A draft environmental impact report published by the City of Redondo Beach details Forest City's plans to remodel and expand upon the struggling South Bay Galleria shopping mall.

The 30-acre property, located at Hawthorne and Artesia Boulevards, was developed with the existing three-story structure in the mid 1980s.  Although it still boasts anchor tenants such as Macy's, Kohl's and an AMC multiplex, the shopping center has suffered from an increasing number of empty store fronts in recent years, highlighted most recently by Nordstroms' decision to decamp for regional rival Del Amo Plaza.

In response, Forest City intends to open the mostly enclosed structure with pedestrian promenades and open air dining.  The acres of surface parking lots surrounding the mall would be redeveloped with mixed-use buildings and open space, creating natural foot traffic for the abutting shops and restaurants.

Five standalone retail buildings, ranging between two and three stories in height, would serve as a gateway to the mall.  Visitors would be funneled into the property through multiple landscaped entryways, leading to a central open-air plaza lined with commercial space.  A full buildout of the proposed development would expand South Bay Galleria's total retail space slightly over 1.3 million square feet.

The proposed hotel would be set back from Artesia Boulevard along the northern side of the property.  Plans call for a six-story edifice with 150 guest rooms which would overlook the planned central plaza.

Two residential buildings are planned on the east and west sides of the existing mall.  An eight-story structure fronting Kingsdale Avenue would provide approximately 434 dwelling units, while a seven-story edifice closer to Hawthorne Boulevard would provide 216 units.

Currently, the surface parking lots at the mall provide 1,854 parking spaces.  These existing accommodations would be replaced by a series of underground and above-grade structures across the property, creating 6,450 spaces.

The mall is also located in close proximity to a future station on Metro's planned South Bay extension of the Green Line.

Forest City has tapped a large design team for the project, including Gensler, AHBE, KGM, RSM Design, Tait and Togawa Smith Martin.

The draft environmental impact report forecasts an three-year, seven-month construction timeline between April 2020 and November 2023.  The project is still subject to the approval of the City of Redondo Beach.

A plan for a similarly ambitious remake of the Redondo Beach waterfront was recently scuttled by a voter initiative.