An environmental analysis for a proposed 275,000-square-foot hotel complex in Malibu’s Civic Center has been released. The project, in one form or another, has been in the works since 1984 and is now known as the Rancho Malibu Hotel Project.
Plans for the luxury center include 146 hotel rooms, a four-story underground parking structure and 19 two-story “secondary” hotel buildings, retail spaces, a restaurant and bar, swimming pools, conference centers and ballrooms on 16.5 acres of a 27.8-acre site, according to the environmental impact report prepared by the Santa Barbara-based firm AMEC Environment & Infrastructure.
The project site sits on the northeast corner of the Malibu Canyon Road/Pacific Coast Highway intersection, across from Pepperdine University, and is owned by local developer Richard Weintraub. The draft environmental impact report (DEIR) estimates it would take approximately 2 years for the project to be completed.
Areas of major concern in development of the project are in the DEIR listed as:Â
-Visual impacts and obstructions “associated compatibility with the rural character of the community.”
-Loss of and damage to cultural Chumash Tribe resourcesÂ
-Development in a high-fire risk area
-Insufficient water resourcesÂ
-Increased traffic congestion relating to ongoing construction and long-term operation of the hotel, especially if an emergency evacuation takes place.
-Noise disturbances during special events
-Change of the “character of the Civic Center area” and a loss of open space.
The City of Malibu is soliciting public input on the DEIR until Dec. 2. To read the environmental report in its entirety, visit here. Comments should be submitted to associate planner Ha Ly.Â