To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A TEMPORARY PREFERENTIAL PARKING PROGRAM TO ADDRESS HOLIDAY TRAFFIC AND PARKING IMPACTS IN THE MASSENA AND AVENUE H NEIGHBORHOOD ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES THAT COULD BE EMPLOYED TO CONTROL VEHICULAR TRAFFIC BETWEEN THANKSGIVING AND THE NEW YEARS HOLIDAY
INTRODUCE BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3297-25, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 7, ARTICLE 3 OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING PREFERENTIAL PARKING TO ADD SECTION 3-7.1707 REGARDING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR TEMPORARY SEASONAL PREFERENTIAL PARKING
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Based on direction from the City Council, staff is presenting this item to consider implementation of a temporary seasonal preferential parking zone (TSPP Zone) to address year-end holiday traffic and parking issues in southeastern Redondo Beach associated with the holiday light attraction in neighboring Torrance. Staff proposes the implementation of this parking permit in accordance with principles of the City’s Preferential Parking Permit (PPP) Program. However, because the preferential parking need derives from a seasonal event, rather than consistent parking demand, the Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) needs to be modified to accommodate the establishment of a TSPP Zone. Staff is proposing a two-year pilot period to test the efficacy of the temporary program.
Notice of the agenda item was hand delivered to residences within the proposed TSPP Zone. The TSPP Zone, as proposed, includes the south side of Avenue H, east of Prospect, Circle Drive, and Massena Avenue. The proposed dates of the TSPP Zone run from November 28, 2025 through January 4, 2026 and November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Parking in the TSPP Zone would be restricted to permit holders each day, between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
As a related topic of discussion, staff is also including its yearly recommendation to close Avenue H at the border of Redondo Beach and Torrance during the holiday lights season. This year, however, staff received a request from staff in the City of Torrance to allow for egress from the holiday lights area in Torrance using westbound travel on Avenue H in Redondo Beach to improve circulation. If the Torrance request is granted, bollards would continue to be placed each evening to prevent ingress into the lights area from Redondo Beach along Avenue H. Torrance has offered to deploy Police Department personnel on Avenue H at the City boundary to enforce the one-way use of the street. In order to facilitate orderly westbound traffic flow, staff recommends City Council prohibit parking along the entire north side of Avenue H, between the City border and Prospect Avenue, during the street closure hours. As such, the north side of Avenue H is not included in the TSPP. In addition, staff recommends employing enhanced traffic controls and public messaging to improve circulation and notify visitors of the street closure, similar to efforts deployed in past few years.
BACKGROUND
An initial discussion of current issues and staff recommendations for the PPP Program was presented at the September 16, 2025 City Council meeting, with the City Council directing staff to prepare an ordinance for first reading to modify the RBMC to allow for a temporary pilot TSPP Zone to address parking and traffic circulation impacts within the Avenue H (1000 block) neighborhood due to holiday light gatherings in the City of Torrance. At present, the RBMC is not flexible enough to institute the TSPP Zone because there is no provision for an event based, temporary permit.
Staff proposes adding language to the RBMC to establish a TSPP Zone that would be in effect from November 28, 2025 through January 4, 2026 and again between November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027, which covers the day after Thanksgiving through the New Year’s holiday weekend for each of the next two years. Staff proposes that on-street parking on streets within the TSPP Zone be restricted to permit holders from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on each day during this period. Each dwelling unit in the TSPP would be allowed to apply for up to three preferential parking permits for use during the duration of the seasonal restrictions.
As proposed, fees are waived in the ordinance unless otherwise set by resolution of the City Council. Only vehicles actively registered to dwelling units within the TSPP Zone would be allowed to apply for permits, and sale or exchange of the parking permits is prohibited. Violators of the TSPP Zone restrictions would be subject to citation. Exceptions to the parking restriction are made for private, municipal, and publicly owned utility vehicles, emergency vehicles, and government vehicles.
The Police Department has expressed concerns with the proposed ordinance due to the additional administrative and enforcement burden placed on the Department during an already busy time of year. In addition, there are concerns about managing expectations and complaints regarding the potential lack of sufficient parking enforcement during the restricted hours, which are typically the busiest hours for the Police Department. Parking Enforcement will respond to all complaints; however, response times are priority-based and are fluid based on other active calls for service. Additionally, parking restrictions in this neighborhood could result in traffic and parking flowing over into adjacent neighborhoods and streets.
The primary purpose of the TSPP Zone is to discourage non-resident vehicular entry into the Avenue H neighborhood, which has no alternate egress during the hours bollards are installed to ensure limited traffic flow through the area. By instituting PPPs within this area during the holiday lights season, the City hopes to reduce the number of visitors driving into the Avenue H neighborhood in search of parking. Experience has shown that many visitors use Ave H in search of a “secret” way into the holiday lights neighborhood or as a location to secure a parking spot close to the festivities. Both motivations result in significant congestion during the peak holiday light times. Prohibition of non-resident parking, along with enhanced signage expressing that there is no through access to the holiday lights neighborhood, would reduce curiosity and more clearly identify the TSPP as a residential neighborhood and not a secret conduit to the holiday light displays for visitors. Parking permits would also address traffic flow issues associated with allowing egress from the holiday lights area.
If the City Council approves the RBMC changes necessary to implement the TSPP Zone, staff would need to come back with a second reading for approval and the TSPP would become effective 30 days thereafter. This would allow the administrative work associated with the TSPP administrative to begin quickly, with permits issued prior to the proposed start date of November 28, as long as second reading and adoption of the Ordinance took place on or before the October 21, 2025 City Council meeting.
The holiday lights area suffers from significant congestion and limited points of entry/exit. Based on discussions with the District 1 Councilmember, Torrance is asking that Redondo Beach consider modifying the full closure of traffic through the area. In prior years Avenue H has been closed to vehicular through traffic at Doris Way by installing removable bollards on the City boundary with Torrance. The proposed dates and times align with the proposed TSPP Zone, from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM between the weekend after Thanksgiving and the weekend after the New Year’s Holiday. This closure has been in effect annually since 1993 and was mutually agreed upon at the time by both the City of Redondo Beach and the City of Torrance. In 2024, staff implemented more robust measures to address various issues, including adding a temporary roundabout, additional red curb, additional signs, and additional trash cans.
The City of Torrance has requested that the City of Redondo Beach allow for egress along Avenue H from the holiday lights neighborhood to address traffic circulation issues in Torrance. Torrance has asked the City to consider it on a trial basis for one year. Under this scenario, the bollards would be installed to close only the eastbound traffic flow on Avenue H at the City boundary.
Although the TSPP Zone, as presented, would assist in traffic flow in this scenario, the TSPP Zone could be activated with or without the more limited bollard deployment. Consideration of the ordinance to establish the TSPP Zone is independent from the request from the City of Torrance to allow westbound traffic on Avenue H. If the Council agrees to the pilot and directs the action be undertaken as per the City Manager’s authority under RBMC 3-7.1314, staff also proposes prohibiting any parking (with or without permits) along the north side of Avenue H between the City border and Prospect Avenue to allow for the orderly flow of egress traffic.
The Police Department has raised concerns about having to rely on the City of Torrance to staff and to enforce the partial road closure. Staffing over this period is a major commitment (five hours daily or 190 hours total over 38 days). An unstaffed exit point will likely result in non-compliance with the proposed egress-only strategy. Torrance has offered to staff this location nightly, to ensure compliance, but no formal arrangement has yet been made.
At this time, staff recommends City Council take public input and determine whether to 1) approve the proposed ordinance and direct staff to return on October 14th for a second reading and adoption, or 2) direct staff to modify the proposed ordinance and return on October 14th for a first reading and introduction of the revised ordinance, or 3) determine not to establish the TSPP Program for the neighborhood this year. Staff also recommends the City Council provide direction to staff on whether to return with a resolution regarding a fee for the TSPP, including any direction on the fee amount. Lastly staff recommends City Council determine whether to grant the request of the City of Torrance, to allow westbound traffic along Avenue H from the City border with Torrance, assuming that a suitable and formalized agreement can be reached with Torrance to provide staffing to enforce the partial closure of the roadway.
COORDINATION
This report was coordinated by the Public Works and Police Departments, along with officials from the City of Torrance requesting the addition of egress-only traffic on Avenue H. The City Attorney’s Office approved the proposed ordinance to modify the RBMC to allow for a TSPP Zone to be implemented along Avenue H, Circle Drive and Massena Ave, as to form. If changes to the RBMC are approved and implemented, the Public Works and Police Departments would implement the TSPP.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost for signage and traffic control is included in the Public Works Department’s portion of the adopted Fiscal Year 2025-26 Annual Budget and is part of the Department’s annual work program. Placement of signs and street closure barricades is performed during normal working hours. All signs and barricades are reused from year to year. Costs to implement the TSPP Zone have not been calculated, but are expected to be minimal, and may be recouped via permit fees, if desired.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Ord - No. 3297-25 Amending Chapter 7, Article 3 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code Regarding Preferential Parking to Add Section 3-7.1707 Regarding a Pilot Program for Temporary Seasonal Preferred Parking
• Map - Proposed TSPP Zone Area
• Diagrams - Proposed Avenue H Proposed Traffic Measures for 2025
• Administrative Report - City Council, September 16, 2025