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Manhattan Beach’s growing economy, community and infrastructure development, public safety and environmental efforts highlighted the seaside town’s annual State of the City address this week, with Mayor Hildy Stern and other municipal officials discussing last year’s major happenings and what’s to come in 2022.
It was the first time in more than two years Manhattan Beach residents, officials and business people gathered in person, at the Joslyn Community Center, for the annual address.
Despite having to weather the coronavirus-fueled economic storm over the past two years, Stern said, the city brought is projected to bring in $82 million in general fund revenue during the 2021-22 fiscal year, which would be an increase from the 2020-21 fiscal year’s $73 million.
“We went into (the pandemic) with a very strong foundation,” she said.
“Now we see a comforting recovery,” Stern added, “with strong finances, revenue (and) seeing an increase in real estate taxes.”
The city also projects an increase in revenue from the transient occupancy tax — levies on hotel stays — to $4.6 million this fiscal year from $2.4 million last year, City Manager Bruce Moe said on Thursday, March 17, during his presentation on the economy.
Sales tax revenue is expected to be over what it was pre-pandemic, at $9.7 million, up from last year’s $8 million.
And property tax revenue is projected to be $32 million this year after a steady incline over the past four years, per Moe’s presentation.
The city’s revenue growth is “promising,” Stern said, beyond initial expectations for coming out of the pandemic.
Police Chief Derrick Abell, meanwhile, discussed public safety, saying there’s been an uptick in commercial burglaries.
This time last year, only one of those offenses had happened, he said, but this year, there have been 15, as of last week.
There have also been 46 vehicle burglaries so far, Abell said, compared to 29 at this time last year, though the 33 vehicles stolen recently is the same as last year.
The Police Department, however, hired nine new officers in the past year from other agencies, Abell said, and four incoming officers are currently in the academy. Officers will soon start foot and bicycle patrols, Abell said, as a way to build better relationships with the community.
Public Works Director Erick Lee said that his department just finished upgrading traffic signals in the downtown area and the city’s biennial slurry seal project is currently underway.
The city us rebuilding Fire Station No. 2 and it will be operational by spring 2023, Lee said. The former, nearly 70-year-old station was demolished in the fall.
Crosswalks on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at The Strand will be painted rainbow by this summer, Lee said, in honor of the LGBTQ community.
Upgrades to a parking lot at 12th Street and Highland Avenue just began, Lee added, and staff hopes to get at least 10 more years of use out of the structure.
Staff will this fall finish putting utility lines underground in District 4, in a small neighborhood between Ardmore Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, Lee said. Similar conversions in two El Porto area districts will be complete late next year, he added, and two more neighborhoods currently have petitions underway to bury their utilities as well.
“This is a program that we’re not taking our foot off the gas and excited to keep moving on,” Lee said.
Public Works is also designing a citywide fiber optic network with transportation consulting firm DKS Associates, Lee said, which would implement — likely in early 2024 — closed circuit cameras and digital signs along city thoroughfares. Staff will share more on that effort at the April 5 City Council meeting.
The city also finished refurbishing a water tower last year, Stern said, and the replacement of Peck Reservoir is set to be complete this spring.
Private construction seems to be on the upswing as well.
The Community Development Department issued more than 2,100 building permits last year, that department’s director, Carrie Tai, said, and helped 80 businesses throughout the past year in remodeling efforts.
New construction and remodeling in the community, she added, increases property taxes and therefore the city’s potential revenue.
Construction of a Kinecta Federal Credit Union branch with three adjacent, to-be-leased retail spaces will be complete this year, Tai said.
And construction on a new Sunrise Senior Living community, which will replace the Goat Hill shopping center on Sepulveda Boulevard, will start by the end of the year, Tai said, as will work to build a Sepulveda Hotel on a former El Torito site.
Tai’s department is also working to refurbish the Manhattan Beach Scout House into a senior and Scout community center, and some downtown restaurants, like The Arthur J, are expanding.
Looking ahead, Dommunity Development will this year work on a permanent outdoor dining program for the public right-of-way, as well as private properties, Tai said.
In creating a more sustainable environment, a sand dune restoration project is underway in North Manhattan Beach to revive the native plant habitat at the shoreline, also creating a buffer for future sea level rise.
The city, as of 2021, has certified 70 “Green Businesses,” recognizing retailers and restaurants that employ sustainability practices, such as conserving water and using efficient energy sources.
Stern, during her portion of the State of the City, also highlighted the heightened awareness around diversity, equity and inclusion over the past couple of years. It’s important, she said, that the city actively stand up to make everyone feel welcome, included and deserving to be in Manhattan Beach. She commended the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Inclusion Committee, as well as Manhattan Beach Unified’s Equity, Diversity, Social Justice and Inclusion Committee.
The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, for its part, is focusing on business growth in the Rosecrans corridor, President and CEO David Archer said, and is looking to create a community newspaper by the end of the year.
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