In 1997, Mr. and Mrs. Forge purchased the property located at 26025 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu where the BeauRivage Restaurant now stands. Approximately three years later, they initiated applications to obtain permits to build rooms, stores, enlargement of the restaurant and double deck parking. They were required to dedicate 17 parking spaces on their property to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and it took them 10 long years of their life to obtain approvals from the County of Los Angeles and the Coastal Commission.
They worked first on the restaurant and proceeded to eliminate a house that was on the back of the property, started the grading but were stopped in the process because Malibu became a city and imposed a building moratorium.
It took the Forges three years to gather the will and strength to start again anew. After seven years, the project was reduced from a 32-room bed and breakfast to only 28 rooms that were approved by the Malibu Planning Commission. The Forges were very disappointed; however, they thought optimistically that at last the battle-after 20 years-was over. Unfortunately, the Sierra Club proved them to be wrong. The National Park Service (NPS) bought the Roberts Ranch from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and is now in the process of building park grounds. The Sierra Club is instigating the NPS.
If the Forges’ project should again be reduced to fewer guest rooms (than 28), it becomes a completely unprofitable operation. Dedication of the requested 20-foot-wide easement through the property and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) designation represents more than 2.6 acres of land, not including 17 parking spaces also dedicated to public use. (The original property is 4.7 acres.)
The city, on the latest design of the project, closes the present north-west entrance to Pacific coast Highway from the existing park lot. Why? Will this improve ingress or egress? Please note: The ESHA designation on the Forges’ property is completely bare of vegetation as it was when they purchased the property. This designation is crippling the Forge property even more.
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy said they would not object to the Forge Lodge after dedication, but did not keep their word. The Sierra Club, NPS and Conservancy are making every possible effort to destroy the Forges’ project, making it unprofitable. The idea of the National Park Service is to introduce steelhead trout in the stream that runs through Solstice Canyon (650 acres of land behind the Forge property). NPS is now erecting a bridge, a center for conferences, an enormous platform for parking, and has chopped down oak trees and other native trees from the grounds. It is a complete offense and is costing millions.
Zoned C-1 when the original plans were approved, the city down-sized the property to CV-1, further constraining their intended plans and use, further diminishing their potential income and value of their property. The city and residents of Malibu will gain many conveniences and taxes from the completion of a financially and environmentally sound project. Which Forge Lodge will be.
Since we Americans have the privilege of living in a country of freedom and justice, we believe that the Forges, after 23 years of hard work and good example, do deserve to be treated fairly; anything less would appear to be unconstitutional.
Robert Loving