On the Waterfront: Redondo Beach is on the cusp of a vast redevelopment of its waterfront. Is the proposed project a long-awaited revitalization, or a misplaced mall?
The Redondo Beach waterfront. Photo Mayor Steve Aspel, like much of his city, has spent the better part of this century arguing about the Redondo Beach waterfront. As a planning commissioner 13 years ago, Aspel approved the billion-dollar Heart of the City project, a vast reimagining of the Redondo waterfront that was intended to create a residential neighborhood and a seaside commercial village. The plan passed both the commission and the City Council unanimously and was then left in tatters as a spontaneous grassroots revolt gathered 10,000 residents’ signatures opposing it in a matter of weeks. Since then, much has happened in the city’s political sphere revolving around efforts to revitalize Redondo’s waterfront, including more plans, initiatives, ballot measures, and lawsuits.But on the ground, little has changed. On a recent Monday, Aspel and the city’s waterfront and economic development director, Pete Carmichael, gave a tour of the Redondo Beach harbor to a group of reporters. Near the end of a two-hour walk, Aspel stopped in his tracks. “We are spending our time congregating in parking lots,” he said, sweeping a hand towards the parking lots that stretch from Ruby’s Diner…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com