by Garth Meyer
Should a boat ramp take the place of the Foss building at the waterfront, or the Riviera Mexican Cantina? Or neither, instead to be built in front of the California Surf Club?
The latest Redondo Beach effort to put in a boat launch zeroes in on these three options — shown in a special meeting Tuesday night at the Main Library – as the matter is set to go before the city’s Harbor Commission Oct. 13. The group will make a recommendation to the city council.
Representatives of SWA landscape architects (Los Angeles) presented options. The general location of Mole D had already been decided upon – the area south of Seaside Lagoon – based on previous survey work for the 2022 Harbor Amenities Plan.
Option A would put the ramp just past the existing Foss building, to face towards Kincaid’s across the inlet.
Option B would lay in the ramp right where Riviera Mexican Cantina is today, also facing south into the water.
Option C would run the ramp to the west, next to California Surf Club.
If all goes as planned, the project would be designed next year and built in 2027. The city has considered sites for a potential boat launch on-and-off since 1959.
For the latest effort, SWA has used wave instrumentation to study water activity, to be sure any given option would not flood – also to account for projected sea level rise.
SWA also examined parking and traffic circulation, concluding that 60 parking spaces would be required on site. They performed a demand evaluation too, tracking use levels of boat launches in Long Beach, Marina Del Rey, Newport Beach and others.
The conclusion was that two launch lanes were needed here and the 60 parking spaces.
The existing Redondo Beach boat hoist will be taken out regardless of where the ramp goes.
For Option A – running the ramp straight south and removing the Foss building – SWA stated at the Sept. 23 meeting that this offers better vehicle circulation than the others, though it would require demolition or relocation of Foss and a restroom building. It would have the lowest expected wave run-up, and keep the existing 10,000 square foot commercial space (Riviera Mexican Cantina).
SWA believes this would be the least expensive option and the easiest to get approved for.
Option B would offer more space for navigation once a boat is in the water. It would save the Foss and restroom buildings but take out the Cantina.
Option C, an SWA representative said to the crowd, would have the most potential conflict from kayak drop-offs and pedestrians on the promenade walkway. It would offer the widest navigational clearance in the water, and keep the restaurant, but be the least protected from waves.
It would likely cost the most, and have the most hurdles for Coastal Commission approval – regarding ocean impacts since the ramp would extend farthest out into harbor. The vehicle-trailer waiting line area offers the “least optimal space.”
At Tuesday night’s meeting, SWA conducted a real-time electronic survey. For the question, ‘how often would you use a Redondo Beach boat launch,’ 21 votes came in for “Unlikely” or “Never,” as opposed to 11 for “Very Likely.”
The vote count for which location-was-best-to-put-a-ramp was close: 17 votes for Option C, 14 for A, 9 for B.
A second survey was taken at the end of the meeting, asking again where should the boat launch be built? Option C still led, with 13 votes, to 7 for B and 5 for A.
Greg Kapovich, Redondo Beach economic and waterfront development director, explained that the city has much of the funding already secured for a boat launch, which would come from the California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways.
More grant money is to be sought, the application due at the end of January. To apply, city staff first needs a resolution from the city council to do so, and to identify a preferred location.
“This is a listening tour,” Kapovich said. ER
Below: Option A, B and C with benefits and drawbacks listed by SWA Group landscape architects.
Why not where Joe’s Crab Shack was? It’s sitting empty, and better protected from surf?
Actually, it is one of the most impacted from wave run-up. As earlier studies have shown it would need a large breakwall in deep water. The site is too small to provide adequate parking. The traffic flow on Portofino would be problematic especially with queueing backups on peak weekends. The boats would put in near where people are hand launchking kayaks and SUPs creating a safety hazard. And it would greatly conflict with the youth sailing program – the turn basin is where they practice turning and navigation.
This was also vetted in the Amenities Plan and the consensus was on Mole D not Mole C. Instead, the public chose to put waterfront education on the site to replace the old SEALab. The city is now in negotiations with Marine Mammal Care Center for a facility on the Joe’s Crab Schack site in accordance with the Amenities Plan.
Thanks. The new plan sounds amazing. Thanks for not putting it on Mole B.
Why not where Joe’s Crab Shack was? It’s sitting empty, and better protected from surf?
It is not better protected from the surf. In fact, it is one of the most impacted areas during a big swell. It also is too small to accommodate the parking. And it has issues with queueing blocking Portofino Way. During the amenities plan, the public indicated the desire for an education facility at this site. The Council approved it and now we are in negotiations with Marine Mammal Care Center for the site.