Santa Monica's Planning Commission approved the visionary historic renovation and public beach club propsed for the former Marion Davies Estate, Wednesday, April 5th, on a 6-to-0 vote following a large surge of community support for the project.

Only two days earlier, on Monday night, "Friends of 415 PCH" started a broad campaign to enlist community support for the proposed project. Within 48 hours, more than 500 residents had signed a petition calling on the city to approve the project and thanking the Annenberg Foundation for the generous grant that has made the development possible.

Planning Commissioner Darrell Clarke, an eight year veteran of the commission, said he did not remember a project on which he had received so many supportive emails from the community.

Seventeen members of the public attended to speak in favor of the project. Only one of the nearby residents spoke against it, along with an attorney who is representing an unknown number of the beachfront neighbors.

Despite being granted a three week delay at the previous Planning Commission hearing on the project, the neighbors attorneys submitted a lengthy letter challenging the project's EIR on a number of grounds, just an hour before Wednesday night's meeting.

Even with the last minute challenge and the possibility of a lawsuit, all six of the commissioners in attendance spoke glowingly of the project and approved it.

If, as expected, the unknown number of neighbors challenging the project file an appeal, the City Council will hear the matter sometime in the coming months. For more information, to see the petition or to sign up for email updates visit www.friendsof415.org. "Friends of 415 PCH" is a committee of the Santa Monica Conservancy and includes an array of community leaders.