Seaside Redondo Beach Housing Rejected by City Planners

Redondo Beach city officials have put the kibosh on a proposed residential building on Pacific Coast Highway.

Redondo Beach Planning Commission members rejected a plan from Redondo Seaside Living to build a four-story building at 401-417 Pacific Coast Highway with residential units above ground-floor retail, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

It comes two months after the California Second District Court of Appeal’s struck down the city’s housing element, thus creating an opportunity for builder’s remedy in the city once again, where developers can help fill housing gaps by benefiting from fast-tracked approval for affordable developments.

The development would have included 49 one-, two- and three-bedroom units and a 61-vehicle garage for residents. The developer applied using density bonus incentives and the provisions of AB 2011 to build larger than zoning rules would normally allow at the site in exchange for including eight apartments set aside for very-low-income and moderate-income households.

The proposed development faced pushback from residents as well as members of the Planning Commission. Some residents said city staff didn’t use its discretion to block or force changes to the project, and others said the project would block views of the ocean and increase traffic on the seaside highway.

Commissioners cited a lack of sufficient parking on site as part of the reasoning for its denial of the project, the Daily Breeze reported. The officials said that spillover parking from apartment residents onto nearby streets would hinder potential beachgoers’ entry to the coast below and create congestion that would block access to a nearby fire station.

If Redondo Seaside Living chooses to appeal the project, the issue would go before the Redondo Beach City Council.

Redondo Beach has dealt with builder’s remedy in the past and taken steps to prevent its application in the city. In 2023, city officials repeatedly denied a permit application from prominent Los Angeles developer Leo Pustilnikov to build a 35-unit mixed-use apartment complex at a former power plant at 1021 North Harbor Drive.

— Chris Malone Méndez