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Council authorizes study of 30-foot limit and expanded parking concepts for Project Pulse sites
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Summary
Council voted 5-0 to pursue an LCP amendment analysis to consider raising the downtown CD-zone height limit from 26 to 30 feet (with limited exceedances for minor elements) and directed staff to develop design concepts for Lot 3 and 400 Manhattan Beach Blvd that include mixed-use and parking options, with study of up to three subterranean parking levels and rooftop community/open-space uses.
The City Council gave staff direction Tuesday to pursue a local coastal program (LCP) code amendment analysis that would allow the downtown commercial (CD) zone’s local height limit to increase from 26 to 30 feet, conditioned on on-site parking or other metrics, and to permit limited exceedances for minor elements such as elevator shafts and lighting.
Planning staff said the amendment would allow a third story where appropriate and better align the Project Pulse sites with neighboring 30-foot properties such as Metlox. The council debated the trade-offs at length: a higher limit can yield more commercial floor area, more rooftop or community space and enable multi-level parking, but it raises concerns about noise, lighting, circulation and impacts to nearby residences.
Council also directed staff to return design concepts for the two downtown properties under Project Pulse. For Parking Lot 3, the council asked staff to include (a) a mixed-use concept with two or three levels of underground parking and commercial or community space above, and (b) a primarily parking-focused concept that could include a rooftop park or programmed open area. Councilmember Tarnay specifically asked staff to explore whether three subterranean levels would be feasible to achieve roughly 200 parking spaces and to assess the rough order-of-magnitude costs and financing implications. The city’s traffic and finance staff briefed council on preliminary numbers and on the higher per-space cost of subterranean construction.
For 400 Manhattan Beach Boulevard (the former bank site), council asked staff to study mixed-use options emphasizing active retail and open/community space while minimizing full-time, public surface parking; staff was also asked to study the feasibility of limited metered parking or time-limited paid parking to generate revenue while preserving employee parking needs.
Council members and public commenters highlighted the financing timeline: city staff noted an interest-rate/financing sensitivity tied to a refinancing/financing milestone in 2028, which increases the urgency of narrowing options and obtaining rough cost estimates.
The full set of design directions and the LCP study will be considered in August after the city conducts public design charrettes and receives consultant cost estimates.
