Coastal Commission Considering Project to Raze Gladstones & Build Bigger Restaurant/Bus Stop

By Laurel Busby

News & Information Editor

The demolition of Gladstones and its replacement with a restaurant that is approximately 46 percent larger is being considered by the California Coastal Commission on Oct. 8.

The proposed project at 17300 Pacific Coast Highway would also eliminate the current public deck to be replaced with a new deck that is about 73 percent smaller, while parking would be reduced by about 30 percent based on square footage listed on the commission website.

A Big Blue Bus and Metro public transportation station, two public restrooms, a snack bar, and a retail shop would be added to the site along with the new restaurant and deck, according to the commission. The shared bus stop would include a turnaround loop and “bus layover for driver rest times.” In addition, entry lanes from PCH would “allow drivers to valet their vehicles or to drop passengers off.”

PCH Beach Associates, L.L.C., the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation applied to the commission for a permit to remove the existing 12,091 sq. ft. restaurant (three structures) and 7,900 sq. ft. public deck in order to build a 17,712 sq.ft. restaurant with a deck that is 2,094 sq.ft., according to the commission agenda.

PCH Beach Associates, L.L.C., which is the concessionaire, lists chef Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Tellefsen of 566 Amalfi as its contacts.

In 2018, Puck and architect Frank Gehry received approval from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to enter exclusive negotiations with the Department of Beaches and Harbors, to build the project, which sits on county land at Sunset and P.C.H. At a meeting that April, Puck told the board that the new location “would be a restaurant for everybody in the city,” including families, the beach community, and people who enjoy an elegant meal.

“This for me would be probably my lifetime dream to be working with Frank Gehry and to have my new flagship right here in Los Angeles County,” he said. “It will create a totally new experience for Angelenos.”

A rendering of the proposed restaurant.

According to the commission, the project would add 9,000 sq.ft. of landscaping and “construct a portion of the Coastal Trail seaward of the restaurant and public deck.” In addition, the 300-ft. long revetment would be removed, and the new structure would have a caisson grade beam foundation. The parking lot with its current 212 spaces would be repaved and reconfigured with the bus stop/turnaround and 148 parking spaces, including 74 valet-only spaces.

Some of the commission materials have conflicting numbers. For example, the agenda lists 141 replacement parking spaces, while other materials mention 148.

The Pacific Palisades Community Council has previously supported the addition of the bus turnaround, a requirement for the concessionaire’s bid, according to the organization’s newsletter today.

“However, we are concerned that the current plans were not previously shared with the community, despite prior assurance from the concessionaire that information would be provided about the plans and that the community's questions would be answered,” the P.P.C.C. stated in its newsletter. “The P.P.C.C. Executive Committee will therefore soon submit a request for postponement of the hearing, to allow for questions and concerns to be addressed and the community's input to be shared with the commission, before any coastal hearing or permit issuance occurs.”

The P.P.C.C. recommends that concerned residents attend the Wednesday commission meeting either in person or online. The 9 a.m. meeting will be held at the Sonesta Redondo Beach and Marina Hotel, 300 N. Harbor Drive. A livestream is available here. Anyone wishing to speak either at the meeting or online must fill out a speaker request form by 5 p.m. on Oct. 7. The commission’s meeting’s agenda has a link to this form, and public participation rules are available here.

The commission’s exhibits on the project can be found here, and their staff report, which recommends approval, is here.

(Further information about this issue is available in this Circling the News article.)