for Malibuites, the residents of the city who are being so inconvenienced by the current retail environment.
On Saturday, my wife and I had an experience that is becoming the norm and not the exception. We went into town for lunch at Marmalade around 2 p.m. There was no place to park. That did not deter some who parked where they wanted, regardless of whether it was a valid parking space or whether their car would block access or egress for others. Most of these people are clearly not Malibu residents, and I don’t mean that in a snobbish way, but look around. Check the demographics.
Many are young adults clearly coming to visit for the day because, through rampant rentals to upscale retailers by greedy commercial developers, Malibu has become a scene, and one that longtime residents like myself would like edited. It is clear that many of these retailers could not exist on Malibu business alone. They must have traffic from outside the city and they’re getting it. And with it, we’re paying.
I’m not suggesting we become a retirement community, but how many $300 pairs of jeans stores and how many formula restaurants are enough for a town our size? This retail over-development creates the need to attract more and more customers. And that exacerbates our traffic problem and diminishes our lifestyle. This is changing the culture of our city in a very negative way. The people the new retailers are attracting don’t have respect for our community. They have no stake in Malibu and most will be gone by dinnertime after having added measurably to our already critical traffic issues. Meanwhile, in the process, we are losing some of the local businesses we, as residents, need. Trying to get to those still open is a pain.
Malibu has always had a high profile but, until recently, was a low-key town. I now describe it as having become what outsiders always thought it was. It’s time to give our city back to the people who live here. Preserve Malibu has taken the lead. Let’s support them.
Dick Gary