by Garth Meyer
A “transformational” change coming to Artesia Boulevard? City Manager Mike Witzansky suggested so Tuesday night after the city council gave direction to lift all parking requirements along the north Redondo corridor.
During the discussion, the council also expressed its desire to increase the buildable area on each lot, to allow for higher ceilings and taller buildings – with perhaps rooftop dining.
The long-in-the-works ideas to revitalize Artesia Boulevard and part of Aviation Boulevard stem most recently from a 2020 zoning change, which increased Floor Area Ratio – buildable space per lot on the stretch – from .5 to .6. The council on Aug. 5 talked about pushing it to 1.5.
Parking was also discussed, regarding what it is like now, and what the council hopes it will be in the future.
“We have an abundance of parking today that is totally underutilized,” said City Manager Witzansky. “Parallel parking on Artesia is always available… We have a supply problem. We don’t have a demand problem.”
“Parking relaxation early might be a (good) incentive to spur investment,” Witzansky said.
Each item in this week’s council talk was a directive for city staff to compose a new ordinance, or hold a special election next spring, as part of the land use element of the city’s General Plan Update.
For buildable area on Artesia – or Floor Area Ratio – Witzansky pointed out that if the council decides to raise it, they can later reduce it without needing to go back to voters.
Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr., in the first year of his second term, has long sought these actions.
“It’s so disappointing we never had the option of eliminating the parking requirement until today,” he said.
He showed a list of changes he would like to see – a 1.5 Floor Area Ratio (FAR), a cap at no higher than 1.5; allowable building height to increase from 30 feet to 45, and stories from two to three.
“People would rather have a renovated and revitalized Artesia Boulevard and a higher building next to them,” Obagi said. “What if we did 1.5 for three or four years, and after that it falls down to 1.25?”
Mayor Jim Light spoke against cutting parking requirements, saying it “flies in the face of” residential projects.
“Out of the gate, I’m against mixed-use,” he said. “… Co-living; I think we need to make that a priority.”
Councilman Brad Waller agreed with much of what Obagi, Jr., proposed, saying he looked forward to when “we need to put parking meters on Artesia Boulevard.”
For mixed-use, Waller spoke in favor of it because it subjects the city to fewer state laws than solely residential.
Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic also concurred with much of what Obagi, Jr., said, bringing up the idea of rooftop dining. Redondo Beach Community Development Director Marc Weiner said new height limits would allow a 10-foot open structure beyond the top of a building.
“I don’t think mixed-use is failing, it’s just commercial in general is failing,” Kaluderovic said.
For parking, she said her goal is to build a city parking structure, to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk.
“I think we need to send the bold signal that the status quo is not acceptable anymore,” said Kaluderovic overall. “We have high standards, we’re invigorating this space, we want investment, and if that’s not something that some of the owners want to take upon themselves, maybe there’s an opportunity… that gives them a buyout number that they’re excited about.”
“We need a strong commercial base to fund the services residential requires,” said Mayor Light.
Mickey Johnson, president of the North Redondo Beach Business Association, spoke also as a 30-year resident of North Redondo.
“Time is always the issue… Can we do the parking before the vote? We don’t even need the parking, we want to walk. And we could use some bike lanes too… let’s get this moving.”
City staff is expected to return to the council in September with a draft of an ordinance.
In May of this year, Weiner’s community development department sent out a mail survey to the 210 property owners on the Artesia and Aviation corridor. Drawing 24 responses, staff concluded that current development standards are a barrier to redevelopment.
A total of 71% of survey respondents said they would consider redeveloping their properties if development rules were adjusted.
“It’s a decent response,” Wiener told Easy Reader of the poll. “I don’t know if it’s statistically significant, but it helps confirm what some of our assumptions are.”
For parking, without any rules, developers will make their own decisions on how much or how little to include.
“It’s letting the market decide the necessary parking for a project,” Wiener said.
As part of the Redondo Beach General Plan Update, begun in 2016, a committee wrote a set of strategies for the Artesia-Aviation corridor, followed by a 2017 citywide market study, and 2019 study of development feasibility. These concluded that: near-term development of the Boulevards was significantly limited by shallow lot depths, Floor Area Ratio, height and story limits, and parking requirements.
In response, five years ago, the city council relaxed these rules and now look to take it further. ER
I don’t mean to be mean, but what have you all been doing this whole time if this is finally the decision you’ve come to? Have you been enjoying too many cocktails? Artesia has been a wasted asset for years and you’re just now acting on it? Pardon me for being suspicious…
We had Mayor NIMBY and now have Mayor NIMBY 2.0.