Musician Says Media Isn’t Playing His Song

• Criticism of Project Acknowledged

BY BILL KOENEKER

After years of skirting the specifics of his ownership of a five-home subdivision planned for the hills high above Sweetwater Mesa, David Evans, known professionally as The Edge in the rock group U2, has claimed his interest in the project that has been soundly criticized.
Due to a worldwide media blitz of mostly bad press about an “issues-oriented” rock star turning into a land developer, Evans says he is responding with his take on the project on a website called www.leavesinthewind.com where the musician, using his stage name, attempts to persuade the visitor that the proposal is a fair and considerate use of the land.
The rock guitarist, who says that he and his wife Morleigh Steinberg have maintained a home in Malibu for the last 10 years, said he felt compelled to comment on the years-long effort to build a dream home after seeing the criticism that he alleges to be misinformation in the media.
“I never thought I would have to resort to this form of communication, but because of recent inaccurate media coverage, I felt compelled to set the record straight,” he wrote. “Why did we go to so much effort? Because my family and I love Malibu. We’ve maintained a residence here for more than a decade, and once our new home is finished, we expect to spend much of our time here.”
Evans said he and his wife were first looking for land back in the summer of 2004. At first, the five lots that were purchased seemed like too much money and were disregarded, according to the website. After a change of heart, he and a number of friends, as partners, bought the lots and entitlements. He did not say if the partners include any of his band-mates.
Evans indicates that he understands and acknowledges the concerns of the “immediate neighbors” about the disruption that would be created during construction and says he wants to minimize the disruption.
“I hope the facts and background we’ve included on this site will reassure anyone who may have concerns about our project. I know how quickly rumors can spread and misinformation can multiply,” he notes.
Some of the aspects of the project have changed, according to the website. He says homes are no longer the “McMansion size of 10,000 square feet,” but have been reduced to around 8000 square feet. All of the pools and guesthouses originally planned for the project have been eliminated, he adds, and all of the homes have been awarded LEED gold certification.
The next step in the approval process is the seeking of development permits from the California Coastal Commission.