Manhattan Beach Ca Development And Redevelopment

Responding to an unprecedented demand for TV and film studio space caused by Hollywood's latest production boom, the investment company of Disney scion Roy E. Disney said Monday that it will build 14 sound stages in Manhattan Beach, creating one of the entertainment industry's largest independent production facilities.

The defeat of a special measure Tuesday in Manhattan Beach paves the way for a former pottery plant site to be transformed into a 40-room hotel, offices and shops. The measure, which would have set aside the parcel next to the ocean for public use, was defeated by a margin of nearly 5 to 3. City officials will now await the soon-to-be completed environmental impact report on a proposed 90,000-square-foot development before making a final decision on what to build on the lot.

The city plans to spend $700,000 to refurbish the Strand, replacing corroded light fixtures and poles, cracked sidewalks and damaged retaining walls and drains. Public works Director Neil Miller said the first priority will be to remove the 30-year-old lighting fixtures on the two-mile beach path that runs through Manhattan Beach. He said that 80% of the 136 fixtures and poles have suffered from weather damage over the years.

To outsiders, it's just a giant hole, notable mainly because of its location three blocks uphill from the ocean. But to residents of Manhattan Beach, the former site of the now-defunct Metlox Pottery plant has become a battlefield of competing civic hopes and values.

City officials have proposed building a temporary parking lot on the northern half of a former pottery factory to help ease a parking shortage while the city decides how to develop the land. The city completed the purchase of the former Metlox Potteries property at Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley Drive in February and officials have not decided what will be built there. City officials have proposed creating a 150-stall parking lot with meters until a development plan is ready.

For years, the old Metlox Potteries site has been a big vacant lot in the middle of downtown Manhattan Beach. But that may change. Manhattan Beach officials are talking with the owners of half the property about selling it to the city, Assistant City Manager Dave Doyle said Monday. The city would like to use the property for commercial development, such as a small hotel, shops or restaurant, but does not have a specific purpose set for the lot.

In what is expected to be the community's largest and most costly public art project, Manhattan Beach officials have voted to spend up to $100,000 on two murals that would enhance the Manhattan Beach Pier. The tiled murals will be funded with monies from Proposition A, a 1992 voter-approved bond initiative for parks and recreation. The City Council and cultural arts department have hired Los Angeles artist Paul Tzanetopoulos to design the project.

A 30-year tradition of free admission to volleyball tournaments in Manhattan Beach could end with a City Council agreement to allow seating charges. If the California Coastal Commission approves the plan in May, the city plans to sign a two-year contract with the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, which promotes the tournaments at the beach.

Manhattan Beach has completed an eight-month study on how to improve its downtown area, calling for building additional parking structures, starting a police foot patrol and allowing restaurants and cafes to have sidewalk dining. The recently completed strategic plan was conducted to improve the thriving retail and dining area and outline goals for the community. The city hopes to begin making improvements and additions in the report as soon as next year.

The donations have been sitting around for more than two years, but the Manhattan Beach Civic Center Branch Library will finally be getting $38,850 to make improvements. The City Council last week approved distribution of the funds, which were raised beginning in late 1994 with a $30,000 contribution from Chevron. Another $8,850 in private donations was collected by early 1995.

Despite opposition from many residents, the City Council has voted to move ahead with plans to develop the former site of the Metlox Pottery factory, a three-acre swath of prime downtown property. Although many residents voiced concerns that they were not included in the decision-making process, and several pages of signed petitions were presented at the meeting Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to seek proposals from four development firms for the future of the site.

"I hope they'll come in droves," said Scott Beck, nodding his head toward the giant buildings in the lot just east of the tanning salon he manages. "We'd have them in and out in 15 to 20 minutes. They can come in on their lunch breaks."

In Manhattan Beach, a slice of yuppie heaven in the South Bay that's populated with a plethora of lawyers, doctors and investment bankers, demand for cellular phone service is--and this is a bit of an understatement--quite high. On the other hand, desire for a 125-foot-high cellular relay tower in a residential neighborhood is--and this is being most generous--quite low.

City officials are planning to turn the northern half of the old Metlox Potteries site in downtown Manhattan Beach into a temporary parking lot in time for the summer parking crunch. The city completed the purchase of the property in January and has not decided what to do with it yet. City officials said the temporary parking lot will generate money for the city until a decision has been made on what to do with it.

The city plans to spend $700,000 to refurbish the Strand, replacing corroded light fixtures and poles, cracked sidewalks and damaged retaining walls and drains. Public works Director Neil Miller said the first priority will be to remove the 30-year-old lighting fixtures on the two-mile beach path that runs through Manhattan Beach. He said that 80% of the 136 fixtures and poles have suffered from weather damage over the years.

City officials have proposed building a temporary parking lot on the northern half of a former pottery factory to help ease a parking shortage while the city decides how to develop the land. The city completed the purchase of the former Metlox Potteries property at Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley Drive in February and officials have not decided what will be built there. City officials have proposed creating a 150-stall parking lot with meters until a development plan is ready.

In an effort to put the old Manhattan Heights Library building to use, city officials have planned a presentation and public meeting tonight to discuss placing a proposed cultural arts center on the site. The city purchased the building from the county in 1995 when the library--the smaller of two located in Manhattan Beach--closed as part of cutbacks by Los Angeles County Public Library system.

The City Council agrees that Manhattan Beach needs a cultural arts facility but is not sure if the old Manhattan Heights Library is the best place for it or if the circular building is big enough to accommodate a theater. The council recently voted 3-2 to have an architect redesign the proposed $2.1-million center without a performance space. The council has also asked the architect to reconfigure the design so that the only access to the facility is off Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

In an attempt to exercise more control over the manner in which downtown Manhattan Beach is developed, the city has purchased the remaining portion of the former Metlox pottery site--the last large piece of undeveloped property in downtown. The City Council voted to purchase the 66,000-square-foot northern half of the property for $3.1 million. The city bought the 63,000-square-foot southern parcel for $2.3 million last summer. The parcel has been vacant since Metlox declared bankruptcy in 1989.

A giant crane is tilting up 90-ton sound-stage walls at Manhattan Beach Studios today, as a commercial real estate project with a lot to say about the changing face of Southern California industry takes a key step forward. The $50-million project to build 11 sound stages and office structures is seen as one more confirmation that the entertainment industry is driving the Southern California economy.