Environmental Report Ordered for Proposed Malibou Lake Project

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Thursday ordered a developer to prepare an environmental impact report for a proposal to build 15 homes on the site of a former celebrity vacation retreat on Malibou Lake.

Opponents of the project hailed the decision as a victory, predicting it will reduce the number of homes in the development.

At a public hearing, the board voted unanimously to continue the case until after the developer, Jack Slome, submits the report.

“The significance of the issues were such that in the board’s judgment, an EIR (environmental report) is necessary,” said Dave Vannatta, planning deputy for Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Tentative Approval

The county Regional Planning Commission gave Slome tentative approval in April to build 15 single-family homes and a horse stable on the 4.6-acre site occupied by the dilapidated Malibou Lakeside Lodge, a 1920s retreat for movie stars such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. But the Malibou Lakeside Homeowners Assn. appealed the decision, and the Board of Supervisors has the final say.

Association President Kathleen Thomas said she was pleased with Thursday’s decision.

“This is what we wanted to have happen,” she said. “I think the EIR is going to cause them not to do the proposed development as planned. They’ll never get 15 houses now.”

Arthur Snyder, Slome’s attorney, said he and his client were surprised and annoyed by the decision. “I think it’s ridiculous. All it means is there will be a pause for six months. We thought all the environmental questions had been answered in the two years we’ve been working on this.”

‘Just Disgusted’

“I know that Mr. Slome is just disgusted,” he added. “Here he’s trying to do something that’s good. He lives in the area, he loves the area. He undertook this as a labor of love, and now what does he get? Kicked in the tail.”

The homeowners contend that the project would be a fire hazard in the 120-home neighborhood, which is accessible by only one road. They also say construction of sewers for the homes would lead to more development in the area.

Thomas said the association wants Slome to limit his project to four or five homes. “We’re already overbuilt for what the road can handle. Four homes is acceptable. Fifteen is unbelievable.”

She also said the proposed homes clash with the rural ambiance of the community, a hodgepodge of small houses and cabins. “A lot of the homes in this area are very old. They’re all unique, and they’re all different.” She said the new homes “would look similar in facade.”

Not Alike

Snyder said the homes will not look alike. “Mr. Slome wants to preserve the rural characteristics of the area. They’re all being built in a rustic nature, a ranch-style configuration.”

Snyder a former Los Angeles city councilman, said Slome’s project was designed to protect the community from commercial development in that area. “I don’t think a single objection is valid,” he said.

He said the sewers are designed to serve only the 15 homes in the development, and Slome plans to widen the street that leads to the neighborhood. “It will be wide enough to pass two fire engines, which you can’t do today,” he said. “It’s a fire hazard right now.”

Thomas said the association will “continue fighting this until it’s done right.”

Snyder thinks the project ultimately will be approved unless “it became so much of a burden that Mr. Slome gave up in disgust and sold it to a commercial developer.”