U2 rocker David Evans, known by his stage name The Edge, has overcome the first of several hurdles on his way to building five houses on a prominent ridgeline off Sweetwater Mesa in Malibu, with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) voting unanimously on Thursday to approve the project and move it forward for its next set of approvals.
Though, according to conservationists, this decision may be considered writing on the wall for the pristine land, which, it should be noted, is zoned for rural residential development but, as most Malibu residents know, gaining approval to build anything in Malibu is a feat not for the faint of heart.
“U2’s The Edge Given Permission to Ruin Untouched Malibu Bluff,” declares a headline from Curbed LA, an online real estate newspaper. The CCC decision from Dec. 10 has received press coverage from local and national sources that is critical at best and inflammatory at worst, despite the fact that, “it’s a very large site and the cluster is very small,” according to Moses Hacmon, project director. CCC staff and commissioners seem to agree.
Complaints regarding the size and location of the homes, which range in square footage from 7,812 sq. ft. to 9,572 sq. ft., were not the only issues raised by those who came to speak at the meeting, which was held in Monterey, Calif.
Sarah Sikich, Vice President of Heal the Bay, implored commissioners to hold off on their decision until they could meet closer to Malibu. “[We] request that the commission postpone the hearing until it can be held more locally,” Sikich asked, citing requests from L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Senator Fran Pavley, among others.
“I am very concerned that the Commission scheduled this upcoming hearing in Monterey during the holiday season, virtually eliminating the possibility of local participation at the hearing,” read a letter Kuehl sent to CCC Chair Steve Kinsey.
The reply from the dias stated that the January CCC meeting, scheduled to take place in San Diego, would not be significantly closer to Malibu and therefore the hearing should continue. The December meeting, which took place at the Portola Plaza Hotel in Monterey, was about 310 driving miles from Sweetwater Mesa. The January meeting, to take place at the San Diego Board of Supervisor’s Chambers, will be less than half that distance — about 146 driving miles from Sweetwater Mesa.
“It becomes very clear when you’re on the site that the obvious alternative is to cluster the project on that mesa site,” said CCC Senior Deputy Director Jack Ainsworth.
The original application for the development was submitted in late 2010 and rejected by the CCC in 2011 on grounds that the original plans would have a significant negative impact on “visible resources.” The clustering of the houses is designed to preserve more of the 151-acre site.
The project includes an open space easement of 137 acres granted to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
“The proposed structures are sited and designed in a clustered configuration to minimize visual impacts,” read the staff report of the project. These changes were suggested by CCC staff years ago, according to a wry comment by Ainsworth. “If the applicant had listened, they would be having Christmas dinner in their house today, probably,” Ainsworth said.
What Ainsworth failed to take into account with that comment was approval needed from the formidable Malibu Planning Commission and the Malibu City Council — an idea not lost on CCC Commissioner Martha McClure. “I don’t know Malibu enough, other than I know sometimes they get a little ornery,” McClure said, stating that the city may refuse to review the project until after it is reviewed in L.A.
In the end, commissioners voted 12-0 to approve the project to move forward with an extended term of five years for approval by L.A. County and the City of Malibu.