City Trims List of Waterfront Developers

The Redondo Beach City Council narrowed down the list of potential developers for the waterfront from seven to five during Tuesday's meeting.

The city is looking for a developer to revitalize the waterfront, including the Redondo Beach Pier and the International Boardwalk, and turn it into a destination. The entire revitalization is expected to attract up to $100 million in private investment, according to a news release from the city.

According to city staff, those five developers—Forest City Development, CenterCal Properties, Lowe Enterprises, Pacifica Companies and Cal Coast—all have expertise in retail, hospitality and/or place-making; basic access to financing; and experience with complex, mixed-use projects of a similar scope.

Now, those five developers must respond to a "request for vision and approach," as well as a letter of intent, to city staff by Sept. 5. As part of the request, developers must submit a "high-level vision" of what they plan to do with the 15 acres of city-controlled land on the waterfront.

"The request for qualifications … was essentially a call for resumes," said Harbor Director Pete Carmichael. "This next round … (is) basically the next level of detail."

The council will hear presentations from each of the five developers in mid-September.

According to the city, the waterfront attracts more than 2 million visitors each year.