Final Waterfront Draft EIR Public Forum
Members of the public wishing to offer comment on the Redondo Waterfront Draft Environmental Impact Report have one more opportunity to do so before the city and their peers this Saturday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 300 N. Harbor Dr.
This forum, the third in a city-sponsored series that began on Nov. 21, shortly after the release of the DEIR, is intended to give interested citizens an overview of the project and its effects on the neighboring environment, and to offer public comment on issues they might have with the project and its effects as outlined in the report, created by city staff.
The Waterfront project, proposed by El Segundo-based CenterCal Properties, is a product of Measure G, passed by Redondo voters in 2010 as part of a plan to rezone and redevelop the city’s waterfront, with a project area bordered by Portofino Way to the north, and Torrance Boulevard on the south end.
The project, as proposed by CenterCal, would build 304,058 square feet of net new development, including a new hotel, a market hall, a movie theater, a parking structure, retail and office space. It would also redesign Seaside Lagoon and rebuild the city’s currently deteriorating parking structures.
The public comment period ends on January 19. From there, city officials expect to take one to two months to respond to comments before releasing a final, certified Environmental Impact Report for the project.
Community DEIR meetings
Before the city’s final DEIR meeting, two community groups on opposing sides of the project will hold informational gatherings of their own.
Tonight, Jan. 7, Rescue Our Waterfront will hold a meeting addressing their concerns with CenterCal’s Waterfront project.
The founders of Rescue Our Waterfront are primarily concerned with the size of the development, and have explored ways to reduce the project, as well as perceived failings with the DEIR. They have also discussed ways to combat the project’s progress, already considering steps ranging from appeals to various municipal and regional commissions to, potentially, a lawsuit.
That meeting will take place at the Redondo Beach Hotel, 400 N. Harbor Dr., from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/rescueourwaterfront.
On Jan. 9, before the meeting at the Crowne Plaza, CenterCal will be holding its own informal breakfast meet-and-greet at Dive N’ Surf, 504 N. Broadway, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. There, they plan to give residents an opportunity to ask questions about the Waterfront project and “hang with friends” before walking as a group to the city’s meeting. For more, visit thewaterfrontredondo.org.
