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Redondo Beach council denies coastal zone preferential‑parking permit for 500 block of North Gertruda
Summary
After hearing competing testimony from residents and nearby businesses, the council concluded the proposed preferential parking zone in the coastal area could set a coastal‑access precedent and denied the coastal development permit required to implement the resident‑only parking zone.
The Redondo Beach City Council on March 31 denied a coastal development permit for a proposed preferential parking zone (PPZ) on the 500 block of North Gertruda after staff and several council members raised concerns about coastal access and adverse impacts on nearby businesses.
Staff summary: City traffic engineer Ryan L. and planner Stephen Jung told the council that a petition and a 2023 field study showed midday occupancy met municipal thresholds for a PPZ (over 75% occupancy and many vehicles not registered to block residents). Because the block lies within the city’s coastal zone, a PPZ requires a coastal development permit and must conform to the city’s certified Local Coastal Program (LCP).
Public testimony: Business owners argued the block serves customers and employees for adjacent businesses (including a repair shop and a poke restaurant), and they warned that restricting street parking would harm commercial viability. Residents argued employees and customers currently occupy the block all day and that a permit would restore parking for local households and protect student and neighborhood access to the waterfront.
Council reasoning and vote: Council members cited the coastal commission staff’s concerns about allowing a PPZ in the coastal zone and the potential precedent for restricting parking near shoreline access during busy weekends and events. Council concluded it could not make the LCP compliance finding (coastal‑program conformity, often called Finding One) and therefore denied the coastal development permit. The denial also nullified a prior resolution that had authorized the PPZ subject to obtaining a CDP.
What happens next: With the CDP denied, the existing public parking regulations remain in place for the block; residents and businesses may pursue other local or administrative solutions, and staff noted the option of returning with redesigned proposals that address coastal‑access and business impacts.
Attributions: Staff technical explanation by Ryan L. and Stephen Jung; council deliberations and public comments are recorded in the March 31 council transcript. No council member attribution is used for contested factual claims about coastal policy; the denial was a council action recorded on March 31.
