For $1.50, visitors to the Redondo Beach Pier can view a stuffed 16-foot great white shark named Georgette hanging on the wall of a souvenir shop.
It’s an impressive, if old-fashioned, curiosity – kind of like the pier itself, which seems frozen in time, too.
Mom-and-pop shops and seafood restaurants are ensconced in wood-paneled buildings that haven’t been updated for almost a half-century. Paint on railings is chipped and silhouettes of marine life on the walkway are fading.
Perhaps even more telling: The huge crowds that once annoyed local residents have thinned out, and what was once one of the South Bay’s leading piers has been eclipsed by more upscale waterfronts, such as in Manhattan Beach.
Now, the Redondo Beach City Council is doing something about it. This month, it decided to seek a master developer for a $100 million-plus redevelopment that would triple the retail, restaurant and entertainment attractions on the pier and nearby waterfront. The goal is to turn it into a premier beachside destination once again.
“It’s an important milestone for our waterfront revitalization. Now, it’s an unpolished jewel,” said Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin. “There are great elements, beauty and a number of assets now but so much more could be possible. This revitalization is one of the underpinnings of our future economic sustainability.”
The city actually began working on the project in earnest two years ago, spending more than $10 million to buy back leases on the pier and 15 acres of waterfront. That property, owned by the city but operated by several different business owners, has been disjointed and underused since the pier was reconstructed after a fire 25 years ago.
Also, the city has already obtained approval from the California Coastal Commission, which is allowing 447,000 square feet of new development. Redondo Beach residents gave their own seal of approval to the project in a 2010 vote.
The size of the development is nearly equivalent to the Americana at Brand outdoor mall in Glendale. In fact, the city has asked that retail complex’s developer, Rick Caruso, to consider leading the project. It also has reached out to Santa Monica Place developer Macerich Co., itself headquartered in Santa Monica, and others. It would like construction to start as early as 2014.
Larry Kosmont, chief executive of downtown L.A.’s Kosmont Cos. and an adviser to Redondo Beach on the project, said that it’s virtually unprecedented for such a prime piece of Southern California coastline to be made available with entitlements already in place.
“This project is a game-changer for the South Bay and Redondo Beach,” Kosmont said. “Because the city is in unique control over the ground and entitlements, there’s a clear path to getting this done, which presents a unique and significant opportunity for the private sector.”
Revitalizing Redondo
The Redondo Beach Pier was originally built in the late 1800s, with today’s 70,000-square-foot horseshoe-shaped pier – the largest in the South Bay devoted to recreation – dating back to 1926. It was a top beachfront destination for decades until a 1988 storm caused several million dollars in damage. Later that year, an electrical fire destroyed much of the pier and some of the businesses.
The city rebuilt the pier structure by 1995 and some new businesses came in, but many commercial structures date back to the middle of the last century. And while the city claims the waterfront area still draws an estimated 2 million visitors a year, its dated attractions have fallen behind offerings at nearby piers. For example, Hermosa Beach completed a $4.3 million renovation two years ago of its main Pier Avenue waterfront area, including adding landscaping and widening sidewalks in order to lure tenants.
Work has already begun on some modest improvements. The city is spending $800,000 on lighting, landscaping and decking. It also is spending about $2 million for a new outrigger canoe club, a boating and paddling center, park space and a boat storage facility. A seaside pool in the harbor is getting a $1.3 million renovation that should be completed this year.
The biggest element of the project, though, would be led by a private developer and involves redeveloping the existing 156,000 square feet of commercial space on the waterfront and pier, which now includes tenants such as seafood market Quality Seafood Inc. and restaurant Tony’s on the Pier.
The space could be razed or be incorporated into the new development, which would mostly be limited to two stories. Most would be built on a nearly 10-acre parking lot that could be connected to the pier through a walking bridge over the water.
Gin said that the city does not want big-box retailers and instead wants to bring a “subtle elegance” to the development, with a mix of new and existing tenants, as well as national and local retailers and restaurants.
Among those that the city is citing as a potentially an ideal tenant would be Body Glove International, a Redondo Beach-based maker of premium water-sports equipment and apparel, including wetsuits, eye wear and body boards.
Pete Carmichael, the city’s project leader and director of harbor, business and transit, said he could envision the company not only opening a store but also offering water sport classes and games in the harbor.
“We want to see things that are relevant and related to working on a fishing marina and a recreational boat harbor,” he said.
Executives at Body Glove could not be reached for comment.
The city will provide a decades-long ground lease to the developer, which it expects will make a capital investment of at least $100 million. The city also is willing to provide some bond financing. Redondo Beach hopes to select the developer by November.
Caruso and Macerich did not return calls for comment.
Other projects
But not everyone is eager to see the pier and harbor area go through such a dramatic change.
Luis Vasquez-Ajmac, president of advertising and communications company Maya Advertising, which is headquartered on the pier, said that many businesses are content with the pier and the modest crowds that show up on weekends.
He said they fear any updates would displace them and change the feel of the area. Parking fees for his company at the pier recently increased to $25 from $10, and he worries that if his office rent rises similarly, he’ll have to move.
“The real desire is for gentrification, and it sounds like the city would like to be a Manhattan Beach with the overpriced shops and restaurants,” said Vasquez-Ajmac. “What that’s going to do is drive out a lot of the local businesses at the pier. I don’t think Redondo Beach needs to (be) Manhattan Beach. It’s got its own character.”
However, others on the pier are ready for the facelift.
Only blocks away, local restaurateur and hotelier Michael Zislis, in anticipation of the redevelopment, is spending more than $25 million on a second location of his Shade Hotel – the first is in Manhattan Beach. The 45-room luxury boutique hotel on 655 N. Harbor Drive is expected to open in 2014.
Robert T. Resnick, president of RDR Properties, is another business owner improving his property. He has held a lease on a 32,000-square-foot building on the south end of the pier for 25 years that has been home to various shops and restaurants.
He is one of few businessmen to retain his ground lease. He is spending more than $2 million to upgrade and enhance the facade, and add public art and lighting, among other improvements that should be completed this year.
He has rebranded the property as Redondo Landing and is bringing in new tenants. The El Torito restaurant chain is opening the first of a new more upscale restaurant concept that will include tequila tasting. Other restaurants, including the second location for local coffee house Neighborhood Grinds, are expected to move in soon.
“This is my dream come true because ever since I bought my section of the pier 25 years ago, I have wanted and been urging the city to embark on a revitalization,” Resnick said. “I think it’s going to create a ton of synergy. We expect the pier to be back on the map in a big way.”
