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San Pedro’s Waterfront Development Sparks Debate Over Design and Parking Concerns
By Alejandro Barlow
Earlier this month, the Port of Los Angeles released a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) to the 2009 San Pedro Waterfront EIS/EIR for the West Harbor Project.
The Los Angeles Harbor Department proposes to build a 100,000-square-foot-amphitheater that’s not really an amphitheater on 2.1 acres of port property outfitted with 6,200 seats. The proposed project includes the development of a nearby 2,600-stall parking lot made available to waterfront visitors.
The Harbor Department staged a presentation meeting via Zoom, on Nov. 14.
The proposed sheet metal geometric buildings were accepted and are now nearly finished, but took away the charm of Ports o’ Call. Deconstruction of Ports o’ Call began in 2016 and construction of the metal buildings began in 2018 and is still under construction. The entire waterfront is proposed to be finished before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Ports O’call was a destination for most, having unique buildings and a busy fish market on the dock. Now the proposal is to add many pickleball and tennis courts along the waterfront right underneath a 175-foot Ferris wheel on the end nearest the maritime museum.
As for the proposed waterfront “amphitheater,” it’s just a stage and a flat landscaped lawn where 6,200 folding chairs could be placed. The “Entertainment Lawn” does not have a slope so viewing of the stage is limited and the shape of the stage does not have anything to do with the help of acoustics. The “not” Amphitheater is more like a permanent pop-up stage rather than a purpose-built stage. Think Coachella but near water and a wet lawn.
An amphitheater is an intimate venue in the music world as most are a natural construction. The design is so that a person can stand in the middle of the stage and speak at a normal volume and be heard in the last row. The seating of an amphitheater is 360 degrees to about 180 degrees of viewing of the stage.
The Entertainment Lawn or seating area for the stage is an astroturf that covers enough surface area for 6,000 people to stand on. The seating is a permanent temporary fixture consisting of folding chairs. To keep people from joining the venue for free, a tarp-covered chain-linked fence will be installed. Not an unusual sight in San Pedro. Along Paseo Del Mar, permanent temporary fencing has been installed at Point Fermin Park and White Point Nature Preserve as a way to keep people out of the landslide areas. Nearest the waterfront on the promenade there is a chain link fence that has been up for years on end.
While the lawn and stage have problems with the names, residents have voiced concerns about traffic. The Environmental Impact Report proposes that there will be 2,600 parking spaces constructed in the area nearest the waterfront, with the concert venue having a maximum of 6,200 seats. The proposal calls for expanded use of parking at 22nd Street Park and the parking lot at the Cabrillo Marina.
The EIR also calls for the installation of street signs to guide visitors and a shuttle to bring people to and from an event to the parking lots. All parking in these areas will become paid parking lots with meters and monthly paying tenants.
With the new parking spaces there will be the introduction of preferred parking in which visitors pay a premium for parking closest to the venue, while general parking could mean a 25-minute walk from venue to parking.
Concerned citizens voiced their opinions as well as praises for the project. Most of the citizens attending the meeting were in support of the project as they are business owners in the local area. Those who oppose are concerned about the traffic, noise, people loitering and overflow parking in the community.
The EIR claims noise won’t be an issue, but proposes to install noise monitoring boxes in front of residential properties in the area. Some of the boxes will be temporary, and others will be permanent. The function of the boxes is to collect data on the noise levels. However, during the public comment portion of the Zoom presentation, residents begged to differ on the issue of noise, by raising common complaints over noise already happening in the area and the noise level from the tailgaters at these large events.
Residents during the public comment part of the presentation asked for the stage to face directly east to lessen the impact of the noise on San Pedro residents and create an enforcement mechanism to prevent the staging of tailgate parties on the bluffs and neighborhood above the stage for a free show.
San Pedro Resident Nick Knight who lives near Cabrillo Beach cited the noise from concerts including the recent NOFX concert at Berth 46 and the STRANGER THAN EDM party at Cabrillo Beach. Knight said he complained to the neighborhood council and the organizers at Cabrillo Beach but was told they could not do anything about the noise and that the police were supposed to tell the neighborhoods about concerts and festivals.
“I don’t feel like the neighborhood councils necessarily have our best interests in mind,” Knight said. “As I’ve come to learn more about who works to get leadership positions on these and what they advocate for, it’s kind of the same thing as those business owners. I don’t think that being a business owner in a neighborhood is the same thing as being an active resident who is part of that community with the same concerts as the other residents.”
Knight has received no warnings for any concert, festival, or wedding that’s taken place in the area, and if a resident complains to the venue, they are told to live with the noise for a few hours. This, Knight said, where the Long Beach Grand Prix can be clearly heard in his apartment ― a distance of 6.5 miles over water.
In addition to the noise from the stage, there is a proposed fireworks barge. The EIR proposes 25 shows per year, although it is stated in the EIR that more shows will be added exceeding 25 shows. Each show is proposed to be using 100 pounds of explosives per show. Each show will require two diesel tug boats to position the barge. The average show is proposed to be 20 minutes long.
San Pedro hosts one major fireworks show a year― the Cars and Stripes Forever. The July 4th Show is the only one that uses the barge. The residents however do use illegal fireworks during the 4th of July holiday and as a celebration for when a sports team wins a playoff game.
Residents, both supportive and skeptical of West Harbor, hope the waterfront opens before July 2028. One citizen mentioned the entirety of California Adventures was constructed during the time it took to put up three unfurnished buildings and a parking lot.
