The City Council on Tuesday approved changes to a large development on the refurbished upper Pier Avenue, where the original plan for stores, offices and a small eatery is being scrapped in favor of offices only.
The council okayed a parking plan, and amendments to a development plan, for the new commercial development, which consists of two buildings straddling Loma Avenue on the south side of Pier, where no business has existed since 2004, when White & Day Mortuary moved out.
The original plan called for retail businesses on the ground floors, with offices above and a restaurant, snack shop or coffee shop. But interest from merchants plummeted, and the El Segundo-based investment firm Marlin Equity Partners bought the development from Al Marco, planning to move about 25 employees into Hermosa.
On Tuesday, city officials said they were working with the new owners to make the buildings’ fronts more visually pleasing, and Marlin representatives outlined plans for an atrium visible from the street.
Councilman Howard Fishman expressed some concern that the change in the buildings’ use could open the door for changes in the use of other buildings on the avenue, eventually eroding the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere that officials want to promote.
“My concern is that if we just roll the dice and change the use, we could open up Pandora’s Box,” he said.
Marlin representatives told the council that employees in the Hermosa offices would patronize nearby businesses, and city officials have long sought offices in the downtown area to encourage more daytime business activity. The area is known for attracting greater attention on weekend nights, to the chagrin of some residents.
Just down the hill from the Marlin buildings, a 53-unit development on upper Pier is changing the other way, from originally-planned offices to rows of boutique stores. ER
