By Bari Cohn
News Editor
Manhattan Beach is currently undergoing two projects: the renovation of the 30-year-old Manhattan Beach Village Mall and the construction of a new skateboarding park. The Village is just beginning its renovation process, whereas the city’s first-ever skate park, although initially scheduled to be finished in December 2016, is now expected to be completed within the next month due to delays caused by rain.
The remodel of the Village Mall consists of renovations to the entirety of the 44-acre property in three separate phases. Plans in the coming months include the combination of the currently separated Macy’s stores, an above-ground parking lot, the construction of outdoor stores and a walking area.
“[The mall] is a huge investment for the city; but it is going to be very beneficial,” Manhattan Beach Economic Vitality Manager Andy Sywak said. “It will be a very contemporary building and a great destination for visitors to enjoy.”
The first phase includes interior renovations and re-merchandising and will begin in the spring. The two remaining phases will include exterior changes, and the finished mall is estimated to be completed in the next three to four years, Manhattan Village lead architect Dave Schmitz said.
“While it is important that Manhattan Beach remains its small-scale character, the Village Mall is designed in a way that will easily accommodate expansion while also providing the residents and visitors of the city with a place that is different but necessary for all of their shopping needs,” Schmitz said.
Initial renovation plans for the mall were first created in November 2014. These plans were soon halted, however, when The Sensible Citizens of Manhattan Beach, a group of Manhattan Beach residents, filed a lawsuit in which the citizens stated that the Village project violated the California Environmental Quality Act, according to prosecuting lawyer Corey Briggs.
In the lawsuit, the Sensible Citizens claimed that the mall developers changed the renovation plans without revising its Environmental Impact Report, as mandated by the EQA. They believed that the developers failed to identify environmental impacts of construction, such as the potential spread of hazardous materials and noise, Briggs said.
The court agreed with the defendant’s argument that the city properly evaluated the project’s environmental impacts, addressed those impacts and provided enough time for the public to review an environmental impact report.
“I personally do not think that the expansion of the Manhattan Village Mall will change the small town feel of the city because it will still be a fairly small mall,” City Council member Amy Howorth said. “Sepulveda is commercially-zoned and is able to support regional commerce. It did take a long time to approve the mall redevelopment. The City of Manhattan Beach did not actively do anything to delay the mall, but it is a public, political process and that can take a long time.”
The Manhattan Beach City Council approved the plan to build a skatepark, which upon its completion will be located on the northeast corner of Marine Avenue Park.
Spohn Ranch Skatepark, a construction company that designs and builds professional skateparks, currently heads the project, which is part of Manhattan Beach’s Capital Improvement Plan, a five-year improvement plan that allocates $170,000 to build the skatepark, one of approximately 90 projects throughout the city.
“The construction [of the skatepark] is moving along, and concrete pours have been completed on the wings and rear retaining wall,” Director of Parks and Recreation Mark Leyman said. “Based upon the community input and final design, I believe the skatepark will be well-received.”
When the plan was approved, construction was estimated to be completed by the end of December 2016, in order to qualify for the Los Angeles County Safe Neighborhood Park’s $300,000 grant, a sum of money granted by the state of California to protect and enhance local parks, beaches, trails and other open, public spaces throughout the state.
However, construction has been delayed until January due to weather conditions, but the city still expects its completion by the end of this month. Because the cause of delay was unavoidable and unpredicted, the grant is still applicable, Manhattan Beach Recreation Supervisor Jessica Vincent said.
“The construction has predominantly been delayed because of the unexpected rain throughout the end of December and the beginning of January,” Vincent said. “As a result, construction was pushed back; however, the grant money should not be affected by this delay.”
Leave a Reply