TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file the Houghton Park Conceptual Plan and consider Categorical Exemption CE 15-155. (District 9)
DISCUSSION
As part of the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, the City Council appropriated $3 million as the first phase of funding for a new community center at Houghton Park. The Houghton Park Community Center is an integral part of the community and a regional center providing a wide array of recreational services to area youth, teens, and seniors. In September 2014, the City of Long Beach (City) contracted with Studio Pali Fekete Architects (SPF), of Culver City, CA, for architectural and engineering services for the Houghton Park Community Center project. During the outreach process for the new community center, feedback included comments directed at aspects of the park other than the community center, illuminating the community’s desire to plan for the park as a whole.
As a result of this feedback, in June 2015, the City kicked off a conceptual planning process for Houghton Park, an approximately 31-acre site located between Atlantic Avenue, East Harding Street, Myrtle Avenue, and Jordan High School. The purpose of this process was to create a comprehensive conceptual plan, inclusive of the entire Houghton Park site. This is seen as an important step in the visioning and design of a new community center in the park.
RJM Design Group (RJM) was retained to conduct two community workshops and develop a conceptual plan for Houghton Park. RJM, SPF, and staff from the Departments of Public Works, Development Services, and Parks, Recreation and Marine were involved throughout this effort to ensure consistency in the planning process.
Following an evaluation of existing site conditions at Houghton Park, the first of two community workshops was conducted to receive community input on the conceptual plan.
Over 30 participants attended the first community workshop, held on June 27, 2015, at the Houghton Park Community Center. The fo...
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