Hermosa Beach council sets hotel-friendly development guidelines, considering new parking structure
Hermosa Beach community development director Ken Robertson gave a report on new hotel-friendly guidelines at City Council Tuesday. Photo
The Hermosa City Council on Tuesday agreed to consider more centralized parking downtown, perhaps including a second parking structure, as part of a general strategy for ongoing development.
The council adopted the non-binding strategy guidelines as a “conceptual framework” to guide development in the heart of the city, which is being targeted for significant projects by two hoteliers. The hoteliers’ plans could remake the corner of Pier Avenue and the Strand, and a city block on 11th Street.
Council members hope to steer development in a way that will promote a pedestrian-friendly and family-friendly downtown, and encourage developers such as quality hoteliers to build in Hermosa.
The guidelines encourage the council to consider using city land to help developers secure nearby, offsite parking for desirable hotels in the dense downtown area. Council members said they want to encourage “catalyst” projects that would fit within Hermosa’s small-beach-town character, support retail businesses, and promote daytime uses of the otherwise nightlife-oriented downtown.
The strategy statements adopted Tuesday also call for the council to consider additional parking at the civic center, located up Pier Avenue from the downtown, for employees of local businesses, visitors to local stores and offices, and others.
Council members postponed discussion of possible increases to the height limit of buildings, which could allow “catalyst projects” to build rooftop terraces. Council members noted that building height is a sensitive subject in Hermosa.
Councilman Michael DiVirgilio spoke up for centralized downtown parking, in part to encourage hoteliers that would provide “our version of Shade,” a high-end hotel development in Manhattan Beach.
“We have valuable land that can be very strategically used to get quality hotel projects that would be impossible without us bringing some space to the table,” DiVirgilio said.
Mayor Peter Tucker stressed that Hermosans must derive clear benefits from any hotel developments that require city help with parking. He envisioned “creative” benefits such as spaces for public leisure atop parking facilities.
Councilwoman Carolyn Petty said she is open to using some public land to help generate city revenue.
“We have very few opportunities for revenue generation in this town, and we have needs that we will have to address,” she said. Hotels “will bring people, but they will also bring daytime activity to our downtown.”
Councilman Hany Fangary sought and received assurances from City Attorney Michael Jenkins that the strategy statements are not legally binding, and can be followed or discarded by the council as it sees fit.
Councilwoman Nanette Barragan said she is open to using the city’s parking leverage to accommodate a “great project” with a clear economic upside, but she remains generally disinclined “to subsidize projects with taxpayer money.”