City Council approves visitor-serving motel at La Salsa site

By Judy Abel · Wed Jul 29 2026

Its giant advertisement ‘is the most historical iconic thing in Malibu’ says Councilmember Riggins

After hours of debate over what constitutes a motel, short-term rental (STR), zoning, and lack of affordable housing for residents, the Malibu City Council approved a change of use from an existing, non-conforming multi-family residential building into a visitor-serving motel at the former La Salsa restaurant site. While the approval was unanimous, the council did ask a number of conditions be met for stronger operational standards and management, although it lacks authority to override state regulations that require a motel have 12 or more guest rooms to require a resident caretaker on the premises.

The beachfront property at 22800 Pacific Coast Highway, developed in 1955, was originally an apartment building; however, in the last decade, as residents moved out, the property owner, Carbon Investments, started furnishing the nine units on site and renting them as STRs. 

On July 22, in a special City Council meeting, the Malibu Township Council appealed the Planning Commission’s initial approval. The MTC urged City Council to deny, or significantly condition, a proposal to convert the property into a motel, arguing that the project lacks essential safeguards and would operate much like the site's existing STR compound.Speaking on behalf of MTC, Jo Drummond said the Planning Commission approved the project based on the understanding that a former restaurant space would serve as a manager's office with on-site oversight. However, the final approval requires no manager to be present. Drummond argued that a "manager's office without a manager is only a label, not a safeguard," leaving no one immediately available to verify guests, manage parking, respond to emergencies, or address disturbances.

Drummond also raised concerns about the property's aging septic system, citing a history of overflows, grease damage, failed components, and frequent pumping. She warned that flooding during extreme high tides could spread wastewater to neighboring properties, the beach, and the ocean. 

MTC asked the City Council to require an independent wastewater inspection, completion of any necessary system upgrades, verification of legal bedroom counts, correction of parking and fire access issues, and 24-hour on-site management before any motel approval. Drummond also called for a future motel ordinance with stronger operational standards and warned that approving the project without safeguards could set a precedent for other apartment buildings to convert into unstaffed motels or short-term rental compounds.

Responding to the MTC's appeal, a company representative from Malibu Suites, which manages the site, argued that many of the concerns raised in the appeal are based on misconceptions about how the business operates and the conditions already imposed by the city. 

The representative stated that the proposed operation is not a traditional motel despite the zoning classification. Unlike conventional motels, Malibu Suites will not accept walk-in guests, same-day cash bookings, or one-night stays. Reservations are made exclusively online with a two-night minimum, except for occasional discounted "island nights" offered only to returning guests with a history of respecting the property and neighboring community.

He explained that guests must agree to detailed house rules before booking, provide vehicle information before arrival, and park only in assigned spaces using parking permits. Security cameras monitor parking and common areas, while digital check-in systems provide guests with access codes and directions, a process he claimed has become standard throughout the hospitality industry, including major hotel chains.

Addressing criticism that the project lacks on-site management, the representative said the property is staffed most days by housekeeping, maintenance, janitorial, or management personnel. In addition, a qualified manager is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with emergency calls automatically routed through a mobile app to the designated responder. He argued that this system has successfully operated at the property for more than 11 years as a short-term rental business, surviving wildfires, floods, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other emergencies without significant complaints or violations. 

The representative also disputed claims that the property's wastewater system is failing, noting that city code enforcement inspected the onsite wastewater treatment system the day of the hearing and found it functioning properly. He said planned improvements to landscaping, parking, lighting, and signage would be completed after CUP approval in coordination with Building and Safety requirements to avoid repeated construction.

During public comment longtime resident Ann Doneen objected to a motel operation at the site. Nostalgic for the old Malibu she remembered growing up, Doneen said, “I've watched Malibu change…but this proposal right now, I have not ever seen changes as just plain nauseating as this one. I believe this plan, located within footsteps of the Malibu Pier, would make our community unsafe and unhealthy, not the world-renowned icon, synonymous with health and sunshine that it is…with no manager there, no one to register patrons, no one to make sure things are legal and safe.”

Before the approval, Councilmember Marianne Riggins asked a question that’s been top of mind for many: “What's going to happen to the man on the top of the building? It is the most historical iconic thing in Malibu." She urged the owners to be in touch on its future.