Thanks to the Point Dume Community Association, there was an informative discussion of both sides of the upcoming ballot measure Proposition M. We attended the meeting with open minds and wanting more information. It appears that Prop M, although a worthy proposal, was not fully explored or is not necessarily the ultimate best deal for Malibu. The development agreement subjects Malibu to risks that could have been eliminated prior to being submitted to the voters.
Our City Council had declined advice to get professional land-use legal assistance when negotiating this important matter, and it appears our city attorney was no match for the MBC legal team.
We came away with too many concerns. Was the MBC EIR complete? Have the provisions for dealing with traffic been adequately considered? Why is the MBC given so much credit for donating what is generally accepted to be undevelopable properties? If the sewage treatment plant planned for the Chili Cook-Off site is really only going to be 6,500 square feet and hidden by berms, why does the agreement provide for an aboveground building the size of our Ralphs supermarket? Why should Mr. Perenchio get entitlements from the deal added only in the last round? Why was the Planning Commission not allowed to review the final agreement? Most importantly, it was pointed out that this agreement did not need to be voted on until July 2004 so why are we being rushed to decide on this important issue before having all the facts?
There will have to be an agreement someday with the MBC, but is this the best one? There are too many questions and too little time to know. The opportunity to turn down this proposal and renegotiate seems to us to be the superior alternative than to accept the proposal, which leaves so many issue uncovered.
Cori and Dick Lowe