Letter: No Do-Over

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Letter to the Editor

Some things cannot be undone. We discourage our kids from posting things on social media because they might come back to haunt them. We tell them not to drink and drive because we know what can happen in a careless moment. Sometimes we don’t get a do-over in life.

Those of us living in Malibu have won the home town lottery, but we are also stewards of a place that is not only ours to enjoy. Generations to come will either thank us for safeguarding what is precious about our community or rue our shortsightedness.

Here is why I will be voting “no” on Measure W:

Adding 38,000 sq. ft. of commercial space will generate significantly more congested roads. To make this a viable project, there must be additional traffic from out-of-area shoppers. No business owner in their right mind would open a store in a town as small as Malibu if they were depending on selling their wares only to local residents. No realistic traffic study suggests otherwise.

There is no guarantee that Whole Foods will be the anchor occupant. Yes, we’ve seen the ads. But there is no guarantee, and remember: we’re voting on approving 38,000 additional sq. ft. of retail space, not on whether or not we want a Whole Foods. 

We have been promised a lovely park, but plans can change in a heartbeat. As we learned with the Trancas Nursery project, just because a developer dangles a promise before approval doesn’t mean they will live up to it afterward. Many locals worked tirelessly after the Trancas Center’s developer reneged on promises to protect our long-standing local nursery from extinction.

Approving this development is undoable. We won’t get a chance to change our minds if we discover that traffic is a nightmare or Whole Foods has backed out. 

Please think through your decision carefully; don’t simply vote based on whether you can picture yourself driving cheerfully down the road to a great hot food bar. 

Please vote “no” on Measure W. The decisions we make today will impact generations to come. 

Susan Stiffelman