With a unanimous vote, the Redondo Beach City Council directed city staff to continue working with CenterCal Properties as the city's exclusive negotiating partner for the Redondo Beach waterfront revitalization project.
The vote was seen as an approval of the work CenterCal Properties has done on its vision of the waterfront.
The property makes up multiple acres of waterfront, including the Redondo Beach Pier, International Boardwalk and Redondo Beach Marina. The company's development plan was formed after multiple public workshops with input from residents.
"Tonight marks the next step in the exciting revitalization of the Redondo Beach waterfront," Harbor, Business and Transit Director Pete Carmichael said at the beginning of the city's brief presentation introducing CenterCal CEO Fred Bruning.
CenterCal's plan calls for open space and public areas; a market hall with restaurants and local businesses; more dining; retail and specialty shopping; a high-end, specialty movie theater with a full restaurant and bar; a boutique hotel; and office space for local professionals, according to Bruning.
"We think this has to be a very inviting space for the community," Bruning said when he explained the reasoning behind the large amount of open space. "We think this is a great place for people to gather for wellness—for yoga on the beach, for cooking demonstrations, for storytelling."
The marketplace—a 30,000- to 35,000-square-foot, single-level hall housing about 80 tenants—"would be very similar to a public market that you would find at Pike's Place (in Seattle) or the Ferry Building (in San Francisco) … a great place for lots of local tenants to come together and have a unique place on the waterfront," Bruning said.
Bruning and CenterCal President Jean Paul Wardy received applause and compliments from both the city council and residents.
"I personally have received a lot of compliments from folks about your firm (and) the amount of outreach that you have done," said Mayor Mike Gin from his spot on the dais. "You and your firm have really hit, I think, that point very well and have resonated with many folks in our community, so I have to express my appreciation to you."
The city council also approved an updated waterfront revitalization project schedule, a reimbursement agreement between the city and CenterCal, and an amendment to the exclusive negotiating agreement between the two parties.
Three more public outreach meetings—scheduled for April 11, May 11 and June 13—will be held before the city council considers a detailed development plan June 25.
Not thrilled with the commercial density, however. The added restaurant on the pier takes away the lovely open space for sitting and watching the ocean. The north side is looking really crowded with too many retail structures. The market will be amazing, as will some new restaurants with healthy food options that are not part of a chain. We need more open plaza areas there for gathering near the restaurants, and wider pedestrian paths separated a little from bikes and skateboards. Our friends are coming to visit next week and the idea of being able to walk to the pier and having dinner doesn't get any better.
Can't wait for our friends and family to visit to show them the new Redondo Beach Pier! I love Redondo Beach and call it my home and will be even more proud to call it my home once this begins.
Sheila
- The project has a HUGE parking structure that allows 45’ max. ht. BLOCKING the ocean view completely - Transforms the North section in a massive opaque corner, with a series of buildings scattered along the whole area that will create the second Berlin Wall - a bike path WITH pedestrians that will bump one to the other (like along the strand in Hermosa Bch). - The project has no RB historic theme This is what happens when a our City and Council, plus a Developer, have not used architects, urban planners and landscape architects to set the vision for the design of the waterfront. Typical RB City planning. Rushed, flawed, dense, blocked ocean views, and traffic nighmare will result. And with a new powerplant belching pollution next door, I now understand why they plan a HUGE WALL of buildings.