Malibu Developer Agrees to Redesign

The developer of a $150-million golf course and housing project in Malibu agreed Wednesday to redesign the project after it was discovered that its would disturb an ecological preserve.

An attorney for VMS/Anden, the developer of Rancho Malibu, told the Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission that the plans will be revised to avoid damage to the nearby Steep Hill Canyon area, which has been deemed environmentally sensitive.

But homeowner groups opposing the development--which would include 62-single-family homes, a golf course, club house, tennis courts and a restaurant along Encinal Canyon Road--said they would continue to fight it unless the developer greatly reduces the amount of grading.

Plans currently call for grading 4.5 million cubic yards on the 270-acre parcel.

The opponents also have questioned a $25,000 investment by Supervisor Pete Schabarum in a limited partnership managed by VMS Realty, a Chicago-based company that is a partner in the Rancho Malibu venture.

Schabarum said he has asked the county counsel’s office for an opinion on whether the investment poses a conflict of interest because the project may come before the Board of Supervisors.