Addition of Three-Story Parking Garage to the Manhattan Village Mall in Consideration

Anna Real
Staff Writer

The Deutsche Bank Rosenberg Real Estate Equity Funds has plans to build a three story parking garage to create more parking space in the Manhattan Village mall.

If given permission, the construction would take place for three to five years and will result in less parking for restaurants and businesses such as Tin Roof, Suzy Cakes, etc.

“Less parking is a huge con for businesses,” managing member of 3500 Sepulveda Associates Mark Neumann said, “Pros are hard to find.”

In the May Manhattan Beach City Council meeting members agreed to postpone the project. It is now unclear whether the garage will be constructed.

“It seems that City Council thinks the project should be reduced in size,” Neumann said. “Based on economic studies presented by Deutsche Bank RREEF, the project will bring in less money and more traffic.”

However, many residents do approve of the expansion of the mall.

“I’m definitely in favor of a renovation of the mall,” Manhattan Beach resident Solange Haaland said. “It doesn’t generate as much clientele as it should or could. It would be nice to consolidate the two Macy’s and make it attractive to new stores.”

A three story parking garage would most likely result in an influx of tourists.

“I’m not in favor of expanding it’s square footage due to traffic concerns,” Haaland said. “We already have too much traffic on Rosecrans and Sepulveda and if it were to become a ‘destination’, the traffic would be unbearable.”