=.  Malibu will ban granny flats … ADUs … in neighborhoods without two streets out to the highway.

=.  An opponent says that’s illegal … the city is denying residents ADUs that are allowed by state law. 

=.  A chain store takes over a Malibu shopping center…. Which just so happens to be owned by the city.

=.  You now … the city that has a rule against chain stores taking overt shopping centers. 

=.  Just how exactly will the rising ocean level affect Malibu? The city is trying to find out.

MALIBU WILL BAN GRANNY FLATS IF YOUR STREET DOESN’T HAVE TWO EXITS

Auxiliary Dwelling Units will likely be banned in most Malibu neighborhoods … due to concerns about fire danger.

That was the tentative decision of the Malibu City Council last night. 

New state laws are aimed at increasing the housing supply … and theY require cities to allow homeowners to add second units on their land.

These are called auxiliary dwelling units … ADUs.

But the city council is worried about the capacity of Malibu residential streets to handle evacuations to Pacific Coast Highway during brushfires. 

Last night … slow growth advocate Patt Healy told the city council … that only neighborhoods that have two connections to Pacific Coast Highway or other access roads should have ADUs.

NEWSCART A74465 ADU HEALY

“Malibu doesn’t have the road infrastructure to allow a safe fire access evacuation for its residents.

“We saw this in the Woolsey fire, and I also personally experienced the inability to evacuate from Malibu West in a timely manner during the Corral fire. 

“A potential tragedy was only avoided because the winds changed direction before the fire reached Trancas.”

Patt Healy … a slow growth advocate from Malibu West.

But another resident of Malibu West told the city council that the safety concerns were really just a way to ban as many ADUs as possible in Malibu.

Elizabeth Riddick.

NEWSCART A74466 ADU RIDDICK

“The state of California gave us the ADU law, and gave all of the stakeholders in Malibu who comply and who live close to public transit, with a numerber of other restrictive qualities, the ability to have an ADU in the privacy of their back yards,

“And I don’t know why the council has the ability to come in and take that away from the stakeholders in Malibu.”

Last night… the city council decided to require two road exits to a major street for ADUs.

Mayor Bruce Silverstein said allowing one road in and out would cause a fire safety problem. 

NEWSCART A74467 ADU BS

“Then we are creating the potential for larger bottlenecks in developments like Big Rock, like Malibu West, like my street, and like any other street, any other development in Malibu or subdivision in Malibu that has only one entrance to PCH or to a canyon.”

But city council member Marianne Riggins said adding an ADU to a lot may not necessarily add traffic coming and going from that existing house.

NEWSCART A74468 ADU RIGGINS

“A three-bedroom home could have three adults in three different bedrooms, or an adult couple and two teenage children each having a car. So if we are worried about the amount of vehicles that may be exiting, the ADU may not have any impact on that type of exiting.”

The city council voted 4 to 1 to bring back a final decision … with the two exit road requirement.

Unless a street has two ways out to PCH or one of the canyon roads … ADUs will not be allowed … due to the entire city being in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

A neighborhood like Malibu Park would be allowed to have ADUs… but some streets in Malibu Park … maybe not. 

Malibu West … only one way out … no way for ADUs.

Point Dume … most streets have two ways out … ADUs would be legal except on dead end streets.

But neighborhoods that would not qualify include Big Rock … which has only one way out.

FEE WAIVERS FOR WOOLSEY VICTIMS IN CITY EXTENDED THREE YEARS

And the city council last night voted to extend fee waivers … for houses damaged in the Woolsey Fire … for another three years. 

Most homeowners who lost their houses in the 2018 conflagration have already applied for new building plans… and had their planning fees waived. But some but I’m are still stuck in court… Or negotiating with insurance companies… Or have some other family reasons for not getting their plans in the City Hall yet.

CITY STARTS STUDYING SPECIFIC SEA LEVEL RISE THREAT 

It’s taken three years … but the a city study is finally starting on just how Malibu is vulnerable to sea level rise. 

Covid delayed the project.

Scientists James Jackson works for a company that is doing 25 similar studies for cities up and down the California coast.

He says … the consultants’ first job is to talk to people who live along the coast.

NEWSCART A74469 SEALEVEL 111 JAMES JACKSON

“Our study includes conducting a coastal building vulnerability assessment to better understand projected sea level rise scenarios and possible impacts in Malibu. .

“We have evaluated mid century and late century sea level rise projections that are appropriate for community planning.

“Once the draft assessment report is available and approved … we will seek public input.”

Eventually … the company will come up with a specific list of concerns … places along the Malibu coast that are in danger.

NEWSCART A74470 SEALEVEL 222 

“These include regular tidal inundation from monthly high tides, also known as king tides, spring tides, long time shoreline, dune and bluff erosion as well as temporary short-term storm and wave impact.”

For the first time in its 33 years … Malibu will soon have a comprehensive list of hazards presenting by the changing ocean level and coastline.

Unlike beaches south of L-A … Malibu does not get any federal or regional money to rebuild its beaches.

San Diego County’s beaches need costly, sustained replenishment efforts to  bring back the wide, sandy tourist attractions they have had for so long.

U S Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredges up sand from offshore … and deposits it at places like Oceanside, south Carlsbad, Leucadia and Mission Beach.
The San Diego Association of Governments has just issued a new study that says … only beaches bolstered by sand dredged from nearby lagoons, harbors and offshore deposits are maintaining their width.

The Malibu coastline is steep, rocky and pounded by powerful waves.

Sand erosion here is a huge problem … but individual homeowners are lefty to deal with it.

Broad beach homeowners have been stuck for 13 years trying to get permits to replenish that beach.

Next door …. Zuma and Westward beaches are a mere fraction of the height and width that it used to be.

The California Coastal Commission discourages the construction of groins and other sand retention devices along the coast.

These rocks may hold sand in one spot, they contribute to erosion elsewhere. 

In Santa Monica … groins have have built ups such a huge beach that it’s hard to find the ocean from the parking lot.

15 million visitors a year use Zuma Beach. 

The Malibu beach culture popularized by movies and advertising .. may be becoming a myth.

Malibu has just begun to study the issue.

COUNCIL UNHAPPY THAT JAMES PERSE IS TAKING OVER CITY-OWNED MALL

The James Perse store is taking over almost all of the Malibu Lumberyard. 

And to make way for it … a small Malibu business has been evicted … by the investment company that runs the shopping center on Cross Creek Road at PCH.

The Lumberyard is owned by the City of Malibu … but it is leased to an investment firm called Washington Prime.

Strange Family Wines has run a small tasting room at the city-owned shopping center for several years. 

It’s been evicted … in favor of an expansion of the James Perse retail outlets.

The wine store is owned by Brian Strange.

NEWSCART A74471 PERSE STRANGE 

“When you look at the definition of a shopping center being taken over by a retail establishment, which I think it clearly is, based on this definition, we would be better off having Bloomingdale’s taking over one of the shopping centers. 

“Because at least Bloomingdale’s … which carries James Perse … there’s more than one brand. 

“Here it’s James Perse taking it over and it’s all James Perse brands.”

There is a city ordinance aimed at blocking chain stores from dominating local shopping centers.

City council member Steve Uhring says the enforcement of the city’s anti-chain store ordinance is a mess.

NEWSCART A74472 PERSE UHRING

“Just so you understand, over the last two and a half weeks we’ve had the city attorney, we’ve had the city attorney, we’ve had the city manager, we’ve had the city compliance, and I don’t know how many other people working to find out what the hell is going on at the lumberyard. 

“OK?

“There’s something wrong with that. How do we … how do we get to a process where we don’t spend that much time on a simple process that we should have been monitoring all along”

The code has loopholes and vague descriptions … plus it has no real enforcement monitoring. … according to Mayor Bruce Silverstein. 

Uhring says the city determined over the weekend that … yes … there James Perse chain store taking over the shopping center violates the city formula retail ordinance.

At the city owned shopping center.

Stay tuned. 

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And …

After a six hour meeting last night … the city council pulled the plug on discussions about a proposed siren system … a possible outdoor emergency alert system.

That discussion will happen in two weeks.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from Rancho del Cielo.

For 8 years … Rancho del Cielo has been a partner to public radio in the Malibu.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from Sea N Soul Surf, at Zuma Beach Plaza

A coffee barista … the locals’ place to find entry level surfboards for a grom … or a handshaped blade for a pro.

Sea N Soul Surf… clothing, coffee and boards for the Malibu lifestyle … under Spruzzo’s …across from Zuma Beach.

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Support for Radio Malibu KBUU comes from the Mark and Grether Real Estate Group.

Combining the talents of Tony Mark and Russell Grether… 

The Mark and Grether Group offers concierge-level service… personalized attention… to buyers and sellers… landlords and tenants … here in Malibu.

The Mark and Grether Group… a top producing team with 35 years of experience… and over $1 billion worth of real estate sold in least… from Malibu’s coastline to the canyons.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Brewing Company.

Malibu Brewing Company is a locally owned craft brewery, proudly supporting our community, and local public radio.

The tap room at Trancas Country Market is open… 

A chef prepared menu to enjoy on the patio or inside.

Malibu Brewing Company Malibu California

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Support for KBUU radio comes from Saguaro Technology.

Based in Malibu … Saguaro Technology offers software development and other engineering services across the entire product life cycle… and across several industries.

Life sciences, automation, robotics. 

Saguaro Technology engineers work side-by-side with the client to extend engineering teams… to create and launch products faster… and more cost effectively. 

Saguaro Technology can be reached at saguarotech.net

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Foundation.

The Malibu Foundation underwrote the KBUU solar panels and batteries at the transmitter … which keeps KBUU’s FM transmitting on 99.1 during storms and blackouts… 24 seven… on clean renewable Malibu sunshine.

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You can hear the news live every morning until 9:30 on KBUU.

FM 99.1 in western Malibu.  Also: streaming at www.radiomalibu.net

Between 10 and 2 … you can hear the newscast playback loop on KBU2. That’s on FM 99.1 HD2 in your car, or streaming at s7.viastreaming.net/6500

If humanly possible, the KBUU NewsScript is usually published at around midday at www.radiomalibu.net