Malibu Planning Commission backs draft planning-code changes to speed fire rebuilds, asks council to resolve seawalls, FEMA issues

Malibu Planning Commission members voted unanimously Feb. 20 to forward a package of proposed changes to the city’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) and Municipal Code (MMC) designed to speed rebuilding for properties damaged or destroyed in recent wildfires, especially those affected by the Palisades Fire.

The commission’s recommendation follows a lengthy staff presentation and more than four hours of public comment in council chambers and online. The draft amendments largely implement Governor Gavin Newsom’s Feb. 13 executive order N-20-25 for Palisades Fire rebuilds (which suspends selected Coastal Act and CEQA requirements for eligible repairs and replacements), while proposing additional local rules—temporary housing limits, ADU adjustments, and a new rebuild-development-permit process—to reduce processing time for fire victims.

The package matters because it changes what approvals Malibu homeowners must seek after a disaster. “Under the governor’s order, CEQA and parts of the Coastal Act are suspended for Palisades Fire rebuilds where structures are in substantially the same location and do not exceed 110% of their footprint or height,” said Tyler Eaton, principal planner for the City of Malibu. Eaton presented the draft LCP and MMC changes and explained how the city proposes to interpret “primary development area / footprint” and to handle temporary housing, accessory dwelling units and storm/flood‑related FEMA elevation issues.

The commission’s action: it voted to recommend the draft amendments — including the edits discussed at the meeting — to the City Council, and recorded a unanimous roll‑call vote in favor (Vice Chair Peake: yes; Commissioner Leonard: yes; Commissioner Mazza: yes; Commissioner Riddick: yes; Chair Hill: yes).

Why this matters: The governor’s executive order limits required coastal and environmental review for eligible Palisades Fire rebuilds, but it applies only to Palisades Fire properties and addresses footprint and height (not every local code topic). The planning staff’s draft tries to translate the executive order into local code language, identify gaps (for example where local permitting or FEMA elevation rules remain applicable) and create a city‑level process — the proposed rebuild development…