California State Parks received a permit from the City of Malibu this week to demolish the existing decades-old staircase at 29300 Cliffside Drive in Point Dume and replace it with a timber and concrete version.
The replacement project, which according to Angeles District Superintendent Craig Sap is estimated to cost about $2.9 million, has been in the works since 2015, but is now expected to commence this fall.
The Malibu Planning Commission approved the permit at its June 4 meeting. Conversation at that meeting included complaints over parking as well as trail maintenance in that area—specifically a trail leading to the Pt. Dume Headlands from Westward Beach, where Sap said there was “a continuous fight to keep that trail in good shape.” That trail is not the same one as the trail that leads to the Pt. Dume stairway.
The project will also include habitat restoration.