Malibu : Hotel Plan Dropped

The county Regional Planning Department said this week that the developer of a controversial commercial and residential project in the Civic Center area has withdrawn its application for county approval of the plan.

Malibu Partners, a Florida development firm, had sought approval for nine single-family homes, 135 condominiums and a commercial center near the heart of Malibu.

Last year, heeding the objections of residents of Malibu Knolls, a subdivision overlooking the site of the proposed development, the Regional Planning Commission unanimously rejected Malibu Partners’ $60-million plan for a hotel and apartments on the property.

Two weeks ago, the commission said it would process the company’s application for the new project, despite a county Board of Supervisors rule against reviewing proposals in a part of the county headed for cityhood. The commission said at the time that the project was eligible for consideration because it was a revision of an earlier proposal, not a new project.

“This is as it should be,” said Sarah Wan, a community activist who has been monitoring the Malibu Partners’ project through the planning process. “The developer should discuss this thoroughly with the community, and the project should come before the new city for approval, not the county.”