Waterfront appeal denied, Redondo Beach boaters likely to get a launch ramp at Mole B

City Council vote allows CenterCal ‘Waterfront’ project to move forward.

REDONDO BEACH — A harbor revitalization project some boaters and local residents believe would dramatically commercialize Redondo Beach’s waterfront was allowed to move forward after an appeal on the proposed project was rejected Oct. 19 by the City Council.

Council members lodged their vote – 3-1 denying the appeal – at about 2 a.m. on Oct. 19; the City Council meeting was called to order just before sunset on Oct. 18.

CenterCal Properties will continue with its “Waterfront” project, which would redevelop the harbor area with commercial, residential and visitor-serving uses. The revitalization project was on hold after local stakeholders appealed the Harbor Commission’s approval of the Waterfront project’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in August.

The council’s rejection of means a vote by the Redondo Beach Harbor Commission to allow a boat launch ramp to be built at King Harbor’s Mole B stands.

Harbor commissioners, on Oct. 10, voted 4-2 to build the boat launch ramp at Mole B despite vocal opposition and expressed concerns of safety. The commission’s vote could have been negated had the EIR appeal been successful on Oct. 18.

Boaters have been yearning for a boat launch ramp ever since King Harbor opened. Plans for a boat launch ramp to be built started to become a reality when city officials decided to move forward with a waterfront revitalization project. A debate immediately brewed, however, of where best to place the boat launch ramp.

Some boating groups advocated for the launch ramp to be placed at Mole D. Building a launch ramp at Mole B was too dangerous because of its close proximity to the main channel.

The Mole B location, however, would allow the city to build a boat launch ramp faster than any other location.

Rescue Our Waterfront, a local grassroots organization, had been one of the most vocal groups expressing opposition to the Waterfront project. The group hopes to challenge CenterCal’s revitalization plans with a voter initiative on the March 2017 ballot.

A more in-depth report on the City Council’s appeal denial will be published in The Log’s Nov. 4-17 issue.

(Photo by Parimal M. Rohit)

One thought on “Waterfront appeal denied, Redondo Beach boaters likely to get a launch ramp at Mole B

  • October 20, 2016 at 9:12 pm
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    Mole B is a small space, there will be only 32 parking places, less than half of which will be pull-though spaces for trailers. It’s also a longer drive on a congested beach traffic road. Mole D would allow a shorter drive, on roads with 2 lanes in each direction, crossing bike lanes at a major intersection with a light, bigger parking lot, and more actual ramp lanes.

    Reply

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