Commission Rejects Plan for Golf Course, 62 Homes in Malibu

Saying it was “completely inappropriate” to introduce a large commercial project into a rural area, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday rejected a developer’s controversial plan to build 62 single-family homes, a golf course and a restaurant in the hills of western Malibu.

After three public hearings and numerous project revisions, the commission voted 4 to 1 to deny the application of VMS/Anden to construct the $150-million private complex along Encinal Canyon Road despite pleas from the developer to delay action so project officials could meet with concerned residents.

LAFCO Vote Planned

The commission’s action is particularly significant because the developer recently asked the Local Agency Formation Commission to exclude the 270-acre project from Malibu’s proposed cityhood boundaries. LAFCO is scheduled to vote on the developer’s request and Malibu’s cityhood petition at a meeting today. The developer may appeal the commission’s denial to the County Board of Supervisors.

“It is very definitely a victory,” said Carolyn Van Horn, co-chairwoman of the Malibu Committee for Incorporation. “Since there is no longer any project, I don’t see how it could be excluded (from the proposed city). It looks like they’re back to square one.”

The project has been mired in disputes almost from the start and suffered a damaging blow recently after it was discovered that its construction would disturb a sensitive ecological preserve.

In addition, advocates of incorporation for Malibu became enraged after it was discovered that Supervisor Pete Schabarum invested in a limited partnership that is managed by VMS Realty, a Chicago-based company that is partners with the Anden Group in the Malibu project. Schabarum, while serving on LAFCO, led the fight to block Malibu’s cityhood drive.

No Conflict Found

The county counsel’s office has ruled that Schabarum had no conflict of interest because his investment had no direct financial link to the Malibu project. Schabarum has since removed himself from the state panel.

At Wednesday’s three-hour hearing, several homeowner groups and environmentalists expressed concern over the impact of the project on the surrounding area, saying that its construction would severely harm plant and animal life. They said the proposed use of pesticides to speed the growth of the golf course would threaten the ground water that supplies the area’s drinking water.

The groups also objected to the claims of developer’s representatives that VMS/Anden officials had enlisted community support prior to planning the project.

“They’re so community minded that they’ve been working vigorously to exclude themselves from the boundaries of Malibu,” said Paul Russell, a member of the West Malibu Community Council. “The irony of putting a project in the wilderness of the Santa Monica Mountains is that they are trying to cram so munch onto this site that they need to build a double-deck parking garage to hold all the cars.”

The development called for the grading of nearly 4 million cubic yards of land and would have required the destruction of dozens of oak trees. Doug Ring, an attorney representing the developer, argued that the plans were modified to meet the concerns of residents, including redesigning the golf course to offset any damage to the Steep Hill Canyon preserve.

However, several commissioners said the project was “fraught with problems,” especially because it would introduce a commercial enterprise into a largely rural area.

“As it exists right now, this is an unacceptable project,” Commissioner Betty Fisher said. “Is it compatible with the surrounding area? Absolutely not.”