LOS ANGELES – Plans for the redevelopment of Ports O’ Call Village will continue to move forward with the Board of Harbor Commissioners approving to extend the land lease negotiating period with the project’s developer.
At the Oct. 29 special meeting, several speakers spoke in favor of the extension to ensure the project doesn’t lose steam.
“We feel the extension is warranted and will lead to positive results in January so we can all move forward with long awaited waterfront,” said Elise Swanson, president of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce.
The commission unanimously approved the extension between the city of Los Angeles Harbor Department and L.A. Waterfront Alliance. The extension will expire on Jan. 8, 2015 with two additional 30 day extension options.
The extension allows for completion of the Financial Feasibility Analysis, which will measure the potential financial success of the developer’s proposed project, according to a staff report. The analysis will also inform the parties of potential risk and/or reward of future investments.
“We have been involved in this process since the very beginning so we support the extension,” said Raymond Regaldo, president of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council. “If the effort fails at this time we may never see this project developed.”
Ports O’Call Village, developed in the 1960s, boomed with crowds of tourists and locals during its heyday. However, the 30-acre collection of waterfront shops and restaurants began to show its age over the years, with weathered buildings and fewer visitors. Officials with the Port of Los Angeles and the L.A Harbor Commission hope L.A. Waterfront Alliance — a collaboration between the Ratkovich Co. and Jerico Development – can make the village the port’s “crown jewel” once again.
Plans for the redevelopment include adding a mix of visitor-focused commercial retail and restaurants, a boutique hotel and conference center, open space for events and a 13th Street “gateway” that would connect the San Pedro community with the waterfront.
The Ports O’ Call site includes 3,000 linear feet of water frontage and 375,000 square feet of retail and tourism-related entitled uses.
