AES Seeks Ballot Initiative to Shut Down Power Plant, Replace with 'Harbor Village'

From a press release:

AES today said a notice of intent will be filed with the city later this week to begin gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that will give Redondo Beach voters the opportunity to vote on a plan allowing its waterfront power plant to be shut down, and the site transformed into a thriving “Harbor Village,” with a balanced mix of homes, businesses and permanent open space, creating jobs and an important new source of revenue for the city.

“This is a smart, responsible proposal that provides enormous benefits for our 
community and treats AES fairly,” said Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel. “After hosting a power plant for more than a century, Redondo Beach finally has the choice to move on without one. The ‘Harbor Village Initiative” is a shared victory for all sides, and it has my full and enthusiastic support.”

“Since power generation is our core business, we’re still making progress on our plans to replace 3,500 MWs of power generation at our three existing power plants in Redondo Beach, Alamitos and Huntington Beach with new, modern facilities,” said AES Southland’s Eric Pendergraft. “At the same time, we’ve been working on a plan that would enable us to close our Redondo Beach plant and revitalize the site in a way that allows us to receive fair value for our property.

“If approved by voters, the ‘Harbor Village Initiative’ would make this possible,” said Pendergraft. “Meanwhile, we’ll continue moving forward with our efforts to replace our Alamitos and Huntington Beach power plants with new natural gas plants and energy storage facilities.”

With voter approval of the initiative, the existing power plant could be shut down by 2020 and removed from the site, and no new power plant would be built. 

The site would then be developed in accordance with the zoning designations and requirements established by the initiative. Any specific project proposed under the new zoning would need to be approved by the city council, and complete a formal environmental review to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. In addition, the new land use and zoning plan would be subject to review by the Coastal Commission.

The initiative also guarantees that at least ten acres at the site will be used for 
parks and open space.

“We’ve always been willing to work with the community to explore alternative 
uses for our property,” said Pendergraft. “This initiative would give Redondo Beach the opportunity to transform the site into a vibrant part of the waterfront, providing jobs, healthy economic growth, and new revenue for city services. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Pendergraft said the plan would complement current efforts by the city and CenterCal to revitalize the pier area.

“By removing the old power plant, views of the harbor and coast would be enhanced, and surrounding property values would increase,” said Pendergraft. 

Under the initiative, two distinct districts would be created at the site:

• A “mixed-use zone” along Harbor Drive that encourages pedestrian-active retail and visitor-serving uses, restaurants, art and cultural facilities, offices, and similar uses serving residents and visitors, together with residential uses above the ground floor
• A “low-density residential zone” to the east of the mixed-use zone designed for single-family residences

The initiative limits overall development on the site to 600 new residences, 250 
hotel rooms and 85,000 square feet of commercial space.

In addition, the proposed initiative requires the creation of a new pedestrian esplanade/public plaza fronting Harbor Drive, continuation of the existing Veterans Parkway (Hermosa Valley Greenbelt) to the coast, a new tree-lined pedestrian promenade along Herondo Street, and four acres of additional open space that could be used for a neighborhood park or recreational areas.