Malibu Beach Inn Loses Effort To Moving Parking To Other Side Of PCH

The longstanding effort by the owners of the Malibu Beach Inn … to move their parking lot across PCH to make way for a swimming pool …. got shot down at Malibu City Hall last night.

The city council rejected the idea of allowing a business to have parking valets crossing back and forth across the highway … to shuttle cars from the front driveway to the parkign lot down the road …

The hotel owners have hired traffic engineers … who say it would be no major traffic impact.

Residents nearly unanimously said that was a ridiculous insult of a supposition.

Speaking for the owners … Jeffery Seymour said business is down at the hotel because the beach has washed away.

NEWSCART 73330 INN JEFFREY SEYMOUR

HAVE MADE THE SAME INQUIRY

“Due to the loss of beach time our existing guests have questioned out not providing pool service.

“In addition … international travel agents … those that hotel markets … have made the same inquiry.”

The idea of letting the hotel move its business onto both sides of the highway has infuriated many Malibu residents.

Local architect lester Tobias said the Malibu Beach Inn acts as if it is entitled to spread across the highway.

He summarized their arguments in favor.

NEWSCART 73329 INN TOBIAS ONLY ABOUT THER MALIBU INN

“They deserve the approval because it has taken so long to get to this point.

“Five hundred new pages of work.

“International travel consultants have determined the pool is necessary to increase the hotel guest count.

“And then they reiterate that the pool is a guest-only feature.

“And again that reiterates my point: this is only about the Malibu Inn.”

Another resident … Ann Doneen … was typcial of the public opposition from Malibu residents.

NEWSCART 73328 INN DONEEN WRONG ITS INHERENTLY WRONG

“Anyone who looks at PCH in this area … any resident who is not in business at this site … with any common sense or sense of logic … knows that parking across the street at this dangerous area is just wrong.

“It is inherently wrong.”

The city council agreed.

By a 5 to nothing vote …. the city council found that the danger of pedestrians crossing back and forth … even if they are parking valets wearing vests … even with the new traffic installed … was just too much.

Councilmembers Paul Grisanti and Mikke Pierson.

NEWSCART 73330 INN PG AND MP WORRIES ME TOO

GRISANTI: “So I can’t see any way that this is actually going to work on a summer beach day if they are going to have to go back and forth to get to the valets.

“This is going to be a mess.”

PIERSON: “And as mentioned by the council … it is on the other side of the highway .. and I can’t get beyond that too.

“That worries me too.”

It looks like the Malibu Beach Inn has lawyered up … a lawsuit is likely …

The Mani Brothers … who own the Malibu Beach Inn … say they are not being treated equally.

They say other businesses are being allowed off-site parking.

City staff points out that offsite parking is on next door lots. 

The hotel has already convinced Caltrans that the city approved the offsite parking plan … and Caltrans allowed them to put in a private traffic light in front of the hotel.   

No plans to yank it out.