Code enforcement and building safety were at the top of the Mayor’s Breakfast menu at City Hall Friday. However, the restoration of Malibu Pier topped the morning with good news. City Manager Harry Peacock told the gathering of local officials and members of the community the state is proposing to rehabilitate the pier and open it to the public by September. “They have enough money to redo the main deck and structure of the pier.” Peacock added that construction is set to begin in February. Cost of the restoration and repair for basic public use is at $900,000.
Initially, people will be able to enjoy the view and fish from the pier. Plans for commerce to take place again there may be a little further away. Peacock said the city is working on coming up with the “agreements, arrangements and money to reopen businesses there.” The pier formerly housed Alice’s Restaurant, a day-fishing boat, a bait and tackle shop, code enforcement and launching for small boats.
Other issues facing Malibu regarding building safety, environmental concern, permits, and complaints were also addressed at the breakfast meeting.
Building and Safety Official Vic Peterson said, “Last year we issued 1,800 new permits in the amount of $1,393,000.” Many of those jobs required multiple permits. He pointed out that people are choosing to add on to pre-existing structures rather than build new ones in Malibu, claiming the area is running out of appropriate space for new construction. According to Peterson, new construction for Malibu last year was in the neighborhood of 1 percent to 2 percent or 67 new homes.
Peterson seemed eager to point out that the building regulation portion of the Environmental Safety Department is funded entirely off its permits. The staff he supervises numbers 11. “For a small city, it’s a big crew,” he said, “but so is the job.”
Code enforcement was also addressed by the group relative to complaints of everything from dogs off the leash to cars parked on front lawns. City officials are hoping to promote voluntary compliance. “What helps develop and maintain a city’s personality is the level of code enforcement by that city,” Peterson said. “The community can decide that everybody’s got to have a green front door,” if it chooses. In Malibu, however, inspectors would be pleased to see corrective behavior modification and cooperative compliance of city ordinances among the citizens.