Council OKs Construction of Luxury Hotel in Phases

The City Council has given approval to the construction of a proposed luxury hotel near the Civic Center, but asked the developer to build it in two phases.

Developers of the proposed Rancho Malibu Hotel can initially build a 100-room hotel, but must meet performance standards before they are allowed to construct the other 46 rooms approved by the city Planning Commission, said associate planner Emmanuel Ursu.

Last November, the commission approved plans for a 146-room resort on the 28-acre site at the northeast corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road.

That decision was appealed by the Malibu Road Property Owners Assn. and Malibu Township Council, who argued that the project was too big. The developer, Adamson Cos., also appealed, contending that the commission should have approved its original 250-room hotel proposal.

Following Tuesday’s council decision, Adamson spokesman Michael Vignieri said building a 100-room facility may not be economically feasible for the developer.

“The majority of the City Council did their best to kill the project and turn a silk purse into a sow’s ear,” he said. “We have no choice but to make the best of the sow’s ear, if possible. If not, we will have to review our options for other courses of action.”