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AES: Harbor Village would replace Redondo Beach power plant

[UPDATED]
By Nicole
Mooradian

July 22,
2014

Redondo Beach voters may get to decide in March 2015 the fate of the oft-maligned power plant on Harbor Drive,
AES Southland indicated Tuesday.
According to a news release from the energy company, a notice of intent to begin gathering signatures for a ballot
initiative will be filed with the city later this week.
The plan calls for a Harbor Village consisting of a mixed-use zone along Harbor Drive and a low-density residential
zone, according to the news release. (Read the complete news release below.) The initiative would limit overall
development on the site to 600 new residences, 250 hotel rooms and 85,000 square feet of commercial space.
In addition, the proposed initiative requires the creation of a new pedestrian esplanade/public plaza fronting Harbor
Drive, continuation of the existing Veterans Parkway (Hermosa Valley Greenbelt) to the coast, a new tree-lined
pedestrian promenade along Herondo Street, and four acres of additional open space that could be used for a
neighborhood park or recreational areas, according to the news release.
The existing power plant would be retired in 2020 as required by law.
In the news release, Eric Pendergraft of AES Southland called the plan a win-win.
Weve always been willing to work with the community to explore alternative uses for our property, he said. This
initiative would give Redondo Beach the opportunity to transform the site into a vibrant part of the waterfront,
providing jobs, healthy economic growth and new revenue for city services.

In an interview with My Redondo Beach, Mayor Steve Aspel expressed his support for the plan as described in the
news release.
If the paperwork they submit is different (than the current proposal) then we wont support it, he said. Its got to
be what they told us right here. I reserve the right to withdraw my support if the initiative turns out to the different from
our conversation.
Nevertheless, at least one outspoken opponent of the power plant appeared to be dissatisfied with AES proposal.
This is obviously a back room deal cooked up between AES, the City, and Aspel, said activist Jim Light of Building a
Better Redondo. It is no wonder Aspel refused to combine the harbor/pier project with a broader plan for the AES site
and the CenterCal Mall project. Funny how Aspel supports voting on this but vetoed a vote on the CenterCal Mall.
Lightwho was an author of the failed Measure A, which attempted to rezone AES Harbor Drive property to a
mixture of up to 40 percent commercial and institutional uses, with the rest as open space, as well as ban electricity
generation on the propertyalso questioned how the Harbor Village initiative would affect the proposed waterfront
redevelopment by CenterCal Properties. (Lights complete statement is reprinted below.)
Councilman Bill Brand, who was also an author of Measure A, said he was cautiously optimistic about the plans,
though he noted that he had not read the initiative. Once the initiative language is made public and he discusses the
matter with the community, he will issue an official policy statement, Brand said in an email to constituents.
For his part, Aspel said the plans ultimate goal is simple: get rid of the power plant.
This is the single most important thing in Redondo Beachthe power plant, the mayor said Tuesday. (The
proposed initiative) kind of brings it back to the forefront. Theres absolutely no connection with the CenterCal
(proposal) It may complicate the (environmental impact report) for CenterCal, but thats for other people to figure
out starting tomorrow.
The current AES Redondo Beach Generating Station, which was built in the 1950s, uses seawater to cool the
superheated steam that spins the turbines to generate electricitya cooling method that California has now banned.
The power plant would have to be rebuilt, retrofitted or retired by 2020.
AES has already begun the application process with the California Energy Commission to rebuild a new power plant
to replace the existing one.
Since power generation is our core business, were still making progress on our plans to replace 3,500 MWs of
power generation at our three existing power plants in Redondo Beach, Alamitos and Huntington Beach with new,
modern facilities, AES Southlands Eric Pendergraft said in the news release. At the same time, weve been working
on a plan that would enable us to close our Redondo Beach plant and revitalize the site in a way that allows us to
receive fair value for our property.
If approved by voters, the Harbor Village Initiative would make this possible. Meanwhile, well continue moving
forward with our efforts to replace our Alamitos and Huntington Beach power plants with new natural gas plants and
energy storage facilities.
Proponents and opponents of the new power plant have debated whether power from AES Redondo Beach will be
necessary. Proponents say that AES Redondo Beach would provide the grid with much-needed flexibility during
times when renewable energy is not available, while opponents contend that new and existing power plants have
more than enough generating capacity to meet power needs forecast by the California Public Utilities Commission.
No Power Plant co-founder Lezlie Campeggi said that AES plans for the initiative confirm what power plant
opponents have been saying. One things for sure, she said in an email, even AES knows theres no need for a
power plant in Redondo Beach.

Brand agreed.
Im ecstatic that AES has finally admitted that we dont need a new power plant, or THE POWER LINES for our
energy needs, now or in the future, he wrote in an email to constituents. Many of us have known this for years, but
the fear AES and others have been able to stoke about the retirement of San Onofre and the future demands for
power has played well in the arena of public opinion. Fear sells!
Opponents of the power plant have also pointed to the facilitys blighting influence on the harbor area, where they say
property values are depressed up to 40 percent; Pendergraft acknowledged this in the news release.
By removing the old power plant, views of the harbor and coast would be enhanced, and surrounding property values
would increase, he said.
At the end of the day, AES (decided) they can do this and make their money and go away and the voters get to
pick between the Harbor Village plan and a power plant, Aspel said. It may make some peoples heads explode to
say, Ive got to vote for a power plant or a residential area?'
Nevertheless, the mayor cautioned that nothing is set in stone.
(The initiative) hasnt even been turned in, he said. It hasnt been filed with the city. It still needs to qualify for the
ballot and it has to be voted on.
Correction: A previous version of this article referred to Lezlie Campeggi as an administrator of the No Power Plant
Facebook page. While she is one of more than a half-dozen administrators for the Facebook page, she is also the cofounder of the NoPowerPlant.com political action committee.
Complete news release from AES:

AES today said a notice of intent will be filed with the city later this week to begin gathering signatures
for a ballot initiative that will give Redondo Beach voters the opportunity to vote on a plan allowing its
waterfront power plant to be shut down, and the site transformed into a thriving Harbor Village, with a
balanced mix of homes, businesses and permanent open space, creating jobs and an important new
source of revenue for the city.
This is a smart, responsible proposal that provides enormous benefits for our community and treats
AES fairly, said Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel. After hosting a power plant for more than a
century, Redondo Beach finally has the choice to move on without one. The Harbor Village Initiative
is a shared victory for all sides, and it has my full and enthusiastic support.
Since power generation is our core business, were still making progress on our plans to replace
3,500 MWs of power generation at our three existing power plants in Redondo Beach, Alamitos and
Huntington Beach with new, modern facilities, said AES Southlands Eric Pendergraft. At the same
time, weve been working on a plan that would enable us to close our Redondo Beach plant and
revitalize the site in a way that allows us to receive fair value for our property.
If approved by voters, the Harbor Village Initiative would make this possible, said Pendergraft.
Meanwhile, well continue moving forward with our efforts to replace our Alamitos and Huntington
Beach power plants with new natural gas plants and energy storage facilities.
With voter approval of the initiative, the existing power plant could be shut down by 2020 and removed
from the site, and no new power plant would be built.

The site would then be developed in accordance with the zoning designations and requirements
established by the initiative. Any specific project proposed under the new zoning would need to be
approved by the city council, and complete a formal environmental review to ensure compliance with
the California Environmental Quality Act. In addition, the new land use and zoning plan would be
subject to review by the Coastal Commission.
The initiative also guarantees that at least ten acres at the site will be used for parks and open space.
Weve always been willing to work with the community to explore alternative uses for our property,
said Pendergraft. This initiative would give Redondo Beach the opportunity to transform the site into a
vibrant part of the waterfront, providing jobs, healthy economic growth, and new revenue for city
services. Its a win-win for everybody.
Pendergraft said the plan would complement current efforts by the city and CenterCal to revitalize the
pier area.
By removing the old power plant, views of the harbor and coast would be enhanced, and surrounding
property values would increase, said Pendergraft.
Under the initiative, two distinct districts would be created at the site:
A mixed-use zone along Harbor Drive that encourages pedestrian-active retail and visitorserving uses, restaurants, art and cultural facilities, offices, and similar uses serving residents
and visitors, together with residential uses above the ground floor
A low-density residential zone to the east of the mixed-use zone designed for single-family
residences
The initiative limits overall development on the site to 600 new residences, 250 hotel rooms and
85,000 square feet of commercial space.
In addition, the proposed initiative requires the creation of a new pedestrian esplanade/public plaza
fronting Harbor Drive, continuation of the existing Veterans Parkway (Hermosa Valley Greenbelt) to the
coast, a new tree-lined pedestrian promenade along Herondo Street, and four acres of additional open
space that could be used for a neighborhood park or recreational areas.

Statement from Jim Light to My Redondo Beach:

This is obviously a back room deal cooked up between AES, the City, and Aspel. It is no wonder Aspel
refused to combine the harbor/pier project with a broader plan for the AES site and the CenterCal Mall
project. Funny how Aspel supports voting on this but vetoed a vote on the CenterCal Mall.
I will reserve final judgment until I see the actual language. At first glance a 4 acre park is very small for
a 52 acre site, but depending on the size and configuration of the pedestrian path along Herondo, it
might be acceptable. The press release also calls out 10 acres of parks and open space but is that
public space or space for the new residents and businesses? The mixed use area with residences
above businesses are scary to me from a density perspective, but the whole thing is hard to evaluate
without seeing the actual text. What controls are in place? Whats the total build out potential? What
are the height limits? Are their view corridor requirements? I have lots of questions before I finalize my
opinion.
Because the zoning would be voted in by initiative, it will not have to go through a CEQA environmental

review. But, now that we some definition, CEQA does require the impacts of this zoning be assessed in
the CenterCal Mall environmental impact report so residents can evaluate the cumulative impacts of
both developments together. The problem is the environmental impacts will not likely be available until
after the people vote on the AES initiative. This is actually bad for the CenterCal Mall because we will
only know the impacts after the zoning is approved, but we will know the impacts when the CenterCal
EIR comes back. So the only place to mitigate the combined impacts would be in the CenterCal
development.