The SeaPort Marina Hotel has sat vacant for months as crews removed old furniture, remediated asbestos and awaited approval on a proposed development that has been years in the making. Now, it may be only a matter of weeks before city officials give the go-ahead to demolish the old structure and being constructing a new one.

The city’s Planning Commission on Thursday will consider certifying a final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed 2nd + PCH project, expected to breathe new life into an oft-traveled intersection of town, the corner of 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

The desirable site that houses the SeaPort Marina Hotel has been a target for redevelopment for more than 20 years.

Twice developers have prepared plans for the land that included townhomes and/or apartments, even though the zoning precluded residential uses. Both proposals would have required variances to double the height limit in the surrounding area, but those efforts failed at the City Council level.

The projects were also vociferously opposed by environmental activists and neighborhood groups concerned with potential traffic impacts at an already congested intersection. They were also concerned by the number of concessions sought by developers.

The second rejection prompted the council to ask for a revamp of an area zoning document, the Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan, a lengthy project that is still is in the works and has been re-envisioned as the Southeast Area Specific Plan, or SEASP.

It also forced property owners, Raymond Lin and family, back to the drawing board, this time with intentions to create a project that fit within the land use plan. Lin partnered with El Segundo-based developer CenterCal Properties LLC to craft the 2nd + PCH proposal.

Proposed for the expansive waterfront property is a high-end retail complex with marina-facing restaurants on the second level, according to Steve Shaul, senior development director at CenterCal. Company executives have said the development would be anchored by Whole Foods, which will relocate from the adjacent shopping center. Some 40 more tenants are interested in leasing space, he said.

Whole Foods recently was purchased by Amazon, but that should only strengthen the grocer’s presence in the center, Shaul said. He declined to identify other potential tenants because most negotiations are continuing.

But before any of that can get underway, the city needs to first sign off on the EIR. Should the Planning Commission certify it along with the site plan on Thursday, the project applicant would need to wait 10 days before applying for demolition and building permits, according to city spokesman Kevin Lee. The waiting period allows time for anyone opposed to the vote to appeal it, sending the project to City Council for a final decision, he said.

Groundwork already has been done for the demolition permit, Shaul said, and CenterCal is ready to file as soon as that period is up.

Lee said turnaround time on permit applications varies. If permits are issued by mid-October, Shaul said, the center could open by the summer of 2019.

The Planning Commission meets at 5 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers at City Hall. Public comment will be accepted.

Harry Saltzgaver is executive editor with Gazette Newspapers. He can be reached at hsalt@gazettes.com.