Redondo Beach planning
panel moves to deny mixed-use proposal at former Bristol Farms
site
A mixed-use project located in the Redondo
Beach as it was first proposed, containing 180 unit apartment and ground-floor
retail. The construction was slated in late 2015. (Credit: Legado Companies)
After a flood of residents blasted a mixed-use
development for the former Bristol Farms site as far too dense and out of character for the
village-like area, the Redondo Beach Planning Commission is poised to reject it.
The commission directed city staff shortly
before 1 a.m. Friday to come back with the necessary documents allowing it to
deny the Legado Companies proposal at its next meeting, Aug. 20.
“This is too massive, too dense, too
inappropriate for our neighborhood,” said resident Amy Josefek, echoing the
sentiments of many.
The application has been criticized since it was
first pitched in 2012. Residents said the initial plan for nearly 200 apartments
and 37,600 square feet of commercial space on the 4-acre site at the corner of
Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard would attract even more traffic to an
already clogged and hazardous intersection near Riviera Village.
Legado is proposing to demolish all of the
retail space currently on the site at 1700 S. Pacific Coast Highway — a small
strip center housing an art gallery, massage studio and other shops — and
renovate the 110-room Palos Verdes Inn. In its place, Legado would build a mix
of market space, restaurant uses, ground-floor retail and a podium-level
restaurant with a mixture of glass, steel, concrete and wood
elements.
After a torrent of pushback from neighbors,
the commission in March sent Legado
back to the drawing board, tasking the
company to work with the community and return with a scaled-back
project.
On Thursday night, Legado re-presented its
proposal, with a few alterations: a two- to three-story apartment complex
instead of four stories, an 18 percent density reduction, 145 units instead of
180 apartment units and an additional level of subterranean parking, along with
various ideas to improve traffic.
But that wasn’t enough for the
neighbors.
More than 60 residents living near the site
spoke out fervently during the hours-long meeting, so well attended that people
sat in the aisleways of the council chambers while others gathered
outside.
Speakers said attempting to cross the street now
is a death wish. With hundreds of new residents, shoppers and diners at the
proposed new development per day, the traffic will be unbearable, they
said.
“To say traffic will be mitigated by adding a
turn lane or two or removing a median is ludicrous,” Josefek said. “While the
developer should not have to cure all the ills around it, it should not be
allowed to increase them either.”
Most of the concerns centered around traffic,
parking and density, while others lambasted Legado for its poor community
outreach and refusal to significantly downsize the project. A few said they
found the proposed buildings plain ugly.
“To me, that building looks like a parking
structure with windows,” said Joe Oliveri, who owns a salon blocks from the
site. “What we need is something that has charm, that reflects the attitude of
the community. All due respect to the architect, but you blew it. Aesthetically,
it is ugly.”
Neighbors said they aren’t against development
on the site, but it has to be appropriate for the neighborhood, fitting
seamlessly with the quaint charm of Riviera Village.
“This building would look nice in downtown L.A.
next to the Staples Center,” said Bertin Guillory. “This is a nice building in
the wrong spot. It’s just out of place.”
City staff and Legado representatives argued
that the project meets all city zoning and development requirements and the
proposed traffic mitigations were adequate. Staff also noted that the developer
would be providing a 12-foot-wide sidewalk, an extended bike lane and crosswalk
timing and bike parking spaces to increase walk- and bikeability.
But commissioners said it takes more than a
project simply meeting city criteria to warrant approval.
“It’s still pretty bulky. It’s a big mass. In my
opinion, it just doesn’t fit,” said Commissioner Doug Rodriguez.
The commission said projects typically don’t
have 100 percent support, but the Legado proposal was blatantly one-sided. Of
everyone that spoke Thursday night, only one woman supported the project,
commissioners noted.
“We don’t have to just approve it. Because we’re
representing the people,” said Commissioner David Goodman. “I personally don’t
find the design particularly bad, but I do find it big and dense. Most people
don’t come down here to say much of anything until they really care. If they
really care, we have to
listen.”
Comments