Legado Pitches Plan for Condos, Retail

A Beverly Hills development firm wants to build condos and a small shopping center on the land currently housing the old building, company officials told South Redondo Beach residents Saturday.

Officials from Legado had asked First District Councilman Steve Aspel if they could speak at his district meeting about the proposed project, which has not yet been presented to city staff.

Legado purchased the site, which includes the Palos Verdes Inn, in 2006.

The mixed-use development would consist of 150 condos of varying square footage, a 15,000-square-foot market on the corner—the company has spoken with Fresh & Easy, Fresh Market and Whole Foods—and 12,000 square feet of retail space. Preliminary plans also call for a public plaza and the removal of the entrance off Palos Verdes Boulevard.

"We think the neighbors would appreciate ... keeping the traffic on the main arterial," said Darren Embry, Legado's director of communications and the manager of the project.

Parking would be partially subterranean, with residents parking on the lowest level.

Embry and Legado official Derek Jones told people who live on Avenue H that there would be plenty of parking for those who live in the condos and people visiting the shopping center. Right now, the plans call for nearly 500 parking spaces.

More people, however, were concerned about traffic at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard with the addition of all the condos, especially with the removal of the entrance off Palos Verdes Boulevard.

"It's going to be a mess," predicted Mary Lynn Mosig, who lives on Helberta Drive.

"That intersection, for those who live there, it gets worse and worse and worse every year," said another resident.

Embry tried to reassure residents, noting that the developers plan to work closely with the city to conduct a traffic study; in fact, he wants to improve the intersection, he said.

Additionally, the development will be designed to encourage pedestrian activity, he said.

Also on the agenda was the future of the .

The hotel, which Legado official Derek Jones called a "financial albatross," would also be completely remodeled for a cost of about $9 million. Right now, the hotel has about a 65 percent occupancy rate, 40 percent of which are flight crews from US Airways, Jones said.

Describing the inn as a "bunker"—it's made of poured concrete—Jones said, "[It] absolutely needs to be remodeled. More than remodeled—overhauled."

Legado hopes to attract a boutique hotel to serve as a "spare room" for residents; however, the company is also looking at Courtyard by Marriott or a Hilton Garden Inn.

If the entire project goes through, "[it will] be the biggest thing built here in the last 10 years," said Councilman Pat Aust.

Though several meeting attendees voiced their concerns about the proposed development, most were appreciative that Embry and Jones took the initiative to present their plans to residents.

"This is a start," said Aspel. "They're going to have to do something with that property ... I'm convinced something will happen here—it's just the size of it."

During the presentation, sentiment in the room appeared to be fairly neutral, with a few people speaking in favor of the plans and several voicing concerns. Aspel asked residents to email him with their thoughts.

"Believe it or not, the majority of the people were very enthusiastic about the project," he told Patch in an email on Monday. "While most of them agreed that 150 condos would be too many, they agreed that the corner needs a new look, new market, new hotel and new stores."

He noted that the meeting seemed to be a success. "The owners of the property are making every effort to reach out to the citizens, gather their opinions and gain consensus," he wrote.

According to Jones, the project will take at least three years to complete—one year to go through the city and two years of construction.