Redondo Beach : Coastal Plan Discussion

For more than 20 years, the city has allowed more density in south Redondo Beach than its coastal plan permits, City Atty. Gordon Phillips said this week.

“It’s density; it’s a big issue,” he said.

The coastal plan--part of the city’s General Plan--permits 19 to 23 housing units per acre, but projects that allow 24 units an acre have been routinely approved since 1964, officials said.

Planning officials have rounded numbers upward when determining how many units are allowed in a project. For example, if, mathematically, 6.5 units are permitted on a lot, officials would allow 7 units, which often would result in more than 23 units being built on an acre.

Senior Planner Paul Connolly said: “I see this as no problem whatsoever. . . . It’s been a practice since 1964.” The practice has been explained to the agencies that also must approve projects in the coastal area--the Planning Commission, the City Council and the state Coastal Commission, he said.

The medium-density residential zone is bordered by Avenue H, Catalina and Knob Hill avenues, Broadway and Pacific Coast Highway. Of 14 projects in the area awaiting approval, six have been rounded up in a way that would permit more than 23 units per acre, Connolly said.

The City Council will discuss the issue Sept. 15.