After many months of controversy, the first major new housing project on Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach is about to begin construction.

On Thursday, city officials hosted a pre-construction meeting at the building site (2301 N. Sepulveda) to introduce the development team and city officials to local residents, and to outline the logistics for the construction of the new residential building. 

Demolition of the existing structure, followed by excavation, could begin as soon as July. 

Controversy and protests over the project have been unable to take it off-track. Because the project qualifies under California’s “density bonus” law, the city had to approve it ministerially – meaning Manhattan Beach could not deny or scale back the project if they concluded that it meets state standards.

Construction is expected to go on for 22 months, beginning with two and a half to three months of demolition and excavation. The end result will be a seven-story building with a total of 40 units. Eleven of the units will be categorized as low-income or moderate-income units, with the rest at market rate.

The lead contractor stated that the building would stand about 50 feet above grade. A resident stated that his review of plans showed it at 75 feet, 5 inches, but it was unclear if that higher measurement included subterranean portions of the building. The lot has a notable grade from the higher north side to the lower south side. 

Residential construction manager Roy Murphy led the meeting, joined by officials from several other departments.

City Outlines Elements of Construction Process, Rules

Roy Murphy, the city’s residential construction manager, led the community meeting, explaining applicable rules for work hours, plans for contractor parking and processes for residents to report any problems.

Murphy noted that there would be a lane closure on Sepulveda, which contractors said would be “lane 3” (right in front of the site), which is already arranged with Caltrans for 12 months, with the possibility of an extension.

A major local resident concern for any construction project, but particularly a large one, is where workers will park.

The contracting firm has rented 20 spaces from the Walgreens across Sepulveda Boulevard for use in the early stages of construction. After the project’s 2-story garage is built, with some 40,000 sq ft to work with, contractors said they expect most parking as well as construction staging to be on-site.

For the excavation, contractors explained that they would dig down about 20 feet, starting about 5 to 9 feet in from the property line, as part of building the garage. About 60 dump trucks would be required per day, visiting the site one at a time. (Waiting trucks would be “staged” outside of the city.)

Murphy advised neighbors who thought their properties might be directly affected to "pre-document" the status of their properties now, including features like trees and walls.

“I always say, make sure that they videotape, take pictures of the neighboring property, so that you have a ‘before and after’ – if something happens,” Murphy said.

Patrick Labib, the managing director for Labib Construction, which will run the project, echoed Murphy by offering to visit and document the current condition of at least one neighboring property before demolition begins. 

Labib told residents, “I'm very committed to being a good neighbor, working safely and fulfilling your needs and questions – and answering my phone whenever you guys call. We have a zero tolerance policy for breaking the rules.” He urged residents who observe any problems to call directly at any time.

Members of the Labib Construction team and developer Matthew Moore (white shirt) attended the community meeting. Managing Director Patrick Labib is in the center, next to Moore.

 

Community Members Oppose Project, Criticize Developer

About two dozen residents attended the community meeting, along with Mayor Joe Franklin. One said he owns a property immediately west of the construction site, pointing to it while raising questions about the project and expressing some skepticism toward the contractors’ promises. 

Several residents carried homemade signs opposing the project, and took chances to criticize it as being out of scale for the neighborhood. When the developer/owner, Matthew Moore, was introduced early on, some booed him, but city officials urged critics to be respectful to allow for a productive meeting. A few more negative remarks were directed at Moore afterward, and one resident pleaded with Moore to scale back his project voluntarily. As the meeting concluded, some residents vowed to travel to Claremont, where Moore lives, to protest against him there.

The upcoming building at 2301 Sepulveda is the second major new development in Manhattan Beach to take advantage of the "density bonus" law, which allows developers to exceed several routine limitations on development, including, most notably, height, and some parking and traffic considerations. 

The first such project, originally known as Highrose, but now called Project Verandas, is in the final stages of construction along Rosecrans Avenue near the El Porto neighborhood.

The new project is the first to break ground that takes advantage of the city's Residential Overlay District (ROD), which the state required Manhattan Beach to create to allow for housing within districts formerly zoned for exclusively commercial use. (See MB News' coverage of a public forum on ROD projects last year.)

Several other projects, including a couple of large-scale buildings on Rosecrans, and one at 2nd/Sepulveda, are also in the planning stages, according to a city web page dedicated to such developments.

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Disclosure: The author, MB News publisher Dave Fratello, is a local real estate broker with clients in the area of the project who may be affected by the construction.