U2 guitarist The Edge – a.k.a. David Evans – doesn’t give up easily.
After years of rejection from the community and state officials, the Irish rocker is now on the verge of receiving approval to build five mansions on an undeveloped Malibu ridge.
The California Coastal Commission is meeting in Newport Beach today, and it’s scheduled to vote on a scaled down version of the plan Evans’ team first proposed nearly a decade ago. The Coastal Commission turned down the original building plan, and Evans responded with a lawsuit. Last month, a deal was struck – with commission staffers recommending approval for a scaled down version of the project.
Preservationists and neighbors have been fighting the development for years, saying it would cause irreversible damage to habitat and scar a pristine landscape. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was an early foe, but the group reversed course after the Irish rocker made a $750,000 donation.
To make the project more palatable, Evans agreed to reduce the size of the ocean-view homes and lower the height of some of them. He also increased the amount of land to be set aside for conservation. That hasn’t impressed opponents – many of whom are calling for a postponement of today’s vote.