by Garth Meyer
Long-in-the-works upgrades to Seaside Lagoon were approved by the Redondo Beach City Council Tuesday, including a new restroom, shower and complete new water system for the lagoon.
Last year, ir was shut down for two weeks during the prime season due to a broken pump, which led to a $175,000 state environmental fine – a number the city negotiated down.
The existing pump system draws, treats and discharges ocean water.
“It is very costly to maintain,” Redondo Beach Community Services Director Elizabeth Hause told the council.
The new system will feature recirculated, filtered chlorinated water, instead of using the ocean as the source.
The lagoon will be moved north, but remain within the current fenced area. Its depth will be five feet, with concrete liner on the bottom, covered in sand.
A lap pool was scrapped by the city council due to cost. It would have required separate fencing and restrooms.
“This is what we can reasonably afford to build in the near future,” City Manager Mike Witzansky said. “…We’ve been at this conversation for 20 years.”
The city’s goal is to have the work complete by the May 2028 BeachLife Festival. The 10 months of construction would start next April.
Cost is estimated at $11 million.
“This will be far easier to deal with than what we have today,” Witzansky said, referring to maintenance and operations.
“This is going to be a beautiful facility,;if we can afford it, let’s not put in a chain-link fence,” said Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic.
In 2023, the previous city council chose contractor Nuvis, funded by a $10 million state grant. $7.9 million remains in the budget after the initial design work.
“I believe we’ll be able to close the funding gap,” Witzansky said, citing Quimby funds, to make up the $3 million needed. (Quimby money comes from developer fees, which go to park or recreational purposes).
“I would argue this is the most important project on this year’s Capital Improvements list,” Witzansky said. ER
Measure C was not a blank check for the City to redesign the Seaside Lagoon however it wants. The Coastal Commission staff report makes clear that the City must maintain the existing lagoon, or if that is not feasible, replace it with a “pool or similar swimming facility” that preserves equivalent water surface area, beach, and amenities. It also explicitly prohibits converting the lagoon into an open-water beach connected to harbor waters. Source: California Coastal Commission staff report on Measure C (LCP Amendment No. 1-17), which outlines the voter-approved requirements for the Seaside Lagoon. The issue raised by this latest approval is not whether upgrades are allowed—they are—but whether the newly approved design actually meets the voter-approved standard for an equivalent replacement.
Measure C anticipates that changes to the water system may be necessary, but it still requires that any replacement function as the same type of public recreational facility. That means equivalence is not just about footprint—it’s about preserving the lagoon’s role, usability, and character as a dedicated, water-oriented recreation space. A fully recirculating, chlorinated system may be easier to operate, but the City still needs to show how this design is genuinely comparable to what voters approved, not simply that it works from an engineering standpoint.
If the City believes this project complies with Measure C, then it should clearly explain how the new lagoon meets the requirement for an equivalent facility in terms of public use, experience, and coastal setting. Voters approved specific protections for Seaside Lagoon, not just a general renovation. Until that equivalence is demonstrated, it is reasonable for residents to question whether this project aligns with both the language and the intent of Measure C.
I wrote Measure C. We are making sure the lagoon complies. In fact the design that first came back did not comply, so I worked with Nuvis and Director Hause to make changes. For example, the elimination of the Lanai structure did not meet Measure C. I then asked that the Council get to review the design as it was substantially different than what we approved in Oct 24.
In the end, this project must be approved by the Coastal Commission. They will use our LCP, which includes Measure C to evaluate the project. So the project will have a check and balance beyond the City Council.
FWIW, I agree we should come back with a checklist demonstrating how the project meets the requirements of Measure C.