City Council to Give Residents Say on Waterfront Use

Forging ahead with plans to revitalize King Harbor, the Redondo Beach City Council on Tuesday upheld its amended zoning in the area to make way for as much as 400,000 square feet of new waterfront development.

In addition, the council agreed to put to a public vote controls on a variety of features the new development might include.

The decision came after a series of heated discussions between City Council members and the public.

Mayor Mike Gin said that the zoning change would exert controls over what can be built and are stricter than the existing zoning guidelines, known as the Heart of City.

"What this is all about is finally getting rid of the Heart of the City," he said. "It's giving you a tool to say no to the development."

"I know there has been a lot of fear out there about 400,000 square feet," Gin said. "I have to emphasize the capacity does not mean that it will be built."

The lone opponent to the rezoning, Councilmember Bill Brand, District 2, argued that the city was overstepping its authority by approving the amendment. He said the change needed to go to a public vote and that it does not have the support of the community.

"We need to fix what we have," Brand said. "One person's revitalization is another person's overdevelopment."

The Council agreed to present voters with proposed controls on future harbor development. Modifications to the Coastal Land Use Plan proposed by the California Coastal Commission would regulate a variety of development features including prohibition of limited use overnight visitor accommodations, fractional ownership hotels and condominium-hotels on state tidelands; creation of policies for siting new development to minimize hazards such as wave uprush areas, sea level rise and tsunami inundation zones; limitations on tree trimming/removal of trees associated with endangered species; maintenance and enhancement of marine resources for long-term commercial, recreational, scientific and educational purposes.

The city is aiming to have the measure ready for the November ballot.

In 2008 residents of Redondo Beach passed Measure DD in an attempt to gain control over harbor redevelopment and to prevent a rapid, large-scale makeover of the area. 

In 2009, the City Council submitted the amended zoning map and the Coastal Land Use Plan to the California Coastal Commission for approval. Last July, the state agency approved the amendments subject to the 16 suggested modifications, and the city's Planning Commission recommended that the City Council accept those modifications in October.

During the City Council meeting Feb. 16, members of Building a Better Redondo, a major endorser of the slow-growth measure, said that the zoning should be determined by a public vote. Although the amended zoning was approved by the city before Measure DD passed, the group stated that it is not yet in effect because the Coastal Commission hasn't certified it.

"It is the zoning ordinance that controls what can and cannot be built in the harbor," BBR Chairman Jim Light said on the group's web site. "It is critical the residents get to vote on this massive up-zoning as required by Measure DD."

City Attorney Michael Webb disagreed. He advised the City Council that although the Coastal Land Use Plan is subject to Measure DD, the zoning became effective 30 days after its passage in May 2008, therefore it doesn't require a vote. 

Webb further argued that the area's zoning has been inconsistent for years and he recommended the city council to take immediate action to fix it and be certified, so that the city can handle its own redevelopment plan without the state agency's permission.