King Harbor Rezoning Vote Still in Limbo

The fight for a public vote on the rezoning of King Harbor could be resolved by August, as citizen group Building a Better Redondo (BBR) and the city attorney are in discussions regarding a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit May 20.

BBR alleges that the City Council violated Measure DD, an amendment to the city charter that says that citizens should be able to vote on major land-use changes. The City Council says that Measure DD does not apply to the proposed 400,000-square-foot development for King Harbor because it was approved before the amendment was enacted.

"I think it should be voted on," said Dee Devore, owner of the Redondo Sport Fishing Co. "What they want to do is tear down a lot of businesses that are here, like us, and build condos. I think it would be putting a lot of businesses out of business that have been here for many years. They just care about themselves making money."

Though no court date is set at this time, City Attorney Mike Webb and BBR would like the matter resolved as quickly as possible. Although Webb wishes to set a "reasonable" timeline that will cut costs for both parties, he has a bleak outlook on the lawsuit.

"I don't know that there can be a 'win' in this situation. Both sides are going to have to spend a significant amount of money that might be better spent elsewhere," Webb said. "I don't know if there can be a 'win,' even if the court were to agree with our position that the zoning is already is in place, because we would have to spend money that would be better used for the residents of Redondo."

Although voting on the zoning map is not resolved, the Coastal Land Use Plan —which will establish building guidelines for the development—will be subject to a citywide vote in November. But BBR is not satisfied with having a say on  just the plan. It wants a say on the zoning map itself. BBR has raised more than $46,000 and is determined to see both matters on the ballot.

Residents voted for Measure DD because they wanted a say on development in the harbor, said Jim Light, BBR's president. "The rezoning of the harbor is the biggest rezoning we'll see for a long time," he said. "The people should have a right to vote on that."

The battle over King Harbor began in May 2008 when the City Council approved the new zoning ordinance. After close to two years of heated discussions between Building a Better Redondo and the City Council, the city decided to uphold its rezoning decision in April. BBR filed its lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court a month later.