County OKs Malibu Golf Club : Development: Supervisors approve plan to build a resort and homes in Corral Canyon. Foes call it an ecological ‘fiasco.’

A controversial proposal to transform a pristine Malibu canyon into an exclusive golf club moved a step closer to reality Tuesday as the county Board of Supervisors approved the plan against the wishes of nearby residents and environmentalists.

The Malibu Country Club proposal passed on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Ed Edelman dissenting. The $35-million development plan for the Corral Canyon area owned by comedian Bob Hope is to go before the state Coastal Commission early next year. But opponents who want the land preserved as open space may delay that hearing by challenging the project in court.

“That’s the only way I can see at this point of preventing this environmental fiasco from happening,” said opponent Frank Angel, president of the Corral Canyon Homeowners Assn.

Under the development plan, the 339.4-acre property would be converted into a private resort and residential area boasting an 18-hole golf course, a 52,000-square-foot clubhouse, 60 homes, six tennis courts, two restaurants and a swimming pool.

Opponents have argued that construction of the project would destroy wildlife and vegetation, as well as worsen traffic congestion along Pacific Coast Highway. They are especially upset by plans to move 5 million cubic yards of dirt on the property and fill in an entire canyon.

But developer Sidney McClue Jr. of La Jolla-based Sun Pacific Properties last week told the supervisors at a public hearing that “state-of-the-art” procedures would ensure that construction did not damage the ecologically delicate area.

“Our desire was the best possible development,” McClue said. “Our concern was to address every issue. . . . We are not establishing any new procedures or cause for concern.”

McClue also said that more than 90% of the site would be preserved as open space.

Among those testifying against the plan last week were a large contingent of environmentalists and neighbors who insist that the proposal violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the state coastal law and the local land-use plan.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) and state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) said the ridge-lined canyon should be set aside for public recreational use.

“We have the funds and we are willing and anxious to buy this property,” said Beilenson, who noted that National Park Service officials hoped to include the site in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

While refusing to discuss precise figures, McClue called the offer “ridiculously below market value” and argued that there was never serious government intent to buy the land.

In approving the proposal after a brief debate Tuesday, the supervisors sided with the Regional Planning Commission, which OKd the project by a 3-2 vote last August. Supervisor Deane Dana, who represents the Malibu area, moved for approval on grounds that the plan meets the “goals, policies and objectives” of the Malibu land-use plan.