TO: HARBOR COMMISSION
FROM: JOHN CIAMPA, SENIOR PLANNER
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DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION, AND RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON A CEQA EXEMPTION DECLARATION AND DESIGN REVIEW PERMIT FOR THE SEASIDE LAGOON REHABILITATION PROJECT IN THE PARKS, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE (P-PRO) ZONE IN THE COASTAL ZONE LOCATED AT 200 PORTOFINO WAY
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City is proposing the rehabilitation and modernization of Seaside Lagoon to replace aging infrastructure, address current water quality and public health requirements, and maintain the facility's longstanding role as a public waterfront recreational amenity. Following extensive community outreach, engineering and cost analysis, and regulatory review, the City Council in April 2026 directed staff to proceed with a reduced project scope that can be delivered within available funding while maintaining the project's primary recreational and Measure C objectives.
The proposed project includes a new five-foot-deep recirculating recreational lagoon with beach areas and water play features, new pump and restroom facilities, upgraded utilities and infrastructure, ADA-accessible improvements, fencing, shade structures, landscaping, and other site improvements. The project maintains the existing recreational use and capacity of the facility and is designed for completion prior to the 2028 Olympic Games. The project requires Design Review approval by the City Council, which will be considered at a public hearing on September 15, 2026, followed by Coastal Development Permit review by the California Coastal Commission. The Harbor Commission is advisory to the City Council on the project. Staff recommends that the Harbor Commission review the project and make a formal recommendation to the City Council regarding the CEQA exemption and Design Review Permit.
Figure 1: Site Plan
BACKGROUND
Seaside Lagoon is a City-owned recreational facility located within King Harbor at 200 Portofino Way within the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (P-PRO) zone in the coastal zone. Constructed in 1962, the Seaside Lagoon has served the residents of Redondo Beach, the greater Los Angeles area, and visitors from throughout Southern California. In 2026, the Lagoon received over 50,219 visitors, and over 100 reservations for camp and summer programming usage.
The facility consists of a man-made saltwater swimming lagoon, sandy beach areas, picnic facilities, playgrounds, restroom facilities, and other visitor-serving recreational amenities. The Seaside Lagoon has operated seasonally as a public swimming facility and has become a defining feature of King Harbor. Over time, the facility's original infrastructure including its seawater intake, filtration, and treatment system has reached the end of its useful life. Continued maintenance has become increasingly difficult and costly while public health and environmental regulations on water quality have become more stringent resulting in the facility being out of compliance. These factors resulted in the City evaluating long-term rehabilitation alternatives for the facility.
PROJECT HISTORY AND EVOLUTION
2021-2022: Waterfront Planning and Community Outreach
The City began planning for the rehabilitation of Seaside Lagoon in 2021 as part of the King Harbor Public Amenities Plan, with extensive community engagement including pop-ups, community meetings and online surveys. Outreach continued through 2022 and included multiple public meetings and events, with hundreds of residents and stakeholders participating in the feedback process. These outreach efforts considered a range of potential aquatic amenities and improvements to Seaside Lagoon.
2022-2023: Transition to Project Design
Following the broader waterfront planning process, the City moved into the more detailed design and engineering phase. City Council approved the Seaside Lagoon design RFP in May 2022, received three qualified proposals, and selected NUVIS to lead the design, engineering, environmental review and entitlement process. The City and NUVIS then began project-specific community engagement and design development in 2023.
2023-2024: Project-Specific Outreach
The City continued public engagement as the design developed, including pop-up events, stakeholder meetings and Harbor Commission subcommittee meetings. A December 2023 community workshop specifically explored potential year-round amenities, including lap swimming and various wave-oriented concepts. This outreach informed development of multiple conceptual design alternatives and refinement of the preferred project.
2024-2025: Harbor Commission and Council Review
The Harbor Commission considered the Seaside Lagoon project on September 9, 2024. At that meeting, the Commission discussed the various design options, including the building placement, promenade configuration, alternative water sources, and the possibility and cost of a wave maker. The Commission ultimately voted 7-0 to recommend that the City Council pursue a complete renovation of Seaside Lagoon using a phased approach, with Building Placement Option 2 and Promenade Design Option 2.
The Commission’s recommendation was for a complete, multi-phased renovation, recognizing that the City would need to construct the project in phases as funding became available. The September 2024 staff report estimated the complete project at approximately $31.1 million, while Phase 1 was estimated at approximately $7.0 million. The concept contemplated obtaining entitlements for the entire project while using the funding currently available to construct Phase 1.
On October 15, 2024, the City Council reviewed multiple conceptual alternatives, and, in alignment with the Harbor Commission’s recommendation, directed staff to continue development of the “Design Option 2”, which envisioned a combined recreational lagoon and lap swimming facility integrated within a single water feature together with associated recreational amenities, and a two-story building to hold administrative and lifeguard offices.
The direction provided by Council in 2024 was not based on a construction-ready design. It was direction to proceed with the selected design concept, pursue entitlements, and develop the project through the design process. That distinction is important because many of the issues that ultimately changed the project could not be fully evaluated until the design was developed further and the City coordinated with the applicable regulatory agencies.
2025-2026: Engineering and Regulatory Review
As engineering and budget assessments advanced, several factors required modification of the original concept:
• Coordination with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health determined that the lap pool and recreational lagoon could not operate as the combined water feature contemplated in the 2024 concept. The two uses would need to be physically separated, with significant setbacks and fencing between them. Incorporating these requirements into the design substantially increased the cost of providing both a separate lap pool and recreational lagoon. By 2026, the estimated cost for that Phase 1 configuration exceeded $16 million.
• Additional geotechnical investigations identified a high groundwater table limiting feasible excavation depth. The design team determined that excavation beyond approximately 3.5 feet would encounter groundwater. Going deeper introduces significant dewatering requirements and associated construction costs. Dewatering was a major reason for refining the original scope; the deeper the excavation, the more dewatering would be required. The construction and installation of a sheet-pile system may also be required.
At that point in project development, the City had approximately $7.9 million remaining in the project funding account, while the design being contemplated was substantially more expensive. Rather than stop the project or ask the City to fund an entirely new project, staff and NUVIS went back through the design and identified what could realistically be built with the funding available.
2026: City Council Direction
On April 21, 2026, the City Council considered the refined project concept, updated construction cost estimates, and available funding for the Seaside Lagoon Rehabilitation Project. Following their discussion, the City Council directed staff to proceed with entitlement processing for a reduced project scope that remains within the available funding while achieving the project's principal objectives, including modernization of the Lagoon's aging infrastructure, compliance with current water quality and public health standards, consistency with Measure C, and completion of construction prior to the 2028 Olympic Games. Specific focus was to build the lagoon to a depth of five feet (achieved though increasing decking height), include a prefabricated restroom with two unisex stalls, upgrade the perimeter fencing for an eight-foot-tall tube steel fence, and include new sand in and around the lagoon.
The project before the Harbor Commission represents the implementation of the City Council’s direction.
DISCUSSION
The proposed project replaces the aging seawater lagoon and supporting infrastructure with a modern recreational swimming lagoon that complies with current public health, safety, accessibility, and water quality standards. The project is designed to improve the year-round functionality of the site while maintaining expansive public open space and creating flexible spaces capable of accommodating passive recreation, community gatherings, and special events.
The architectural and site design were developed to enhance the waterfront recreational facility with high-quality public spaces through the integration of recreational amenities, landscaping, and architecturally compatible buildings. The proposed improvements maintain the open character of the site, strengthen connections to the Harbor waterfront, and enhance accessibility throughout the facility through new pedestrian pathways, plazas, and gathering areas.
The existing seawater lagoon would be replaced with a new recirculating recreational lagoon utilizing a closed-loop filtration and treatment system. The lagoon is designed with a walk-in sand beach entry along the northern shoreline that gradually transitions into a deeper swimming area on the harbor side with a maximum water depth of five feet and a plaster-finished bottom. A submerged dividing wall separates the shallow sand-bottom recreation area from the deeper swimming area with a line of buoys located above the dividing wall to clearly identify the transition for users. Sand beaches surrounding the majority of the lagoon to create a natural beach environment while maintaining a defined swimming area. The project also includes water play features, improved circulation around the lagoon perimeter, landscape and hardscape, and expanded opportunities for recreational use.
Figure 2: Lagoon Cross-Section
In addition to the lagoon improvements, the project includes construction of a new 2,660-square-foot, approximately 18.5-foot-tall pump station and equipment building to house the mechanical, filtration, and water treatment systems required to operate the recirculating lagoon. A new two-sided restroom building is also proposed to serve both Seaside Lagoon patrons and visitors utilizing the adjacent Harbor waterfront promenade and public boat launch. The architectural design of these buildings incorporates articulated façades with white painted brick, standing seam metal roofs, coordinated exterior materials that will complement the existing structure, and architectural detailing that complement the surrounding Harbor environment while maintaining a low-profile scale appropriate for the waterfront setting. Supporting infrastructure improvements include new utilities, drainage facilities, grading, lighting, electrical improvements, and other infrastructure necessary for the long-term operation of the facility.
The project substantially enhances the lagoon adjacent recreational facilities through the addition of ADA-accessible pedestrian pathways, ADA-compliant ramping into the Lagoon water, plaza areas, a 12-foot-tall luau shade shelter, picnic and barbecue facilities, seating areas, decorative paving, improved perimeter fencing, and removable fencing that allows the lagoon to be secured when not in operation while maximizing public access to the surrounding waterfront. Extensive landscape improvements include new trees, shrubs, irrigation, and natural grass areas to enhance the visual quality of the site, and provide additional shade.
Figure 3 - Seaside Lagoon Fencing
Implementation of the project requires demolition and replacement of portions of the existing lagoon infrastructure, including removal of the existing lagoon basin, mechanical equipment, restroom facilities, fencing, hardscape improvements, selected landscaping, and associated site improvements. Existing sand will be relocated and reused where feasible, mature palm trees will be preserved or relocated where practical, and new landscaping will be installed throughout the project area. The project has been designed to minimize impacts to existing recreational facilities during construction while preserving significant landscape features wherever feasible.
Overall, the proposed improvements will transform Seaside Lagoon into a modern, year-round waterfront recreational destination while preserving its role as a public swimming and beach recreation facility. As depicted in the project plans and architectural renderings, the project combines contemporary coastal architecture, high-quality landscape design, enhanced public amenities, and upgraded recreational facilities into a cohesive waterfront environment. The project preserves public views toward King Harbor and the Pacific Ocean, maintains human-powered watercraft access, improves accessibility and visitor comfort, and provides modern infrastructure capable of supporting the continued operation of Seaside Lagoon in compliance with current public health, safety, and environmental regulations, consistent with the City's Waterfront Vision Plan and Measure C.
MEASURE C
The project is designed for consistency with the voter-approved requirements of Measure C, which amended the Public, Recreation and Open Space (P-PRO) regulations applicable to Seaside Lagoon Regional Park. Measure C requires that if the existing saltwater swimming facility is replaced for water quality purposes, it be replaced with a recreational swimming facility of at least equivalent water surface area that complies with applicable public health, safety, and environmental regulations while preserving the park's primary recreational amenities, including the sandy beach, volleyball courts, picnic and barbecue areas, play equipment, luau shelter, restroom facilities, human-powered watercraft access, and public open space. The proposed project satisfies these requirements by replacing the existing lagoon with a modern recreational swimming facility that meets current public health and water quality standards, preserves the site's recreational function and visitor-serving amenities, maintains public access and open space, and continues Seaside Lagoon's long-standing role as a premier waterfront recreational destination.
Coastal Access
The proposed project maintains and enhances public coastal access by improving pedestrian circulation, accessibility, and visitor-serving amenities without restricting access to the Harbor or waterfront promenade. Improvements include new ADA-accessible pathways, plazas, landscaping, and reconfigurable fencing that allows greater year-round public access when the lagoon is not in operation. The project also includes a new two-sided restroom building that will serve both Seaside Lagoon patrons and the general public accessing the waterfront promenade and public boat launch. Staff finds the project improves public coastal access and is consistent with the public access policies of the Coastal Act.
Noise
The project consists of rehabilitation of the existing Seaside Lagoon and replacement of aging infrastructure, including the lagoon, pump building, restroom facilities, shade structures, landscaping, and site improvements. The project does not increase the intensity or capacity of the existing recreational use and is not expected to generate additional long-term operational noise. Construction-related noise will be temporary and subject to applicable City regulations.
Parking
The proposed improvements modernize the existing Seaside Lagoon without expanding its recreational use or increasing visitor capacity. The project does not introduce new commercial uses or development that would increase parking demand. Existing public parking facilities serving King Harbor and Seaside Lagoon will continue to accommodate the project. Staff finds the project will not result in significant parking impacts.
Traffic/Pedestrian Access
The project replaces and upgrades existing recreational facilities without increasing the intensity of use or generating additional vehicle trips. Improvements include ADA-accessible walkways, enhanced pedestrian connections, new plazas, landscaping, and improved circulation throughout the site. These improvements enhance pedestrian safety and accessibility while maintaining existing traffic patterns. Staff finds the project will not result in significant traffic impacts and will improve pedestrian access to Seaside Lagoon, the waterfront promenade, and adjacent Harbor amenities.
ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities) and 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction). The project consists of the rehabilitation and modernization of the existing Seaside Lagoon through the replacement of aging recreational infrastructure, including the lagoon, pump building, restroom facilities, utilities, hardscape, and landscaping, while maintaining the existing recreational use and operational capacity of the site. The replacement improvements will serve substantially the same purpose at the same location and do not result in an expansion of the facility or its intensity of use. Staff has also determined that none of the exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption identified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply.
REVIEW PROCESS
The proposed improvements to the Seaside Lagoon require Design Review and Coastal Development Permit (CDP) entitlements. The project’s location in the harbor and public tidelands results in the California Coastal Commission (CCC) having permitting jurisdiction over the required CDP. Because the project is located on City-owned property, the Harbor Commission will review the project and make a recommendation to the City Council regarding approval of the Design Review Permit. Following the Harbor Commission’s review, the City Council will consider the application and make a decision on the project. Upon City approval, the project will be submitted to the CCC for review and approval of the required CDP.
DEPARTMENT’S RECOMMENDATION
The Community Development Department recommends that the Harbor Commission review the project and make a formal recommendation to the City Council on the Exemption Declaration and Design Review for consideration in a public hearing at the September 15, 2026 meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Location Map
2. Exemption Declaration
3. City Council Agenda Report and Minutes from April 21, 2026
4. Conceptual Plans and Renderings