Rancho La Paz Center Gets Council OK
• Pleas from Enviro Groups Don’t
Deter Majority Action
Despite pleas from a number of
environmental groups, the Malibu City Council this week
approved two Rancho La Paz shopping center office space
projects ensuring the Chicago-based equity firm owner of
entitlements for the vacant Civic Center area property.
On a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember
Jefferson Wagner dissenting, the council approved plans that
call for increased density in exchange for a development
agreement that “gives” the city a 2.3 acre parcel
and $500,000.
The parcel could be developed as a
wastewater treatment facility. The buildout of 132,000-plus
square feet was called too big by Wagner. “It is a large
project. It is as large as Ralph’s [shopping center]. It
is a little too large for the space. The smaller project I can
support,” he said.
At the same time, the council on a 4-1
vote, with Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich dissenting, voted for
a smaller project of a little over 99,000 square feet that
offers no development agreement or public benefits. The project
with the development agreement requires California Coastal
Commission approval because of the development
agreement and Local Coastal Program amendment.
The mayor said she was reluctant to approve
the smaller project and give the applicant entitlements because
there would be less of an incentive if the larger project ran
afoul of CCC disapproval. She said she was reluctant to vote
for anything.
“I would personally like to tell
[consultant] Don Schmitz and the Chicago developer to get out
of town. But I took an oath of office. I can’t tell
them to get out of town. I don’t want to personally
approve it. Whether I like it or not, I have to uphold the
law and work with the developer. It is something in the best
interests of the community,” she said.
Members from Heal the Bay, the Malibu
Surfing Association and Santa Monica Baykeeper had urged the
city to not approve any of the projects until additional
wastewater issues in the Civic Center are resolved.
Councilmember John Sibert contended that by
approving the project with the development agreement that, in
effect, was what the council was doing. “We need a
centralized plant. The Regional Water Quality Control Board
wants it. We can look at fast-tracking it, so Las Paz could
hook up, if we do the wastewater on the 2.3 acres,” he
said.
City Attorney Christi Hogin suggested that
could happen. “We have heard the developer complain about
the expense of a $5 million wastewater system. We are motivated
to move forward with the Civic Center plant. There will come a
time for La Paz to hook up to us. Their issue is they
don’t want to wait for us. If we get ahead of this, they
would be financially motivated,” she said.
That prompted Councilmember Sharon Barovsky
to take aim at the environmental groups and their call for a
building moratorium in the Civic Center. “I am mystified
by the two speakers for the environmental groups. They said we
don’t have stormwater treatment. We bought the Chili
Cook-off [site] and we said we could put a wastewater plant on
the site, and they said we don’t want it on the site. It
is beginning to sound more like they just don’t want this
development. I would think the environmental community would
applaud this,” she said.
After the meeting, Mark Abramson of the
Santa Monica Baykeeper said he thought a wastewater plant
should be approved before any more development should take
place.
The mayor said the enviro groups seem to go
after Malibu and want development stopped in the coastal city,
but don’t appear to pressure other cities to take the
same tack. “Why not go after other cities with more
development?” she said.
The council had previously considered the
matter, heard from dozens of public speakers, then called for
revisions to the development agreement and conducted another
public hearing this week when they heard from more speakers.
The matter now goes to the state Coastal Commission for action.
One council member also talked about
another possible destination—the courtroom.
“Unfortunately it could be decided by
a man or woman in a black robe,” Sibert said.
