Public comments are currently being taken regarding the environmental impacts of a potential project at the South Bay Galleria, 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., that hopes to redesign and renovate the regional mall that many, including local officials, believe needs a rejuvenation.
A notice of preparation was issued at the beginning of the month, indicating that the Galleria was looking to add up to 217,864 square feet of net new retail space, comprised of department stores, restaurants, shops, entertainment functions and office space.
The notice, however, also stated that the proposed project intends to include an up-to 150 room hotel, and 650 residential units, which are allowed under the Galleria’s current CR-Commercial Regional zoning.
Redondo Beach’s 2013-2021 Housing Element indicated that the Galleria is “the site with the greatest potential for residential development,” allowing for up to 1,172 units over the 29.85 acre property.
A city-led public scoping meeting, to discuss the project, California Environmental Quality Act guidelines and potential environmental impacts of the project, was held at the Galleria on October 10.
A slideshow presented at the meeting showed no detailed drawings of the project, only a rough drawing overlaid on satellite photos of the Galleria site, indicating preliminary locations of the hotel, residential buildings, parking, retail buildings and public open space.
District 4 councilman Steve Sammarco, who represents the area the Galleria is in, and was in attendance at the meeting, believes that renovations for the mall are a long time coming.
“There’s something that needs to be done — it was probably time five or ten years ago, and it’s definitely time now,” he said. “This is one of the shining stars of Redondo Beach that’s been out for a while, and we need to redevelop it into something that we all want to go to and spend time at.”
What concerns him, however, is that the current sketches give little indication of what the mall’s future is, beyond squares drawn on a map.
“Those boxes don’t tell us a whole lot,” Sammarco said. “They don’t give us a direction of who the anchor tenants may be or what directions they may be going; establishing that might inspire a bit more community input.”
The question of an anchor tenant is significant — this month, the Galleria lost Nordstrom to Torrance’s newly-renovated Del Amo Fashion Center as part of a $200 million remodel.
The Galleria, which serves residents from around the South Bay, represents nearly 40 percent of the city’s annual sales tax revenues.
District 5 councilwoman Laura Emdee feels that the potential for housing units on the property could be hugely beneficial for North Redondo, as well as armed service members stationed at the Los Angeles Air Force Base.
“People who are stationed here, even if they’re only here for two years, need to have an affordable place to live,” she said. “We’re dependent in North Redondo, with most of us connected to the Air Force Base somehow — you can’t throw a rock without hitting an engineer in our area — and there’s a lot of support for more walkable housing.”
Sammarco believes it’s not just about quality of life, but also of civic pride — and that the Galleria’s owners, Forest City, will create a regional property the city can be proud of.
“At the end of the day, I want something that’s a crown jewel for Redondo Beach, something that’ll have people say ‘Del Amo who?,’” Sammarco said. “We just need to put our heads together and make sure it’s something that we all want.” ER
