Look closely Malibu! The ‘story poles’ for the Malibu Bay Company (MBC) Development Agreement are going up in our Civic Center and Trancas. The story poles are the large wooden posts in the ground that are supposed to indicate the height and size of the proposed commercial or residential structures to be built. These new story poles are not complete as yet and may not accurately reflect the actual size of the proposed commercial buildings and homes/estates. Also keep in mind that story poles do not reflect the visual impact of the buildings and homes, the surrounding parking lots, walls, landscaping, view blockage, lighting, noise and ultimately the traffic and congestion impact that may occur. They are only part of a much larger story.
If you want to know more about what is being proposed for our Civic Center and Trancas areas, get on www.ci.malibu.ca.us and look up the Malibu Bay Company Agreement. Attend the April 14 City Council meeting and the April 15 Planning Commission Special Hearing on the MBC Agreement. Call your Planning Commissioners, who have rightfully requested more time to thoroughly review and question the MBC Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before making any recommendations to our City Council. Ask them NOT to certify the MBC EIR. Call or fax your City Council representatives (456-2489/f:456-7650) and ask them to give the Planning Commission more time and to NOT certify the MBC EIR.
This Development Agreement and its EIR are full of unanswered questions on critical issues that may change Malibu forever. Although we may ultimately have the right to vote yes or no on this agreement, as it stands the agreement should never make it through the EIR approval process by our City. Remember that if it goes to a public vote, the Malibu Bay Company (and its very large wallet) will launch a major public relations and marketing effort (with various ‘donation carrots’) to sell the agreement to Malibu.
Don’t trust the story poles. Get the whole story for yourself.
Tami Clark
