U2’s The Edge wanted to build five green homes along the stunning coastline of Malibu. The eco friendly homes would have overlooked the Pacific Ocean but officials have barred them because they felt that the houses would be a visual blight and damage the vegetation around the coastline.
The Edge, also known as David Evans, purchased the 156 acres in 2005, it is set on a ridge top and he has been trying to win approval for the eco friendly homes ever since. He calls the project “Leaves in the Wind” and along with his partners he argues that the development would be one of the most eco friendly development in the world. The green homes would feature solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system, earth toned buildings and have on-site electric vehicle charging.
However the California Coastal Commission have rejected the plan and the years of fighting for approval are no over. Peter Douglas is the Commission’s executive director and believes that the development is one of the worst that he has ever seen in terms of environmental devastation. He believes the development to be a contradiction in terms because of its location and the fact that they are claiming to be environmentalists.
It is environmentalists who were opposed to the development because they felt that it would have spoiled the views of the ridgeline for over a mile along the coast. Malibu City councilwoman Linda Rosenthal said that many people have been concerned about the development, it has become a big issue and many people are talking about it.
The Edge and his associates are not giving up hope yet. They are considering a legal challenge and are looking at other options to revive the project. A spokeswoman for him said that the property owners had worked diligently to develop green homes that would have met the highest standards in terms of sustainability. They would blend seamlessly with the natural landscape and preserve the vast majority of their private lands as open space.
It is reported that The Edge paid $9million for the undeveloped land in 2005. His vision was to build five 10,000 sq ft eco friendly homes that would have looked like “scattered leaves in the wind” hence the project name. He wanted to keep one of the green homes for himself and sell the other four, reportedly for $7.5million. It was when he put the plan to the local community that his dream turned sour. When neighbour’s discovered that he would have to build an access road into the development things began to unravel. The development is close to the Serra Retreat where Mel Gibson, Kelsey Grammer and Britney Spears have homes.
Many feel that The Edge should have built on a brownfield site rather than undeveloped land. This was probably the main reason that the development will now have to go through legal matters if it is ever to be built.
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