TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Masa Alkire, Community Development Director
Archie Sherman, Senior Recreation Supervisor
Adam Finestone, Planning Manager
Fel Cortez, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of:
a) A Coastal Development Permit and Temporary Use Permits for the 2026-2031 Manhattan Beach Open Volleyball Tournaments; Request from Association of Beach Volleyball Professionals, LLC DBA AVP, Including Finding the Project Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act;
b) A Special Permit for Limited Alcoholic Beverage Use in the VIP Bleacher Seating Area and Concierge Deck Adjacent to Stadium Court; and
c) An Agreement with Association of Beach Volleyball Professionals, LLC DBA AVP to Operate the Manhattan Beach Open for 2026-2028 (Budgeted) (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
A) CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING
B) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-0026 APPROVING THE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AND TEMPORARY USE PERMITS
C) APPROVE A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR LIMITED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE USE
D) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-0027 APPROVING AN AGREEMENT
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) conduct a public hearing; (2) adopt Resolution No. 26-0026 approving a six-year Coastal Development Permit (CDP) and Temporary Use Permits (TUPs) for the 2026-2031 Manhattan Beach Open (MBO) volleyball tournaments scheduled annually for the third weekend in August; (3) approve a special permit for limited alcoholic beverage use in the VIP bleacher seating area and concierge deck adjacent to stadium court; and (4) Adopt Resolution No. 26-0027 approving an agreement with Association of Volleyball Professionals, LLC DBA AVP to operate the 2026-2028 MBO.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If approved, AVP will reimburse the City for event-related costs under the terms of the attached contract, estimated at $120,000.
BACKGROUND:
The 2025 MBO was the final year in a three-year agreement between the City and AVP to operate the MBO.
The 2025 event included stadium seating overlooking center court, vendor booths, and interactive game booths. The event set-up included one VIP “Sky Deck” on the south side of stadium court, offering beer and wine service. Volleyball matches were streamed live on Bally’s Sports throughout the event the men’s and women’s finals aired live on the CW channel.
Additional components to the 2025 event included VIP courtside seating, bleachers on the west and north side of stadium court for general admission, and the “Walk of Champions” Pier Ceremony and reception. Daily hours of operation began at 9:00 am and ended at 6:00 pm. Setup for the tournament began Sunday, August 10, 2025 and tear-down concluded Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
On an annual basis following the event, the Departments of Public Works, Police, Fire, Human Resources (Risk Management), and Parks and Recreation evaluate the event in terms of its impact on the community and City services. Overall, the feedback received from each department has been positive. Staff continues to work with AVP to submit construction documents in a timely fashion to ensure the event site meets requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and building and fire codes. The set-up, event operation, and tear-down were efficient, and the event operators worked well with City staff.
DISCUSSION:
Staff met with AVP in October 2025 to discuss the three-year term agreement between the City and AVP to operate the MBO. During the meeting, staff identified the third weekend of August as the preferred weekend to host the MBO. This date has also been secured for live national television coverage for either the men’s or women’s final championship matches.
The partnership with AVP brings the top volleyball players in the world. AVP is proposing similar amenities to the 2025 event, including the VIP “Sky Deck” area with bleacher seating surrounding stadium court, VIP courtside seating, concierge deck, food booths, entertainment and the Walk of Champions Pier Ceremony honoring the 2025 men’s and women’s champions. As in past years, AVP will provide 75% open and free seating to the public throughout the event.
City staff and AVP will continue to work with the Manhattan Beach Downtown Business and Professional Association and the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce to explore partnership opportunities on potential community events during the MBO.
Special Permit
Similar to the 2025 event, AVP has proposed ticketed VIP areas overlooking stadium court from the south. Within those elevated areas, AVP proposes serving alcohol. The planned hours of operation for alcohol service begin at 9:00 am and end at 6:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the tournament.
AVP is proposing to hire a catering company to provide alcohol services in the elevated VIP area. The VIP experience is open to the general public and available for 300 people per day. This ticketed event will provide each guest with credentials in order to enter the secure area. AVP will hire security to staff the area, checking identification to ensure all guests receiving alcohol are 21 years of age or older. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. AVP will also adhere to all City requirements, including obtaining an Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) permit, provide security throughout the event and comply with all fire safety regulations. Alcohol services will only be available upon approval from Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
Coastal Development Permit and Temporary Use Permits
In order to hold this event, a CDP and TUP must be issued. The CDP and TUPs are proposed for a six-year approval period, which is a timeframe that differs from the separate three-year operational agreement with AVP as described below. The beach area is located within the Open Space (OS) zoning district of the Manhattan Beach Municipal Code and is regulated by the provisions of the City’s certified Local Coastal Program (LCP). The OS district allows “Sporting Events where more than 75% of the total seating area is available free of charge,” as a permitted use subject to a TUP.
Findings require for approval of the CDP and TUPs have been included in draft Resolution No. 26-0026. Notice of the City Council’s action on the CDP shall be provided to the California Coastal Commission.
Other Regulatory Requirements
The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors must issue a separate beach permit for the Manhattan Beach Open. The County has stated that they will grant a permit only if the City allows the County to have their own sponsors sample products on the beach. The City Council has permitted this for past events administratively through City staff, although to date, the County sponsors have not sampled products on the beach. Unless directed otherwise, staff will again take this approach.
To ensure the structure is permitted by the Los Angeles County Building and Safety Department by August 7, 2026 (similar to the 2025 event), the AVP proposed setting up on the beach and in the lower South Pier Parking Lot on August 9, 2026, with tear down completed by 5pm on August 19, 2026. The AVP will comply with a similar schedule for 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031.
Agreement
The City has partnered with the AVP for 38 years in operating the Manhattan Beach Open. While the CDP and TUPs authorize the event through 2031, the City will continue to update and renegotiate the operating agreement every three years. The proposed agreement reflects the best practices that the partnership has developed and site build-out that addresses community and stakeholder input, including the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors and Lifeguards.
The Manhattan Beach Open’s Main Draw will continue to have a minimum of 32 teams in both the men’s and women’s brackets. Thursday’s qualifier guarantees 8 spots for each gender to advance into the Main Draw. The MBO qualifier continues to be the largest qualifier in the nation for a professional beach volleyball event. The 32-team bracket is the largest Main Draw event AVP operates.
As a Heritage major event, the AVP guarantees the Manhattan Beach Open will have the highest prize money for a Main Draw in the country.
Productive partnership with the operations team has created a consolidated load-in and set-up throughout recent years, to help minimize parking impacts to the downtown area.
The VIP ticket distribution was reduced from 50 to 20 to reflect the recent trend of ticket requests through Management Services. The courtside VIP box seats remain consistent with previous years.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council: (1) conduct a public hearing; (2) adopt Resolution No. 26-0026 approving a six-year Coastal Development Permit and Temporary Use Permit for the 2026-2031 MBO volleyball tournaments scheduled annually the third weekend in August; (3) approve a special permit for limited alcoholic beverage use in the VIP seating on the beach around stadium court and the VIP bleacher seating area adjacent to the stadium court; and (4) Adopt Resolution No. 26-0027 approving an agreement with Association of Volleyball Professionals, LLC DBA AVP to operate the MBO 2026-2028.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
This item was discussed at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on February 23, 2026. If City Council approves moving forward with the AVP proposal, staff will conduct additional meetings with LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors, Lifeguards, the departments of Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Fire, Community Development, the Manhattan Beach Downtown Business and Professionals Association, and local business owners.
Per the Manhattan Beach LCP requirements, notice of the public hearing was published in the Beach Reporter on March 5, 2026, and a mailer was sent to property owners and occupants within 100 feet of the event site on the same date.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project is categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to sections 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land), 15311 (Accessory Structures), and 15323 (Normal Operations of Facilities for Public Gatherings) of the State CEQA Guidelines. The proposed event is a temporary activity being conducted on a public beach in which the event will not result in any degradation or alteration to the condition of land, water or vegetation. Based upon past events of this nature, no permanent environmental effects are anticipated.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s office has reviewed and approved as to form the attached agreement.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 26-0026
2. Resolution No. 26-0027
3. Agreement - Association of Volleyball Professionals, LLC DBA AVP
4. Site Plan
5. Power Point Presentation