Planners OK Golf Course Near the Center of Malibu

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission today approved a proposal to turn a 339-acre ridge-lined canyon near the center of Malibu into an exclusive 18-hole golf course.

The commission, which does not have the final decision, approved the $35-million project over the objections of numerous homeowner groups contending that the development would lead to increased traffic and destroy a sensitive ecological preserve.

Residents opposed to the project have said they will file a lawsuit to block the development.

The project still must be approved by the California Coastal Commission, and the Planning Commission’s ruling can be appealed to the county Board of Supervisors.

La Jolla-based Sun Pacific Properties wants to build the golf course on land it purchased recently from comedian Bob Hope. The project would also contain 60 homes, a 52,000-square-foot clubhouse, six tennis courts, two restaurants, a swimming pool and underground parking.

Sidney McClue Jr., executive vice president of the development group, told commissioners that his project offered a chance to preserve more than 90% of the parcel’s open space and provide an attractive recreational facility in Malibu. He said earlier that the golf complex is a perfect match for such a “vital, upscale, sensitive area” as Malibu.

Malibu homeowners particularly objected to the developer’s proposal to move and grade 5 million cubic yards of dirt on the property and fill one canyon. They also said the use of pesticides and herbicides needed to grow vegetations on the property between Corral Canyon and Puerco Canyon roads north of Pacific Coast Highway would endanger plants and animals.