Opinion: The wrong project in the right place

Ken Kropf

I’ve been following the Long Beach development plans to replace the aging SeaPort Marina Hotel and parking at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway for several years.  I even coordinated distributing the developers’ mail-in project questionnaire here in Seal Beach several years ago when it appeared that Long Beach only wanted opinions from their own residents.

It hasn’t seemed that Long Beach and/or the developers have been very neighborly in keeping us across the San Gabriel river in Orange County very informed and updated on it’s revised development plans for the project.

Here they are in a nutshell: “mixed-use development” with retail, residential (325 units), hotel (100 rooms) with approximately 3,510 square feet of meeting space and 4,368 square feet of restaurant space, 21,092 square feet of non-hotel restaurant space, a 99-seat theater, and a 4,175-square-feet marine/science learning center.

The proposed buildings would be from two to six stories, with one 12 story residential tower. Parking would be provided for 1,440 vehicles in underground and above ground facilities.

The Long Beach City Council held a public input session in its chambers on Thursday, April 7.  More than 40 people came forward to voice their concerns and displeasure with the project as described in the rec-irculated Draft Environmental Impact Report.  There was less public input in support of the project.

The preponderance of issues raised were in three areas:

Significant and unsolvable traffic impacts:

  • Pacific Coast Highway and 2nd Street

  • PCH and Seal Beach Boulevard

  • Studebaker and 2nd Street/Westminster Boulevard

If Pacific Coast Highway traffic is impacted at Seal Beach Boulevard it would seem that it would remain impacted for all signaled intersections in between.  Also, the DEIR stated that pedestrian crosswalk traffic at signaled intersections would further impact traffic flow by lengthening the signal time.

Quality of Life and Consistency with current LB local coastal planning documents:

Long Beach will require variances to it’s local planning documents to build this development.   Several speakers expressed their concern that this development might set a precedence for this area.

Environmental/Habitat concerns: Noise, lights, smog, pollution, runoff, wetlands, impacted bird flyways and view corridors (12 stories is approximately the same height as the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Medical building on E. 7th Street) are a few of the concerns raised.

So this is some of the basic information.  Yes, Seal Beach will be impacted.  Yes, Seal Beach will share in some benefits. (I asked at the meeting whether the developers planned to offer, as traffic mitigation, a shuttle service to the Seal Beach Main Street area from the development similar to what they have proposed along

2nd Street into Belmont Shore—I didn’t get an answer).  While many Seal Beach merchants could benefit by increased business, lack of available parking on Main Street, city lots and neighboring streets, as well as increased traffic congestion, may make the reality questionable.

Here are some Web sites you can check out for more information:

  • www.lbds.info/planning/environmental_planning/2nd+pch_.asp
  • www.lcwlandtrust.org
  • www.sealbeachca.gov/government/management/ then City Clerk, Agendas & Staff Reports,

CC Agenda 2011, CC AG PKT 2011-04-11 #G

The last Web address should get you to Seal Beach’s draft response to Long Beach on this DEIR.

I hope that this information has been helpful and will generate awareness and continued dialog, for and against!

Maybe, the project is just the  Right Project plus the Wrong Place?

Ken Kropf is a longtime resident of Seal Beach.