AES, the owners of the much-maligned power plant along Harbor Drive in Redondo Beach, have a plan for the space once they get rid of the plant: a mixed-use development that would include 600 homes, a hotel, retail space, and open park areas called Harbor Village. Finally, the large power plant will be gone, leaving space for community-boosting buildings and creating a prettier coastline. Pedestrian-friendly, it will have a new esplanade along harbor Drive and continue the greenbelt that currently runs through Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.
Harbor Village may never rival the Riviera Village in terms of local charm, walkability, and good restaurants, but it’s a start. The big open public park areas will be a much-loved amenity. Will it live up to the “village” in its name as easily as the Riviera Village does? Only time will tell. For now, though, it promises to add beauty and jump-start the local economy of Redondo Beach.