MALIBU—On Monday, April 17, Malibu’s Planning Commission voted to continue the Malibu Inn Motel Project until May 31.
According to the city website, the Malibu Inn Motel, proposed to be located at 22959 Pacific Coast Highway, is for the construction of a new 7,693 square foot motel above a new subterranean parking garage, surface parking lot, grading, retaining walls, landscaping and a new onsite wastewater treatment system; including variances for non-exempt grading in excess of 1,000 cubic yards per acre of commercial development, construction on slopes steeper than 2.5 to 1, surface parking within the required front yard setback, and retaining walls in excess of six feet in height, a site plan review for a building height in excess of 18 feet, not to exceed 28 feet for a pitched roof, a conditional use permit for a new commercial development over 500 square feet and a motel in the CV-1 zoning district, and for a Joint Use Parking Agreement to share parking spaces with the adjacent lot to the east.
This item was presented by Adrian Fernandez who is the assistant planning director and applicant Don Schmitz.
Fernandez recommended the commission to deny the proposed project as conditioned because they failed to demonstrate no other alternatives that would increase CEQA buffer and would reduce CEQA impact. The commission argued that staff did not notify the public of an alternate analysis.
Schmitz was asked if he could provide the city with the needed documents but could not provide the specific documents he was asked. “I will do whatever is required, but before tonight this is the first that I heard from anyone that the alternative analysis that we did was somehow inadequate,” Schmitz said. “Everything that we submitted was attached to the staff report.”
The debate went on until close to midnight.
“If we are going to have meetings that are going until 11:30 at night and we’re wasting hours and hours on things that are being talked about in circles, for all of us, it is not productive, it is not productive for our community,” commissioner Skylar Peak said. “So we need to be diligent on how we’re approaching these things … we have to be sensitive upmost to our staff time. We can’t be taking this long, pushing multiple items to other meetings, time and time again, it’s not fair for everybody.” Peak also motioned to approve the project but Commissioner Jeff Jennings argued that Peak has not had enough experience in the commission.
By Christianne