The appeals process for the contested project is now open.

Per MBLCP A.96.160, anyone may file an appeal of the Community Development director’s decision to the Planning Commission within 15 days of the director’s decision. Instructions to appeal the decision are as follows:

1.      Go the city's Citizen Self Service Portal (CSS), create an account, and apply for a “Appeal of Planning Entitlement”. Please note that an appeal costs $500. There are no refunds of the $500 appeal fee if your appeal is denied by the Planning Commission. Also note the Planning Commission’s decision can also be appealed to the City Council with a $500 fee.

2.      Complete the application online and submit. Email Ted Faturos, Manhattan Beach City Planner, at [email protected] once you have submitted your appeal.

3.      All appeals must be received by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday April 13, 2022.  Any appeals filed after this date will not be considered.

The project is proposed on two contiguous lots, 401 Rosecrans Avenue and 3770 Highland Avenue, which are proposed to be merged into a single 43,549 square-foot parcel to accommodate the project.

The project proposes demolition of a banquet facility (Verandas) and multi-use commercial building (Tradewinds Village) and subsequent construction of a 96,217 square-foot multi-family residential building with 79 rental dwelling units.

The 79 dwelling units would include:

• 21 studio apartments, 
• 11 one-bedroom apartments, 
• 40 two-bedroom apartments, and 
• 7 three-bedroom apartments. 

The apartments range in size from 512 square feet to 1,727 square feet, comparable to standard rental units throughout Manhattan Beach. Six of the 79 dwelling units will be set aside for “very low income” households. The remaining 73 dwelling units will be market-rate dwelling units.

For fiscal year 2021, “very low income” is defined as $59,100 for a family of four, or $41,400 for an individual, within the greater Los Angeles area.

The project proposes two floors of subterranean parking, containing a total of 127 automobile parking spaces, seven motorcycle parking spaces, and 27 bicycle parking spaces.

The developer is utilizing State Density Bonus Laws, which allow developers to exceed the maximum density requirements as specified in a city’s zoning code if certain criteria are met, like setting aside a certain percentage of the total units in the project aside for very low-income occupants. In addition, State Density Bonus laws allow developers to request waivers from development standards, like setback and height requirements.

If no State Density Bonus laws were used, a total of 51 units would be allowed on the site, and a the maximum buildable floor area would be a total of 74,033 square feet. However, the project exceeds the minimum required number of automobile parking spaces under the State Density Bonus laws, which would be 103 parking spaces.

Notices about the project were mailed on January 6 to property owners and residents within 100 feet of the perimeter of the subject parcel.

The State of California has been changing laws over the past several years to encourage the building of more housing, including increasing density within areas that are already developed.

Many people are familiar with the most recent changes, contained in SB 9 and SB 10, the first of which effectively ended single-family zoning to encourage lot splits, duplexes and other development within areas that now feature only single-family homes. (A good explainer of SB 9 and the other laws leading up to it is in this analysis on MB Confidential: "The End of SFR Zoning in Manhattan Beach.") 

According to the city, the Verandas project is not an SB 9 project, which deals with individual residential lots. (SB 10 does not apply either; it allows jurisdictions in urbanized areas to adopt voluntary zoning ordinances that permit up to ten residential units on a single parcel within certain areas.)