Redondo Beach city council moves ahead with Seaside Lagoon plan
By Garth Meyer
by Garth Meyer
After back-to-back public meetings Monday and Tuesday night at city hall about updating Seaside Lagoon, the city council voted to submit its plan to the Coastal Commission for approval, despite two Redondo Beach Harbor Commissioners and a member of the former Waterfront Amenities Plan working group asking for a pause.
The Coastal Commission application represents Phase 1 of a hoped-for further revamp of the 1962 public park.
Previously, on Aug. 25, the city’s Harbor Commission voted 7-0 for the city council to hold off, its concerns focused on lack of preparation for sea level-rise and compromises in lagoon depth and lack of sand in the bottom.
“It changed it from Seaside Lagoon to a pool; from nine feet deep to five feet, saltwater to fresh. It takes it from Thanksgiving all-the-fixings to meat and potatoes,” said Ryan Ableman Monday night, Harbor Commission chair, during the Commission’s follow-up meeting.
City Manager Mike Witzansky and staff assured the public Tuesday at city council that since the Harbor Commission’s vote asking it to pause, the city – and its engineering consultants – has revised their plan to address sea level rise, by adding a pressure-release valve system at the bottom of the Lagoon, and potentially increasing its bulkhead down the line.
“Is it perfect? No,” Witzansky said. “Projected sea level rise from 2000 to 2050 is .4 feet to 1.1 feet… We’re building the base of our facility above our current tideline…”
Elizabeth Hause, Redondo Beach waterfront and community services director, noted that she and Marc Weiner, community development director, referred to state sea level-rise guidance which requires any coastline project be adaptable to rising water.
The week in Redondo Beach began Monday night with the Harbor Commission meeting, for which commissioners invited Allen Sanford to tell about his proposal of building a wave pool as part of the Lagoon.
The idea, endorsed by the King Harbor Association, would keep the existing wading pool but reduce its size.
Public comment Monday, and Tuesday for the city council, focused on whether a public park should accommodate a public-private partnership for a proposed wave pool, or other concept, in the interest of economic revitalization of the area.
Sanford is the co-founder of BeachLife Festival and California Surf Club, adjacent to Seaside Lagoon. King Harbor Association is a waterfront business group.
Director Hause reported Tuesday that the Lagoon was open 104 days for the 2026 season, with 67,727 admissions. The city has paid $935,000 in state water quality fines due to rules on ocean discharge (chlorine) from the Lagoon since 2001.
Features of the plan to be submitted to the Coastal Commission are a concrete bottom past the Lagoon’s lowest entry, lap-swim buoys placed in the deeper end, added restrooms at the south end, a new stand-alone luah, seasonal fencing to allow the non-water section of the property to be used year-round, and increased ADA-accessibility; a ramp into the lagoon itself.
The city hopes to be approved by the Coastal Commission early next year, hire a contractor and complete the work to re-open the lagoon by the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“A very quick timeframe, but we think we can do it,” Hause said.
Before public comment Tuesday, City Councilman Scott Behrendt made a motion to approve the plan. Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr., seconded it.
Then came a stream of public comment.
An employee of the Shade Redondo hotel, first name Nia, called in to say that she “strongly supports” going ahead with the council’s plan to modernize the lagoon, citing safety, water circulation, environmental compliance and economic growth.
“Freshwater changes the character of Seaside Lagoon,” said another commenter.
“It’s losing all the character the Lagoon’s had,” said Jacob Mark.
Harbor Commissioner Leslie Chrzan, a mechanical engineer, stepped to the podium and requested saltwater for the Lagoon, and a full sandy bottom, retaining deep water. She talked about the previous lack of sea-level rise consideration in the plan.
“Adding a pressure release valve helps, but… these are static changes. A pressure valve is only part of the solution,” Chrzan said. ‘Slowing down is really frustrating, but we’ve got to get this right for generations to come.”
Tom Bauer of the Harbor Commission spoke too.
“Really, there isn’t enough money to make this look like Seaside Lagoon,” he said. “If we had more money, we would be doing something completely different.”
Another worker at Shade Redondo said that the hotel does support a wave pool, saying Seaside Lagoon today is not recommended to guests.
Then Gary Ohst stepped forward.
“You made a motion, and a second, to push this thing through before you’ve heard one word of public testimony,” he said. “…. You’ve got a problem when you’re own Harbor Commission voted 7-0 to pause this to make it better.”
Paul Hugoboom, a 44-year Lifeguard, said, “I implore you to pause, and hear other views.”
Then came Allen Sanford.
“I don’t watch football but I absolutely called an audible,” he said. “… I definitely didn’t do it for self-interest because I burned a ton of bridges… This isn’t about money, in 2027 I’d hoped to see a rigorous intellectual debate (about the future of the Lagoon and the area around it).”
“I got called a homeless surfer online this morning, so I dressed up for you all tonight,” he continued. “…..Have you spent your 10,000 hours being a BeachLife person. Do you know surf culture? … The no. 1 thing on your strategic plan is economic vitality… How much does it cost to run this thing once it’s open with all this new technology?”
“If for no other reason than showing respect for your Harbor Commission (put a pause on this),” said Mark Hansen, a member of the Waterfront Amenities Plan Working Group (2021-22) which studied the Lagoon and what should be done there.
“This is a regional state park, designed for no-cost and low-cost entry,” said longtime resident Leslie Campeggi.
Mayor Jim Light thanked everyone for their input and gave his thoughts, going back to discussions in 2006 about what to do at the Lagoon.
“Here we are in 2026, this is the closest we’ve gotten to revitalize that facility,” he said. “We’re not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Yes, we’re making changes (to the 2024 plan), but I don’t think they were major changes, but relatively minor.”
The plan is to be paid for by a $10 million state grant.
Mayor Light cited other Redondon Beach waterfront revitalization plans moving forward – a prospective new tenant at the former Fun Factory space on the Pier, plans for a potential market hall building, etc.
“We’re starting to see revenue pick up at the Pier,” he said.
“We’re parks poor. Our job is not to maximize revenue at Seaside Lagoon, but to make it cost-effective. And (paying fines) is not cost-effective.”
“This park is regional…. 70-80% of its users are from inland… Less than 1% of residents of L.A. County surf.”
“I do think we did the Harbor Commission some disrespect, I apologize, we should have come back with the incremental changes and explained why,” Light said.
Councilman Brad Waller asked about ocean saltwater for the Lagoon.
“The whole point of us reconstructing it is to get out of the seawater intake and discharge business,” City Manager Witzansky said. “We just can’t do it (anymore) and meet and maintain the county health standards… Candidly, it’s a miracle we have been able to keep this going for the past two decades.”
To more questioning from Waller, Witzansky explained that to keep the Lagoon’s eight-foot depth would be “prohibitively expensive” and would “create a risk of degradation at a higher rate.”
The new depth is to be five feet.
Director Hause showed that the annual estimated cost to maintain the new work would drop from $876,000 today to $639,000.
“We think revenue will go up and expenses will decline,” Witzansky said.
“Does anything we’re doing preclude a wave pool?” Waller asked.
“Can things be added to the east or south? Yes,” Witzansky said.
“I think we have to be intellectually honest,” Light said. “There are constraints that we couldn’t build over.”
“… We’d have to make a significant move into the parking lot,” Witzansky said.
Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic told the crowd that “we are actively advocating for more funds (to move this further forward).”
“Low-income uses for decades to come,” said Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr. “That’s exactly what the Lagoon is meant to be.”
HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING
The night before the city council met, the Redondo Beach Harbor Commission Sept. 14 took in an invited presentation from Allen Sanford about his potential “Ocean Park” concept with a wave pool, while reminding the public that the reason the commission voted against the city’s Lagoon plan three weeks before had “nothing to do with” the wave pool.
Instead, the reason was that the plan presented to them by the city Aug. 25 was “markedly different” than what the Harbor Commission approved from the city in 2024.
“More time is required,” said Commissioner Jamie Waryck. “More questions need to be answered. It was a brand new plan that we heard.”
The Sept. 14 session began with Sanford telling of the proposal he and the King Harbor Association have offered up, calling for a pause on what they describe as a “50-year decision.”
Sanford, a former 14-year resident of Redondo Beach, now lives in Palos Verdes.
“Is this a fresh vision or just a fix?” he asked of the city’s plan to rework infrastructure and add some amenities. “It feels like a fix with a dash of hope.”
Sanford noted that he felt “a bit foolish” about his investment in the waterfront with the California Surf Club, thinking that more was coming. “I don’t see a lot of strategy happening.”
He described the city’s Seaside Lagoon plan as “minimally viable,” in that it will stop environmental fines from the state, but do little else.
Sanford called for “real data to be accessed,” then cited the city’s figure of (67,000) admissions at the Lagoon for its 2026 season. Sanford estimated that the “Ocean Park” concept, with a smaller Seaside Lagoon, would bring 150,000 people or more per year.
He said that a wave pool can act as a swimming (lap) pool too.
“It could accommodate other uses,” Sanford said.
He addressed a question from Mayor Light in the press asking what if a public-private partnership went bankrupt.
“I’m pretty sure there would be a line of businesses who want to take it over and invest even more,” Sanford said.
The wave pool would likely be saltwater, he said, adding that he had not studied it enough yet to be certain.
Harbor Commissioners asked him about the projected $100-$150 per hour rate to surf the wave pool.
“We are in a hyper-inflated economy right now, we’ve just got to call it what it is,” Sanford said, noting the current cost of other entertainment.
Regarding a project in El Segundo to build a wave pool (inland), Sanford said that facility would target surfers specifically.
“This is an ocean park in Redondo,” he said. “I don’t see another way to create economics.”
Commissioner Waryck asked him about his motivations, regarding BeachLife.
“Right now BeachLife ends in 2029,” Sanford said, referring to ongoing negotiations with the city to extend the lease to use the grounds each May. “If it’s extended, we could potentially (do it using less space in the Lagoon) or go into the south parking lot.”
Veteran Harbor Commissioner Roger Carlson reiterated the question that has stayed in his mind.
“How do you get people down there on a Tuesday in February?” he said.
To more questions, Sanford said four surfers could be riding a wave in the pool at a time, and it’s not just that, noting firepits, grills, etc., on the drawing he commissioned.
“I think it’s going to be a town center. You don’t have to buy anything,” he said.
In public comment, Gary Ohst said to put a wave pool on the land behind the Post Office, or at the closed AES power plant site.
“The Coastal Commission can be tough on property owners. Imagine if it’s their land,” Ohst said, referring to the Seaside Lagoon property.
A woman from the public warned that “we could re-shape a public park around a business model that may not exist 20 years from now.”
“Is there enough repeatable demand for this wave pool?” said a Zoom commenter.
Laura Kassner said, “We’re being asked to accept a smaller Lagoon for a (commercial) attraction … A public park does not have to maximize nearby businesses.”
Scott Bradley, a three-year resident, called in to question why a swimming amenity needs to be open longer.
“Around the country, it’s understood that pools are open in the summer,” he said.
Another woman in public comment offered up a directive. “Tell the city to modernize, not privatize.”
SIDEBAR:
Roger Carlson, eight-year Harbor Commissioner, gave his reaction to Easy Reader about the Sept. 15 city council vote:
“The Harbor Commission, with public input, over the last five years, developed an overall waterfront Amenities Plan and a plan for Seaside Lagoon, which included full current depth, a closed salt water system, a sandy bottom, and splash pads and other water features. Amenities included fire pits, picnic tables, and recreation areas outside of the water area. Our plan was to give people daily access to these recreation areas with a fence that was put in place every night when the lagoon closed, so that people could use a picnic table and enjoy a sunset, as you would hope for in a state park on the ocean. Possible plans for this fence were something that rose out of the ground, like a bollard at a farmers market, or a fence that moved in on rails, or a fence that hinged up from the ground, so that by day it was a horizontal wooden boardwalk, at night a vertical fence. We never had a firm design for the fence; this was the sort of help we expected from a $2 million outside expert design firm.” ER
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