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Redondo Beach council backs Option E as preferred site for King Harbor public boat launch; staff to file state grant application
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Summary
Council directed staff to return Nov. 18 with a resolution to apply for a Division of Boating and Waterways grant naming Mole D Option E as the preferred launch location; staff emphasized that the grant application is required by Feb. 2, 2026, and construction funding would be awarded later if the grant is successful.
The Redondo Beach City Council on Nov. 4 directed staff to prepare a grant application and return Nov. 18 with a resolution identifying ‘Option E’ on Mole D as the city’s preferred location for a public boat launch.
City waterfront staff emphasized that state funding from the Division of Boating and Waterways would pay construction and permitting costs if the grant is awarded. “DBAW will pay for the construction and permitting process for this boat launch 100%,” Dave Schrobi, senior management analyst, said during the council presentation on the grant process and schedule.
Staff said the application is due Feb. 2, 2026, for the 2026–27 funding cycle and described a timeline that could deliver grant awards in mid‑2027 and a construction‑completion window after that. Schrobi noted the city completed technical studies this year — demand, coastal hazards, and traffic — and that the Harbor Commission unanimously recommended Option E at its October meeting.
Option E is a compromise layout between prior options A, B and C: it orients the ramp roughly 45 degrees to provide additional navigable space while reducing the need for heavy wave‑protection structures such as large sheet‑pile walls. Staff said Option E preserves commercial spaces, increases navigable width compared with Option A, and minimizes environmental and traffic impacts relative to other alternatives. Moffatt & Nichol (consultant) and staff presented the technical rationale.
Council members raised timing and funding questions. Staff said an existing $650,000 allocation covers entitlement work and that major design and construction drawings are expected to be funded by the grant if awarded; staff said they will seek a ‘letter of no prejudice’ from the granting agency when possible to reimburse pre‑award work if needed.
Mayor Light and council members praised the years of study and the Harbor Commission’s recommendation. The council’s action was to receive and file the report and direct staff to draft the formal resolution for the Feb. 2 grant round; it did not approve final construction plans. “This is our furthest progress to date,” Mayor Light said, noting the city has explored boat launch sites since 1959.
Next steps: staff will prepare the resolution and application for council review on Nov. 18, pursue any needed coastal entitlements in parallel, and return with the grant package for formal approval if DBAW recommends funding.
