City Buys Land Once Used by Pottery Firm

In an attempt to exercise more control over the manner in which downtown Manhattan Beach is developed, the city has purchased the remaining portion of the former Metlox pottery site--the last large piece of undeveloped property in downtown.

The City Council voted to purchase the 66,000-square-foot northern half of the property for $3.1 million. The city bought the 63,000-square-foot southern parcel for $2.3 million last summer. The parcel has been vacant since Metlox declared bankruptcy in 1989. The properties had been tied up in legal and real estate disputes.

Although there are no formal plans on how the properties will be developed, city officials hope the two plots will be combined. They plan to hold a series of public hearings to take suggestions on what residents would like to see built on the site.

“There’s a very positive feeling about owning the entire property,” said City Atty. Bob Wadden. “There are obviously a lot more possibilities now that we own both parcels.”