MANHATTAN BEACH : City Moves Ahead on Parking Garage Plan

The City Council moved forward with a plan to build a two-tiered parking structure near a residential area downtown, despite complaints by about a dozen residents that the lot would obscure ocean views and result in increased crime.

The council asked city staff Tuesday to work with the design firm and residents to address concerns about the proposed lot at 10th Street and Bayview Drive.

The site now has a street-level lot with 39 spaces. A two-tiered concrete lot, which would cost about $1 million to design and construct and would be paid for with city parking funds, would add 30 to 43 more spaces, officials said. A study completed in 1990 determined that more parking spaces were needed in the southern part of the downtown area.

The proposed lot would rise about 10 feet above the street level at Bayview Drive, officials said.

Resident Craig Stern told the council the proposed lot would block his ocean view and threaten the safety of his 6-month-old daughter. “It’s truly terrifying to me,” he said. “I’ll be forced to move and sell my house at a terrible loss.”

City Councilman Steve Barnes said the proposed parking lot is necessary to the city’s downtown businesses.