West Harbor Project Adds Plans for Amphitheater and Tower Attraction

SAN PEDRO⸺ The Port of Los Angeles released an Initial Study/ Notice of Preparation as the first step in the environmental review process for the West Harbor Modification Project on the LA Waterfront. 

 

The recent modification to the construction plan will need a Supplementary Environmental Impact Report (EIR) added to the original EIR because of the construction additions of the 6,200-seat outdoor amphitheater and entertainment lawn venue and the replacement of the original Ferris Wheel with a tower attraction/observation deck.

 

The NOP is an acknowledgment from The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department letting other agencies know about their intention to create a draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Report as part of the first steps toward moving forward with the project’s new additions. 

The West Harbor Project is the San Pedro Public Market’s renamed site on the San Pedro Waterfront; The original EIR for the project was certified in September 2009 and has been amended twice before to accommodate construction projects.  

 

 “Everything else is consistent with the original plan; it’s just now we are looking to modify the plans to incorporate the tower attraction and adjust elements of the amphitheater that was previsouly approved in the original EIR. tower attraction and the amphitheater,” said Valerie James, Vice President of business development for Jerico Development.

 

The new proposed project would add a 108,000-square-foot outdoor amphitheater and entertainment venue on 2.5 acres on the southern portion of the West Harbor site and a 150-foot tall, 50-foot-wide tower attraction. 

 

“This space is really going to be the project’s focal point for community events,” said James. “And then the other big change…We found this concept for a tower attraction that would be replacing the Ferris wheel concept, and it can vary up to 150 feet; and basically, what it is, is a balloon-type seating arrangement that goes up to the top of this 150-foot tower and it rotates to provide a 360-degree view of the entire area.” 

 

The IS/NOP is currently under a 30-day review and is open for public comment as the project moves through the first steps in the review process. 

 

The public is asked to look at the document and the modifications and voice their thoughts on what they believe should be looked at in the SEIR. 

“The port is initiating the environmental review of the modifications and has issued the NOP which is a Notice of Preparation for this new SEIR,” said James “…It gets put in front of the public, and it is saying this is what we are trying to accomplish. And then that will go through a couple of public meetings, and during that process, we will be evaluating what impacts these changes would have.”

            

The IS/NOP is available on the Port of Los Angeles website at portoflosangeles.org/ceqa. There will also be a virtual scoping meeting held via Zoom on May 3 at 5 p.m. to receive comments and hear from the public. 

 

“The next step is the scoping meeting that is going to be May 3, and so that is where the community can come out, they can hear about the modifications, and be able to voice their thoughts on what we should be studying as a result of the modifications,” said James. 

Other comments on the document can be submitted by email at ceqacomments@portla.org through May 16.