Once Quiet Los Angeles Beach Community Is Being Overwhelmed By The Noise Of The ‘New Hermosa’

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Hermosa Beach Lifestyle Blogger
The predominant sound in Hermosa Beach used to be that of beach volleyballs being hit at courts on every block on the sand.
Thump. Thump. Thump-thump-thump.
Now, however, it’s drills, saws and jackhammers. And And even rotex sanders for those multiple projects.
Just about every block in Hermosa has a house under construction. Scaffolding is more prevalent than spikes these days and hammering has overtaken hammering opponents.
Needless to say, this has caused quite a bit of consternation from locals, both from the current issue of the noice and inconvenience of construction crews to what it means for the changing face of Hermosa.
Residents have taken to social media to complain about construction crews taking up several of the valuable street parking places – which are particularly hard to find on street sweeping days – to having nails puncture tires, a result of the sloppiness of the workers that are leaving construction debris in the streets and parking spots.
Plus, streets are being blocked by trucks and large construction equipment. making driving through certain parts of the city like going through an obstacle course.
This is all a sign of the “New Hermosa,” as I call it, the transformation of a once quiet and laid-back Southern California community that is now becoming like Beverly Hills by the beach. Throughout the city, old houses that have forever had mostly young and fun renters are being sold for $7-8 million and being replaced by places that only someone associated with the Guggenheim Partners could afford.
In fact, that just happened; one of the co-founders of Guggenheim recently purchased a house on 8th Street and The Strand for somewhere near $13 million. To use as a part-time residence.
With money like this floating around and a city council determined to turn this one-time party palace into a place more suited for baby strollers than barflies, the destruction of old houses and the construction of multi-million-dollar mansions (some of whom, let’s face it, look like a Macaroni Grill) in their place, then the noise is something that will continue for quite a while in Hermosa.
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