Manhattan Beach News

Expanded Downtown Valet Service!

The Manhattan Beach downtown is close to perfect. Upbeat modern restaurants, cafes, and businesses are only of fantastic part of what makes Manhattan Beach downtown so special.  Within an hour of downtown LA you get white sand, blue ocean waves, perfect cooling ocean breezes… and very very little parking. As close to perfect as Manhattan Beach downtown might be, we have suffered severe parking shortages in the South Bay and Manhattan Beach is definitely among the worst examples. Spending twenty minutes driving in circles for a spot is not how anyone to start an afternoon at the beachside.

Well the city of Manhattan Beach realizes this and is making changes to solve the parking problems downtown by expanding the valet service to create approximately 110 more parking spaces in downtown Manhattan Beach! The City seems to have checked the “all of the above” box for improvements to the downtown valet service. Starting this Saturday (August 1st) there will be four valet locations, expanded hours through the weekdays, and valet hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

These minor upgrades to the valet system are the perfect out-of-the-box solution to downtown parking shortages and show that the City is committed to only improving the downtown experience.

Find out more at downtownmanhattanbeah.com/mapparking

  Poster for downtown valet service 

...

Sunset Magazine's Idea House In Manhattan Beach!

Sunset Magazine's Idea House

Sunset magazine’s choice of Manhattan Beach as the location for their 2014 Idea House was met with surprise around the state. Most media outlets were sure to distinguish this home as Sunset’s “first-ever Los Angeles Idea House.” That’s because the magazine typically chooses northern locals, such as Healdsburg in 2012 and Seabrook and Washington in 2013. Sunset Magazine Interior

This year’s Idea House, however, is a beach house so we think choosing Manhattan Beach was a pretty easy and obvious decision for the editors.

The Idea House is a Sunset magazine concept that they undertake every year as they collude with an architect, a builder, interior design team, and a landscape architect to create what they call their “Idea Home.”

This year, the 4,600 square-foot house, situated on a 50 by 200-foot lot, is said to epitomize “the sophisticated and eclectic modern aesthetic of this Southern California beach town.”

The architects, builders, designers, etc. took their inspiration from both the Pacific and the coastline, with lots of light throughout, wide-planked oak floors, cabinetry stained black to provide a backdrop for the gorgeous soapstone kitchen counters and retractable glass doors in the adjoining great room. These retractable doors allow the outdoors to merge with the indoors.

Idea House Kitchen...

ManhattanBeachHomes.com Welcomes New City Manager

Mark Danaj New Manhattan Beach City ManagerAfter helping Mark & Kate Danaj find their new home in Manhattan Beach, we had the pleasure of doing a quick Q&A with Mark to learn a bit more about him and his new role as Manhattan Beach City Manager.

Mark and his wife, Kate, moved down from Northern California with their sons Gabriel, Joshua and dog Rockne. When asked why he chose Manhattan Beach specifically, Mark said he was drawn to the area because of its dynamic, urban coastal community that has an iconic past. He believes that there’s a lot to build upon as well as a lot of opportunities to do something differently. Mark and his family can’t wait to immerse themselves in the Manhattan Beach community. 

Speaking with Mark about his plan and vision for Manhattan Beach moving forward was not only exciting but incredibly inspirational as well. 

Q: What are you most excited about for your new role?
A: I’m very excited to become a part of the city organization and work with the mayor and different council members. I want to honor the past successes of physical sustainability, quality programming, environmental awareness and conserving the coastline, while at the same time exploring new ways to digitize the city and engage the community online and via apps. 

Q: What’s one thing people might be surprised to know about you?
A: I began my public service career as a lifeguard on a lake in suburban Chicago. Although I didn’t know it at the time, in hindsight it influenced my career greatly moving forward.

Q: How/why...

Who Are The Top Employers In Manhattan Beach?

Manhattan Beach, CA

When you’re thinking about relocating to the area, trying to find the Top Employers in Manhattan Beach, CA becomes incredibly important. We know you’re probably  dreaming about the ocean breeze and quaint suburban neighborhoods but a shorter commute is also pretty important.

Manhattan Beach may be a small city but it boasts several major companies that provide a wide range of employment opportunities to local residents.

Skechers in Manhattan BeachWhen looking into companies that are headquartered in Manhattan Beach, Skechers is of course the frontrunner. Located off of Sepulveda, their offices span several buildings. Although Skechers is a major international company, they are incredibly ingrained in our local Manhattan Beach community. They support and sponsor several events throughout the year, which help build a strong sense of community for local residents. If you’re looking for a wide range of job possibilities, we definitely recommend checking them out.

Kinecta is another major company that’s headquartered in Manhattan Beach. Located off of Rosecrans, Kinecta is a credit union that’s estimated at bringing in $1 - $2 billion per year. Whether you’re looking for a management/director role or an entry-level position, they have several opportunities available. And we can’t really imagine anything more convenient than a three minute commute into the office!

Marriott Manhattan Beach...

Former USC Coach Lane Kiffin Lists Manhattan Beach Estate

Kiffin EstateWorking in Manhattan Beach, we’ve seen countless beautiful homes that define luxury living. We wanted to highlight a home that was recently put on the market.

Former USC coach Lane Kiffin is now selling his 6 bedroom, 7 bath home. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac on a gated estate, it’s listed for $6,995,000. On a 19,246 square foot lot, this home has a saltwater pool, spa, fire pit, guesthouse and outdoor kitchen. There’s even a gated dog run on the property.  With 7,308 square feet of living space, calling this home spacious is an understatement.

The home has an enormous living room with a 20’ fireplace to accompany the vaulted ceilings. The kitchen has commercial grade appliances, a large island with a breakfast nook looking out onto the yard. The master bedroom has a sitting area, two walk in closets and a steam shower. The three-car garage opens up onto the gated driveway.

Lane bought the home in 2012 for 5.5M. With Manhattan Beach’s limited inventory, this home is bound to drum up some buzz and excitement throughout the community. Kiffin Estate

The estate was built by Nick Schaar back in 2002 and has since been updated. The home can only be seen by appointment. You can view all the photos of the property on our listing page.

If you’re interested in seeing the property, please send us an email at [email protected] or give us a quick call (310) 953-4754. We’re available to answer any...

ManhattanBeachHomes.com Has Officially Launched!

Manhattan Beach Homes HomepageUpdate: Our official launch was picked up by Worth Magazine, The Daily Breeze, International Business Times and several other publications.

We’re excited and honored to announce our official launch today. After months of hard work, we're finally able to say our full site is now available. 

We wanted to take this opportunity to give a tour of our website and all of the great features it offers. 

Check out our community pages that provide detailed information for areas like the Sand Section and Tree Section. They give you an insider’s perspective of each Manhattan Beach neighborhood and what it is like to live there. 

We also have really cool neighborhood videos that are virtual walking tours of Manhattan Beach. The videos discuss everything from lot sizes to local schools to some of the pros and cons of each neighborhood.

We’ve combined local expert knowledge, neighborhood videos, and a streamline design, bringing you the only site that will guide you through the home buying experience. By providing specialized information on Manhattan Beach lifestyle, neighborhoods, schools and homes for sale, we're hoping you walk away armed with all the information you need about Manhattan Beach. 

And how could we forget our Blog! We're committed to brining you featured articles ranging from useful homeowner tips, current events and local happenings. In...

Manhattan Beach Library Reconstruction

Manhattan Beach Mobile Library

Libraries are a vital part of every thriving community. The city of Manhattan Beach and its residents recognize the importance of pairing an award-winning school district with a great library system, which is why they’ve initiated the rebuilding of the Manhattan Beach Library. The construction will double the size of the previously existing library!

The Manhattan Beach Library is one of the oldest continuing libraries in L.A. County, and the City of Manhattan Beach felt it was time for an upgrade. As of June, the library has been closed for major reconstruction.

By June 2015 the library will be a bigger, more modern, two-story version of its former self. It is being built according to an eco-friendly design. City staff envision the building obtaining LEED gold-level certification. 

In the meantime while the library is closed, residents can browse the Manhattan Beach Express Library – a temporary facility on Highland Avenue. In addition, Manhattan Beach residents can use the Hermosa Beach Library. The library will be operational, but its hours and its collection will be limited. The good news for Manhattan Beach bookworms is that, thanks to a 16-year-old Mira Costa High School student, they now have access to free books from a little wooden box planted in the Civic Center courtyard.

Little Free LibraryThe Little Free Library looks like a birdhouse, and its purpose is to be a vehicle for a community-wide book...

Robinson Elementary Named 2013 National Blue Ribbon School

National Blue Ribbon School EmblemWe often say that Manhattan Beach has some of the best elementary schools in the entire country. This month, one of them was awarded a special distinction we’re proud to share with you.

Robinson Elementary (also known as Opal Robinson) earned the honor of being named a National Blue Ribbon School – a great source of pride for the school, whose enrollment is about 400 students. During this round of awards, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan bestowed Blue Ribbon status on less than 1 percent of public schools. Robinson was one of just 236 – from a pool of nearly 100,000 – to be chosen. Of that number, just 13 schools were located in the state of California.

“Since the program’s founding, the U.S. Department of Education has bestowed this coveted award on more than 7,000 of America’s schools.” We’re proud to work in a community that strives for excellence in education and that cares genuinely about nurturing young minds. Robinson will be formally honored in November during a national ceremony scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for academic excellence and inspired teaching. Since 1982, the Department of Education has used the Blue Ribbon standard to recognize the top echelon of public and private elementary, middle, and high schools. According to the Department of Education’s website, the “National Blue Ribbon Schools flag overhead has become a mark of excellence in education recognized by everyone from parents to policymakers in thousands of communities.”

...