By David Wiggins, Conservation Co-chair

On May 11, 2018, the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a 103-page proposed decision ordering the City of Redondo Beach to revise and re-issue the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the massive shopping center planned for construction in the city’s harbor area. The court found that the EIR previously approved by the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),

since it failed to address the project’s potential impacts on water quality at the city’s Seaside Lagoon, view impairments at a neighboring park, and safety issues related to the placement of the harbor’s boat launch ramp. The court ordered the city to rescind the development permits previously issued to the developer of the huge project, CenterCal Properties.

In reaction to the court’s ruling, the California Coastal Commission has now issued a letter to the city stating that it won’t even consider the shopping center proposal until the CEQA violations are addressed. That could and should take years. More on the topic later, but for now we can say that this oversized and inappropriate use of our waterfront has been stopped in its tracks.