Hermosa Beach council defunds Parking Lot D plan, shifts short-term funding to restroom repairs and paves way for city yard study

Hermosa Beach — The Hermosa Beach City Council on May 13 voted to pull funding for the long‑planned renovation of Parking Lot D, approved a set of near‑term facility repairs and structural contract awards, and asked staff to pursue lease negotiations for the adjacent storage lot while convening a study session on delivery options for the city yard project.

The council’s decisions followed a three‑hour study session focused on the city’s capital improvement program (CIP), during which Public Works Director Joe Saclemente outlined a $35.9 million proposed CIP for fiscal year 2025–26 and warned that paving needs, deferred maintenance and limited unrestricted funds will require tradeoffs across projects.

Parking Lot D: grant‑dependent project defunded

Councilmembers voted 3–2 to remove the current Parking Lot D project from the CIP and seek other options for the site rather than immediately pursuing the full design and construction plan staff had advertised. The design would have used a combination of local stormwater and grant funds and included low‑impact development features and an ADA switchback ramp; staff reported the project would have cost roughly $1.8 million in construction and required Coastal Commission permitting.

Public Works staff presented five options — re‑advertise as designed using the grants, scale back scope, fully defund, defund but do a stripped‑down repaving, or consider a structured parking alternative — and warned Measure W and Coastal Conservancy grant timing complicated a rapid restart.…