The PierView structure would be torn down and replaced by a two-story structure “styled as a traditional beach house restaurant,” and plans for the Windsail property include a Japanese restaurant.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
The final details are not official, but the basic plans for the construction of new restaurants on the sites of the former PierView Café and Windsail restaurant, adjacent properties on Pacific Coast Highway near the Malibu Pier owned by Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison, have been released. The applications are going before the city’s Environmental Review Board on Aug. 23 for review.
Although the square footage of the projects have not been finalized, the architect, Scott Mitchell, said this week he expects them to both be under what the city’s zoning code allows. When Malibu resident Richard Weintraub owned the Windsail property, he received a permit to build a project with a larger floor area ratio (amount of development compared to the size of the lot) than the 15 percent allowed by city law. In exchange, he offered to donate $400,000 to the local school district and agreed to allow part of the restaurant to be used as a community meeting room during certain hours of the day.
“This project has a very different development goal than when Weintraub owned it,” Mitchell said. “We’re not asking for anything extra, so we there’s no reason to have a deal with the city.”
According to a report written by city planner Stacey Rice, the proposal for the Windsail property is to build a 7,480-square-foot restaurant. With the lot size being more than 42,000 square feet that would put the restaurant at a larger floor area ratio than is allowed by Malibu’s zoning laws. Mitchell said in an interview on Tuesday that the actual size proposed was 5,818 square feet, which would put the restaurant below the city’s threshold.
According to Rice’s report, a restaurant would be built on the PierView property that would be 7,514 square feet, putting it decimal points above the 15 percent floor area ratio. Also in Rice’s report, the existing PierView structure would be torn down and replaced by a two-story structure “styled as a traditional beach house restaurant.” Rice wrote that the restaurant will have a wrap-around covered patio, allowing the users to view the ocean.
According to the report, a landscaped outdoor deck would be built to connect the new restaurant to the one proposed for the Windsail property, but Mitchell said that plan had been scrapped. The two restaurants will not be connected, he said.
The plan for the Windsail property, according to Rice’s report, is for a Japanese restaurant with a design that “draws from both traditional Japanese influences and early modern design.” There will be sliding doors and outdoor patios to provide open views of the Pacific Ocean. Rice further wrote, “The spatial organization allows for intimate settings and invites visitors to a variety of experiences, including patio, fireside, garden and private seating areas.”
Rice said she does not believe the project has many environmental complications and the project will not require intense scrutiny from the Environmental Review Board. The board, which consists of environmental scientists, will make its recommendation to the Planning Commission. Prior to going before the Planning Commission for a coastal development permit, the final details, such as square footage, must be finalized.
Many people have speculated about the fates of PierView and Windsail, vacant buildings that have stood lifeless behind a locked chain-linked fence for a few years. Ellison bought PierView in 2003 for an undisclosed sum from longtime owner Chuck Spencer. He then purchased the Windsail structure, which was already vacant, from Weintraub the following year.
A call was made this week to an Ellison representative, but it was not returned. Ellison representatives have said in the past that they do not comment on his personal purchases.