Unfortunately, there has been some amount of speculation, rumors and untruths circulating about the proposed development of homes in the Sweetwater Mesa area of Malibu. Much of the criticism of the project has been raised by Jim Smith, a disgruntled neighbor with a history of degradation of coastal resources. Below are some of the more common misstatements and factual refutations of those accusations. Click on a myth below to read the facts.

Myth
The Sweetwater Mesa development will "level" a mountain in Malibu.

FACT
This is utter nonsense. The owners have retained a world-renowned designer,
Wallace Cunningham, who specializes in sustainable design and a philosophy that the land should dictate each individual design rather than the design being imposed on the land. The designer was handpicked by the owners for this very design philosophy. The well-respected firm Whitson Engineering is responsible for grading plans. Another award-winning designer, local landscape architect Pamela Burton, will do the landscaping. Each home has been tailored to the site-specific contours of the land and they are notched into the hillside to avoid the extensive grading required to create traditional flat building pads. The end result is a unique, aesthetically superior design that follows the contours of the land to minimize visual impacts.

Click on a myth below to read the facts.