The Redondo Beach Harbor Commission rejected the city council's $9.47 million Seaside Lagoon rehabilitation plan on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The commission sent a note of caution back to the council, leaving the waterfront project's future uncertain.
The vote, first reported by Easy Reader, came at a special meeting called to consider a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption and design review permit for the project at 200 Portofino Way. The Harbor Commission advises the city council on harbor-related matters but does not have final authority over the project.
The rejection is a setback for a plan the city council approved 5-0 in April 2026. City staff had set a goal of completing Phase 1 construction before the BeachLife Festival in May 2028 and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Officials estimated construction would take about 10 months, meaning further delays could threaten that timeline.
What the project includes
Phase 1 centers on a new ADA-accessible, concrete-bottom swimming lagoon covering about one acre with a maximum depth of five feet. The design includes a sand beach entry, water slide, splash jets, and fountain features. A new pump and filtration building would circulate 770,000 gallons of water at 3,000 gallons per minute, according to Patch.
The project was scaled back from an earlier concept that included both a recreational lagoon and a separate lap pool. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health determined the two water features would require separate filtration systems, pushing the estimated cost above $16 million.
Funding and fines at stake
About $7.9 million in combined state grant and city funding was available as of April 2026, leaving a roughly $1.57 million gap that staff said could be addressed through additional Quimby funding. Public commenter Darryl Boyd wrote that the project has approximately $10 million in secured State Parks funding.
Resident Jennifer Jones wrote in a public comment that halting the project for up to two years to explore private commercial concepts risked forfeiting that state grant money due to statutory deadlines.
The existing lagoon has faced operational problems. A pump failure forced it to close for about two weeks in 2025 and cost roughly $60,000 to repair. The city reported $175,000 in fines covering a second two-year cycle of water-quality violations.
Competing vision surfaces in public comments
All seven public comments submitted to the commission supported the city council's approved plan. Several commenters referenced a competing private concept described as a wave pool or "Seaside Surf Park" associated with Allen Sanford, California Surf Club, and BeachLife Festival.
CeeCee Murphy: "I support the already approved and funded refurbishment of the Seaside Lagoon. I do NOT support an individual coming in and privatizing the space, as I've heard might be in the plans. Redondo doesn't need more BeachLife. We need more beach life."
The commission's specific reasons for rejecting the plan have not been made public. Official minutes from the Aug. 25 meeting have not yet been published, and the exact vote tally is not available.
No date has been announced for when the city council will formally receive the commission's note of caution or take further action on the project.
