Proposed Mall Project Opposed

More than two dozen Gardena residents and a Torrance City Council member addressed the Gardena Planning Commission Tuesday in opposition to a mall proposed for a site near the Roadium Swap Meet.

The mall would occupy a 189,000-square-foot building at the site of the Golden Nursery on Redondo Beach Boulevard near Van Ness Avenue, said Kirk Downing, a spokesman for Galaxy Investments, the project’s developer. The building, which would house 528 store units of about 180 square feet each, would be in Gardena across the street from the Roadium, which is in Torrance.

The Gardena project would generate about $200,000 annually in sales tax revenue for the city, Downing told the Planning Commission.

But Gardena residents told the commission the development would lower property values, cause traffic congestion, limit parking space and increase crime.

Torrance City Councilman Dan Walker, who is employed by Pioneer Theaters, owners of the Roadium, testified that the project’s purpose is to lure away the Roadium’s tenants and customers. He said the project is not a mall but another swap meet that would cause the Roadium’s property value to decrease by more than $2 million.

The Planning Commission delayed a vote on the project until a traffic study has been completed.

Downing invited Gardena residents to discuss the project at a community meeting Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Golden Nursery, 2315 W. Redondo Beach Blvd.