Edge Losing his Edge by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
Does it make sense for U2, the world’s leading rock band to allow itself to appear to be hypocritical in Malibu, of all places? As I recall, U2 was the first really famous musical outfit to speak of saving the environment and to get involved in world improving projects. They were into the environment even before everybody started calling it green.
So, how does that effect Malibu real estate you may ask? One of their stars, The Edge, is trying to slice up a beautiful, pristine natural mountain top that is located in an exclusive, private, 24 hour gated residential part of Malibu. The Edge wants to disrupt this really perfect, uniquely Malibu environment, and build six monster tract houses in place of the natural countryside.
Okay. Maybe going into such a choice neighborhood does not disturb some of you, but maybe this next detail will put you over the edge. The Edge has been selling the City Council and Planning Commission and other bureaucrats on how much this project will raise the local tax base. And he has also been reassuring them all that this mountain top scraping will require removal of only 77,000 cubic yards of earth trucked through the solitude of this sublime neighborhood. And he states that it will take 4,500 truck loads to accomplish the job. That’s a lot just to start with, but wait.
It is here that the numbers caught the humorously arithmetical eye of well known Malibu geologist and longtime resident, Don Michael, as he writes, “the largest usable truck is a 10 wheeler, and 10 wheelers only carry about seven cubic yards. Any contractor not working for the developer (ho ho), will tell you that when rock is excavated, it undergoes “breakout”, which means that the volume of rock in the ground is less than that same volume after it is excavated”. It now takes up more hauling space and the cubic volume increases by about 20%, resulting from this loosening “breakout”. So, increasing the conservative estimate by 20%, then, DOUBLING IT, you have somewhere between a nightmarish 11,500 to over 13,000 truck trips in round numbers. Why double it? Remember that for each load carried out, there is always the empty truck driving in, and making just as much noise and fumes, wearing down of the environment, too. Don’t forget
the unending annoyance to all residents and negative effects on property sales.
As Don Michael says, “So much for the forgotten, if ever learned, discipline of arithmetic in Malibu”.
And for all of Malibu, so much for the endless public relations of U2 being a goodly green group.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
