The first Development Project since the passage of Measure R has been approved by the Planning Commission and, as of last night, it has been approved by the City Council of Malibu by a vote of 4 – 1. This means that the time is now “ours”.
The Whole Foods Project is now set to come before a vote of the citizens of Malibu this November.
In my opinion, now that Measure R is the law of this land, Malibu’s big civic questions deserve to get the attention of ALL it’s citizens…and now we have our chance. In my opinion, there is a burden on all of us as citizens of Malibu to be educated on just what this project is, and what it isn’t. We need to separate myth from reality….facts from emotions…..
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I hope, for the sake of everyone who lives in Malibu…that every citizen takes the time to learn the specifics of this project…the site plan…the scale…the trees, the size of the trees, the size of the retail spaces, what actually does FAR mean, the access to and from, parking, the intangibles, etc..
Then, after deliberation, and in accordance with each and everyone’s own values and vision for what Malibu should reflect….we can all cast our vote as responsible citizens….knowing that we gave it our best. My opinion is certainly not worth more than anyone else’s.
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I would hope that we wouldn’t accept fully the depictions or characterizations of this Project by anyone on either extreme.
There will be emotions involved for many, and I think it is fair to say that everyone on both margins of this debate has what they feel are the best interests of Malibu “at heart” (from their own perspectives).…but, the facts of the Whole Foods Project should be looked at without prejudice, and without bias.…The facts should be peeled away from the fiction…then, and only then, will we be able to weigh that against any subjective factors that are less easily quantified. I, for one, will be satisfied to live with the chips wherever they may fall if everyone has had a chance to vote based on true substance. Granted, there are some subjective aspects to the impact of this Project…there are speculations by both sides…..there are “gut feelings”, reports, and rebuttals to those reports. I’m not smart enough to try and explain or manage those...but, I would hope for an invested citizenry…Malibu deserves nothing less…...wouldn’t you agree?
