LOS ANGELES — Turning that Malibu dream house into reality is never easy, even when you are a world famous rock star.
The California Coastal Commission, which oversees development near the shoreline, this week rejected a plan from David Evans, better known as U2 guitarist the Edge, to build five mansions along a remote stretch of scenic Malibu coastline. The commission’s 8-to-4 vote capped four years of wrangling over the project, and the battle may now move to court.
“This is one of the most environmentally devastating projects that I’ve seen in the 38-year history of the Coastal Commission,” said Peter Douglas, the agency’s executive director.
While celebrity mansions are hardly new to Malibu, Mr. Evans’s building plans have been a source of particular controversy, which pitted environmental groups against each other.
The houses Mr. Evans envisioned boast state-of-the-art green building techniques: solar panels, rainwater catching systems and native plants.
But despite that, environmentalists particularly opposed the road that would have to be built just to access the homes, while some potential neighbors in this most exclusive of enclaves disliked the idea of five homes — each more than 7,000 square feet — marring their view of the cliffs.
Mr. Evans and the four other property owners mollified one conservancy group that had opposed the project with a donation of $1 million, an open space dedication and a trail easement that would allow hikers to pass through an area currently closed to the public.
“The property owners worked diligently to develop home designs that would meet some of the highest standards for sustainability,” Fiona Hutton, a spokeswoman for the property owners, said in a statement. She noted dozens of other homes of similar size in the area that the Coastal Commission had supported.
But Mr. Douglas said the lack of infrastructure greatly multiplied the environmental impact of any project at the site.
Ms. Hutton said the owners were now considering their options, including litigation. A judge would then rule on whether the commission’s decision amounted to an unconstitutional “taking” of the land, which legally can be developed.
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