Manhattan Beach : Rezoning Bid Rejected

The City Council this week rejected a proposal from the city’s elementary school district that would have paved the way for the district to sell its headquarters on Laurel Avenue for a large residential development.

The school district had asked the council to rezone the three-acre site at 1212 Laurel Ave. from single-family residential to residential-planned development. The zone change would have allowed a developer to build up to 50 homes on the site, city officials said.

The council voted unanimously, however, to keep the parcel zoned single-family residential, which allows up to 23 single-family detached homes.

The district wanted the zone change because developers would pay more for the site with a higher density. In an effort to save money, the district plans to move its headquarters to vacant classrooms at Pacific Elementary School.

At a hearing last month, residents near the Laurel Avenue site complained that a large development would bring traffic and congestion to the area and would ruin its single-family character.