Riviera Village office fronts draw scrutiny
by Garth Meyer Prohibition may soon return to Riviera Village for ground-floor office space. Reinstatement of an earlier zoning ban on office tenants at street-level is under consideration by the Redondo Beach city council. The matter stems from the council’s current Strategic Plan, which aims to bring new businesses to the city and cut regulatory barriers to do so. This has led to questions about permit standards for realtors/notaries in Riviera Village, and how they effect the “mix” of businesses in the district, whether the walkable strip has become too weighted toward restaurants – or not weighted enough. As it stands, the Village’s “Pedestrian-Oriented Zone” limits offices to “second floor and/or above, or on the ground floor to the rear of other permitted retail or service uses, provided that the pedestrian character of the corridor is not disrupted.” However, in the past several years, three realtor offices have opened in street-front spaces. The city’s community development department allowed them because a “service” commercial use was included, namely a notary at the front of the offices. Riviera Village mostly consists of food and beverage and retail stores. City staff…
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