A billionaire was accused of stealing Malibu sand. | Real Estate news

Beachgoers could be the big winners in a high-profile dispute between the California Coastal Commission and Mark Attanasio, the billionaire businessman who owns the Milwaukee Brewers baseball group.

In 2024, Attanasio’s construction group was accused of utilizing excavators to dig up sand from Broad Beach and carry it back to his property as half of a beachfront development. The construction work kicked off a lawsuit, adopted by an investigation by the Coastal Commission.

The investigation discovered that the unpermitted excavation degraded delicate habitats, according to a commission fact sheet. It also concluded that Attanasio’s project partially blocked public seashore access.

But the proposed decision is a bit unorthodox: instead of paying a effective or a payment, the billionaire has agreed to donate a $2-million oceanfront parcel to be preserved for the public, according to the Coastal Commission.

The settlement awaits an approval vote from the Coastal Commission, which is set for Sept. 10. Kenneth Ehrlich, an attorney representing Attanasio, said he received’t have a assertion relating to the deal until it’s accepted.

“We’re very excited because we rarely have the opportunity to dedicate a whole parcel to the public,” said Lisa Haage, the Coastal Commission’s Chief of Enforcement, including that opening public pathways to Malibu’s prized seashores, where homes crowd shoulder to shoulder, is always a problem.

Property donations aren’t unheard of in settlement agreements, but Haage said this is the first she will keep in mind in Malibu, where land is prized and residents persistently get fined for blocking public access.

“This is a better way to resolve the situation than settlement money sitting in a pot somewhere,” Haage said.

Attanasio’s beachfront mansion is in Broad Beach, but the property he’s donating sits about 14 miles east close to Big Rock Beach. He doesn’t own it yet; he’s presently under contract to buy the property and will donate it to a public company once the sale closes.

The property spans 5,135 sq. toes with 70 toes of seashore frontage. It beforehand held a three-unit building that burned in the Palisades fire. The parcel will probably be preserved for leisure use, but particular plans received’t be determined until it’s donated to a public company, according to Robert Moddelmog, who serves as Enforcement Counsel for the Coastal Commission.

“For decades, people have been asking why public agencies can’t buy some of these lots in eastern Malibu, but historically, it’s been a wall of houses,” Moddelmog said. “It’s rare that new acquisitions like this can happen.”

As half of the decision settlement, Attanasio has also agreed to return the sand and restore the seashore. Moddelmog said the excavator left a large gap in the rocky intertidal zone, where fish, sea stars and other species linger.

Over the last decade, preservation has turn into a focus in Broad Beach, a hyper-exclusive enclave where celebrities and business tycoons spend tens of tens of millions of {dollars} for houses proper on the water.

Over the years, the seashore has been battered by violent storms and high tides, main to important sand depletion. In 2015, high-profile residents including Dustin Hoffman, Ray Romano and Pierce Brosnan dedicated to a $31-million restoration project to bolster the seashore’s sand.