Malibu Developer Wins 11th-Hour OK for Project

In its last major land-use decision involving Malibu, made just two days before the community becomes a city, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a developer’s plan to build 15 luxury homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

By a 3-2 vote, the supervisors approved plans by developer Leonard Jaffe to build the houses on 17 1/2 acres he owns in the exclusive Winding Way subdivision. Angry opponents accused the supervisors of railroading the project despite opposition from Malibu’s slow-growth-oriented City Council, which takes office Thursday and is expected to impose an immediate moratorium on most new construction.

The county Regional Planning Commission had voted 4 to 0 in January to reject the project. But at the urging of Supervisor Deane Dana, a majority on Tuesday upheld Jaffe’s appeal of the commission’s decision. Supervisors Ed Edelman and Gloria Molina dissented.