The release of new renderings for a large planned development has eased residents’ concerns about the fate of Hermosa Beach’s most fabled crossroads.
Strand & Pier, the project slated for the northwest corner of Pier Plaza, will include a 100-room hotel, multiple restaurants, and new retail. Previous plans, calling for the hotel to reach 45 feet in height, had drawn the ire of some residents.
But a presentation to residents last week left many in the community pleased with the alterations. In addition to bringing the building into conformity with the city’s 30-foot height limit, the ground floor of both the Strand and Pier Plaza sides of the project will contain public space rather than rooms.
“They did such a good job of showing what they had asked for then and what they are asking for now,” said resident Barbara Ellman.
The key to the alterations was the acquisition of property currently containing an empty eight-unit apartment building and Hermosa Cyclery, said Mark Bolour, chief executive of Bolour Associates, the developer behind the project.
“Getting that additional space meant we were really able to activate both Pier Plaza and the Strand,” Bolour said in an interview.
Acquiring the land turned the project from an L-shape into a square. The altered layout gave the project the flexibility to move rooms from the first floor, with back-of-the-house facilities being relocated closer to the project’s center.
The added space and square-shape also enabled the project to pursue underground parking. The project will contribute an estimated 178 spaces.
H2O Hermosa, a 30-room hotel planned nearby, is devoting almost its entire first-floor to parking. Developer Raju Chhabria has said that digging is not practical given the height of the water table.
Bolour said that although the water table is at roughly the same level for the Strand & Pier project, the size of the development with the added property made underground parking worthwhile.
“We have economies of scale,” Bolour said. “If we hadn’t gotten that extra piece, it might not have been financially viable.”
Even with the addition of underground parking, car flow in the area remained a concern for some residents. Dana Sayles, a partner at the land-use consulting firm Three6ixty who is working on the project, said that traffic and parking studies were still some eight weeks away. She said that the project would emphasize alternative transportation for its employees.
The project’s location could also make it easier for guests and customers to reach it in ways beyond a car. Updated plans call for approximately 180 bike-parking spots in the development.
“Look at the number of people that walk past that corner, that bike past that corner,” Bolour said. “This is one of the most sustainable sites in the South Bay.”
Steve Collins, co-owner of Hermosa Cyclery, said he has been in discussions with Bolour Associates about his store having a retail presence to complement the development’s bike-friendly ethos. With construction for the development still years in the future, nothing has been finalized, but Collins said he believes Hermosa Cyclery will find a place in the completed project.
One of the first concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting was the possibility that the project would impede the public views of the coast. Resident Dean Francois said although he thought the new designs were an improvement, limiting views means the project risks violating the Coastal Act.
“Hermosa Beach doesn’t have a lot of property that interferes with public views,” Francois said. “There may be blockage of views from private property, but that’s not what the act protects.”
(Francois is the political chair and chapter political committee representative for the Palos Verdes-South Bay chapter of the Sierra Club. He said his comments were his own, and that that the Sierra Club has not yet taken a position on the project.)
Bolour said that although review from the Coastal Commission is still years in the future, the project was designed with the law in mind, and that there are plans to “preview” the project with the commission to assure compliance.
“We’re very confident that what we have designed is in conformance with their regulations,” he said.
The development comes as the city attempts to redefine Pier Plaza to deemphasize drinking. The project, Bolour said, will still have some late-night activity, but is an attempt to broaden the appeal of downtown Hermosa beyond early-20s revelry.
“I want a five year-old to be able to have fun there,” he said said. “[Pier Plaza] has to be a place that doesn’t polarize anymore.”
Ellman said that politically active Hermosans have shifted in their views on the project, and now hope to work with developers to ensure compliance.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it, but with trepidation,” Ellman said. “I love the Deck, I’ll miss Good Stuff. But there’s only so much we can do, other than ask [developers] to follow city guidelines.”
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