Out of a deep love for Malibu, a group of residents came together in response to the pending eviction of Malibu’s thirty year-old Trancas Canyon Nursery. We talked to hundreds of other residents and quickly realized, almost everyone was having the same sentiments-a fear of losing the character of our small beach community and urgently wanting to protect it.
What followed was an enormous groundswell of support to stop the eviction that manifested into “Save Trancas Nursery” with a May Day rally, coverage on the News. Our Facebook page has over 500 members, 175 “LIKES,” a petition with thousands of signatures and a thousand plus e-mail base who stand ready with additional support.
Citizens are clearly worried about the new upscale, formula Cross Creek model and that it will spread further down PCH and up to the western border. This effort has grown into “Preserve Malibu” with another 900-signature petition and counting. People are asking our City to use planning tools to create the necessary balance between preserving our rural city and commercial development. The focus has moved to this larger issue of protecting and preserving this rare gem of a city while striving to maintain the retail needs of the community. With hundreds of thousands of square feet of new commercial development in the pipeline, this cause is a critical priority for Malibu residents.
Alongside some of the city’s staff and council, we’ve worked diligently to study what other cities across the country have used when faced with these same issues. Fair and balanced tools in the form of zoning, permitting and ordinances are necessary and available to our City. We need our City to step up now and finally implement and enforce these indispensable safeguards for the future of Malibu.
If you care about preserving the small-town character of Malibu, please be counted by taking a moment to sign the petition, email: PreserveMalibu@gmail.com. And remember, as there is still no long-term lease signed for the Nursery, your continued support is vital. Please come join us at our new Facebook page: Preserve Malibu.
Kathy Sullivan, Carla McCloskey, Jae Flora-Katz, Julie Eamer, Kerry Beth Daly, Diana Mullen, Brian Eamer, Dabney Day, Susan Stiffelman,
Debbi Stone, Barbara Fish, Cindy Vandor