Alpine Village, a community jewel near Torrance known for its iconic German-themed restaurants and shops, has one month left before shuttering for good.
The Alpine Market closed this week. The popular swap meet and a cafe closed last week. And now, the dozen remaining merchants in brick-and-mortar shops — all that’s left of the once-thriving Bavarian-themed retail center — have received an eviction notice.
The merchants received the letter on Wednesday, March 1, the day after they got word the Alpine Village had been sold. The letter, which the Southern California News Group obtained, says the shopkeepers have 30 days to vacate the premises.
The new owner is listed only as 833 Torrance Boulevard LLC – Alpine Village’s address.
“All Tenant responsibilities under the Lease remain in effect and unchanged through 3/31/2023,” the Wednesday letter, written by CBRE Property Management on behalf of the new owner, said. “Please note that under California law, your month-to-month tenancy can be terminated on 30 days’ notice.”
CBRE did not return requests for comment.
But several tenants told SCNG that the CBRE representative that gave the the eviction notice also said Alpine Village will be converted to a truck yard to store cargo containers and vehicles for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
How that will happen is unclear, since the village’s buildings have historic status, though that designation is only for the exteriors.
The spokespeople for both the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports said they didn’t know about the sale or the new owner. Matt Schrap, a representative with the Harbor Trucking Association, also said he wasn’t familiar with plans for the Alpine Village.
And the office of county Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who represents the area, did not return requests for comment.
But Elke Schulz, owner of Alpine Toys, said the decision makes sense because of the village’s proximity to the harbor.
The ports faced a storage issue…
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