You gotta love small town City Council meetings, even when that small town is Redondo Beach. We could make an entire post just about the quotes from the meeting because they're comedy gold, but the more important issue is the way the beloved palm tree gets massacred by angry residents just for looking like a palm tree... and blocking their ocean views. The issue arose after streetscape plans, featuring more than 20 palm trees along Torrance Boulevard, were presented to the community. Angry residents came out in force. Via the Easy Reader:
Resident Jim Goodrich said that palm trees weren’t much better than light poles and would block the views of condo owners and pier visitors alike. “Those palms trees,” he said, “will muddy and obscure the ocean views…I don’t think it’s an enhancement. It’s a detriment. People don’t come from other cities to see palm trees. There are palm trees in Compton, and Carson.”
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Councilman Don Szerlip said he was generally unimpressed with the aesthetics of palm trees, which he described as “just a stick with a fluffy feather on top.”“Not what I would consider the most beautiful of plantings,” he said.
Councilman Steve Aspel said he liked palm trees but not in that location. He did note, however, that palm fronds could pose a danger.
“If you were walking down Catalina on a windy day and one of these things hits you, it’s decapitation time,” he said.
Not to be out done, a 4-inch deep pond proposed to enhance the pier entrance at the end of Torrance Boulevard was described as a "death trap" by a representative of a local homeowners group. The Council voted unanimously to reject the plans, and request new plans be drawn up.
(image of Redondo Beach via Flickr user seadig)
· The council’s late night: no palm trees at the pier or change on Torrance Blvd. [Easy Reader]