Opposition Withdraws Appeal for Malibu Memorial Park

MALIBU, CA — Malibu's Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MCRA) withdrew their appeal of the proposed Memorial Park located at 4000 Malibu Canyon Road yesterday. The Planning Commission approved the project on June 5 when Resolution No. 17-17 was adopted, according to a City of Malibu press release. All local appeals to the California Coastal Commission for the project have expired, and the Final City of Malibu Action is now effective.

In March, the MCRA wrote a letter to the City of Malibu Planning Department to oppose the Memorial Park, citing "inadequate Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration; inadequate mitigation

for loss of Commercial Visitor Serving uses and associated inconsistency with the Local
Coastal Program; and inadequate protection of, and mitigation for, impacts to
biological resources, including environmentally sensitive habitat area," according to the MCRA letter.

Before the Memorial Project, developers discussed building a high-end resort hotel along Pacific Coast Highway in the heart of Malibu, according to Malibu Times. The plans for the Memorial Park were first released in 2014 and while many "scoffed" at the idea of building a cemetery on prime Malibu real estate, the Malibu Planning Commission approved the project unanimously, according to Malibu Times.

The proposed Memorial Park is set to include a chapel, 176 parking spaces, 47 freestanding mausoleum structures, approximately 28,265 in-ground burial plot spaces intermittently located throughout the property, 3,644 interments in above grade wall crypt structures and approximately 65,036 square feet of walking trails on approximately 21.0 acres of the 27.8 acre site, according to a City of Malibu Notice of Public Hearing.

Photo courtesy of the City of Malibu