Coastal Commission Approves Gladstone’s Replacement & Residents Demand Answers from Supervisor Horvath
By Laurel Busby
News & Information Editor
The California Coastal Commission approved plans to demolish Gladstone’s and build a larger restaurant in spite of requests for a delayed vote from the Pacific Palisades Community Council and City Councilwoman Traci Park’s office.
To address community concerns, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath fielded questions at the Oct. 9 P.P.C.C. meeting from residents who were particularly worried about the potential impact of SB 79, a state bill signed into law Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. SB 79 would allow greater housing density around transit hubs, and the new restaurant’s parking lot would include a bus stop with a turnaround that would be served by multiple bus lines.
Horvath insisted that SB 79 would not apply to the area around the restaurant at Sunset Blvd. and PCH.
“The claims about SB 79 triggering because of this project are simply not true,” she said. “The Gladstones project is not creating a major transit stop…. The proposed bus turnaround and stop do not meet the bill's criteria. In fact, no Big Blue Bus stop currently qualifies as bus rapid transit under SB 79. Additionally, the city of L.A maps with regard to SB 79 confirmed that this is not an anticipated site.”
However, some residents questioned Horvath intensely and cited concerns that the bill could be read in a way that would allow greater housing density within a half mile of the location.
For example, Nina Madok, an attorney, noted that three bus lines, Big Blue Bus route 9 and L.A. Metro bus lines 602 and 134, would use the stop, and parts of those lines offer 24-hour, 7-days per week service either currently or in the future, potentially triggering the law. In addition, Madok noted that the bus stop and turnaround were called a transit station in the Coastal Commission agenda and a similar reference was used in documents from other government officials.
Another concerned resident mentioned that future plans for two of the bus lines to run every 15 minutes for parts of the day might cause the lines to meet the qualifications for SB 79.
He asked Horvath, “If I'm right, and let's just assume worst case scenario, would you be willing to put forth a motion [to] the Board of Supervisors … to exempt Pacific Palisades … from SB 79? That would actually solve everything.”
Horvath responded, “I absolutely am committed to making sure that the density that would come from SB 79 is not concentrated in the Palisades… It is not my intention to see increased density in this area, especially because it is a very high fire severity zone. The city's own maps do not indicate that this would have SB 79 implications, but if there were any change … to those maps, it would be my commitment to the community that we protect the community from the SB 79 implication.”
Horvath also said that the public/private partnership for building a new restaurant on the site had been in danger of collapsing if the Coastal Commission had not issued an approval. The builder, PCH Beach Associates, which is an effort by chef Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Tellefsen, began exclusive negotiations with the county for the project in 2018.
“We didn't want to lose the project entirely, and they've been working on this since 2018,” said Horvath, who took office in December of 2022. “This project from the county's perspective has not changed substantially since 2021, when it was formally discussed at that time.”
However, residents noted that the project has changed since 2021, and Tellefsen had promised to return to the council and present those changes, according to minutes from the June 24, 2021, council meeting. No one had reached out to the council to share an update on the restaurant’s plans in the four years since that meeting, according to the council.
Horvath said that representatives from both PCH Beach Associates and the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors have offered to meet with the PPCC on Oct. 23, which would be the date of the council’s next regular meeting. This proposed meeting has yet to be confirmed.
Due to upcoming construction in the Palisades from rebuilding after the Jan.7 fire, a resident worried about the timing of erecting the proposed 17,712 sq.ft. restaurant with its 2,094 sq.ft. deck when so much construction would already be underway. Another resident questioned the need for the high-end restaurant and wondered about both its environmental impact and the benefit to the Palisades community.
“We believe that the new design actually helps to enhance the safety of the building,” said Horvath, who noted that the structure was impacted by the fire. “We also do intend to serve a diverse array of clientele and open up the property more to the public. There will be a café that is accessible in addition to the restaurant, so it's not just a high-end restaurant, but serves the entire community.”
The previous Canyon News article about this topic can be found at this link.
