I think it is wonderful that the sheriff is moving back into Malibu. Now the City Council must finally face reality. It seems in Malibu that land use is either boom or bust. During the Keller-Van Horn years, large mansions were approved, but replacing water heaters, installing fences, adding on bedrooms was all banned under their concept of land use development.
Many of us really enjoy staying in Malibu on the weekends, at night, and as much as we can. It seems ridiculous to have to leave Malibu to shop in Thousand Oaks, Calabasas or Santa Monica. The time is ripe to cut a deal with the Malibu Bay Company. I suggest a City Hall be built on the site of the Malibu Chili Cookoff. I also suggest that the Malibu Bay Company be allowed to begin planning, developing and constructing on the same site. Many of us already shop in the two shopping centers located near Crosscreek and Webb Way. The land owned by the Malibu Bay Company would not create much further traffic in the area.
Perhaps our children could actually use a bowling alley, an ice skating rink, an arcade and other attractions that normal children in Thousand Oaks, Calabasas and Santa Monica are used to enjoying.
There is nothing wrong with thinking of Malibu as a place to live, to shop, to recreate and to enjoy. Real people in America live and play in their own communities. They are not forced to travel to other communities for their shopping and their recreational needs. As John F. Kennedy said repeatedly during his presidency: Necessity is the mother of invention. Now is the time to invent in Malibu.
J. Patrick Maginnis