by Elka Worner
Residents opposed to a plan that could bring up to 50 new homes into their neighborhood have a month to find alternate sites for affordable housing in Hermosa Beach, the City Council said at its July 11 meeting.
Under state law, the city must provide 558 affordable housing units by 2029. Potential sites for development must be submitted for state approval by October 15, 2023.
“I don’t have any objection to council members or a subcommittee trying to beat the bushes one last time to see if there’s qualifying sites, an owner willing to upzone in writing, even though we’re at the eleventh hour in the process,” Councilmember Justin Massey said.
Dozens of residents packed City Council chambers to voice their concerns about a proposed zoning change of St. Cross properties which they said would increase traffic, limit parking, and change the character of their residential neighborhood. With the proposed zoning change, the St. Cross site could accommodate as many as 66 units, including low-income units.
“We believe it provides St. Cross additional flexibility in terms of what it may be able to develop on parcels that are already residential and need to be redeveloped and in some cases the properties rebuilt,” St. Cross Senior Warden Jack Tedford said. “At the same time, it also helps the city satisfy its obligation under RHNA [Regional Housing Needs Allocation].”
But opponents said the church should be removed from the inventory list because there are other sites in commercially zoned areas which city staff may have overlooked.
Realtor and resident Robb Stroyke said he found at least three other sites – one on 11th Street, another in the 1700 block of Pacific Coast Highway and the Mitsubishi dealership on 190th Street and PCH – where owners expressed an interest in development.
“I found some lots and I found some folks who have an interest in doing something to try to alleviate some of the impact that might happen from what you’re considering,” Stroyke said.
Resident David Mercer, whose company owns 52 commercial units on Pier Avenue, said he was never contacted by the city about offering his property as a potential site for development.
“We are restricted by our conditional use permit from allowing residential,” Mercer said. “I would offer that up if you take that condition off of me. Maybe you could count that towards your 500 units.”
Community Development Director Carrie Tai said the city is past “statutory and extended deadlines” to submit its Housing Element for state certification. If the city does not meet the Oct. 15 deadline, it could face fines, litigation, lose local permitting abilities, and be ineligible for state funds, she said.
Tai said the city has very specific criteria when identifying sites for the low-income units. Those sites must be half an acre, she said. “City staff scoured every site, looked through thousands of properties, that’s what we’re struggling with, that half acre.”
Tedford said the church offered their properties but has no plans for any developments.
“We have not sold any of the properties. We are not planning to sell any of the properties,” he said. “We have not entered into a contract with a developer to work on the residential properties and we are not even talking with any developers at this time.”
“While there is no project currently proposed you can bet on one thing: If all or a portion of the property is sold, the developer will build it to the maximum heights, the maximum densities and the maximum square footage. That’s the way the market works,” neighbor David Belasco said.
“There are more sensible solutions and compromises. Please find them. You’ll be heroes,” he told the council members.
But council left it up to residents to find alternate properties. The City Council directed residents and local realtors to submit a list of potential sites to city staff and council members before their Aug. 8 meeting.
City Manager Suja Lowenthal said the city would review the alternate sites, but assured councilmembers that most parcels have already been reviewed.
“We had two different Housing Element consultants, both of them ran every parcel in Hermosa Beach through a criteria matrix to come up with the inventories list. Does that mean one or two sites may not have been left off, I can’t guarantee that, but these are individuals who are in this specialty. It’s their work,” she said.
Councilmember Rob Saemann said he supports looking for other properties and would be happy to help with the process but expressed “little hope that there are other sites that we can use.”
“We need to do what we need to do to retain as much control over our own city as we can and unfortunately, I think that means passing this ordinance, passing the Housing Element,” he said.
Councilmember Mike Detoy said he also supported the Housing Element and the zoning changes proposed by the city.
“I am supportive of the Planning Commission and staff’s recommendations of the Housing Element,” Detoy said. “I do want to pause, just maybe for a meeting, just to explore those extra sites that came up in discussion tonight. I think that there is some potential out there.” ER
