TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to provide an update on the City’s effort to acquire park space along the Los Angeles (LA) River from LA County;
Request City Manager to direct the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine to develop a park vision plan for the 11-acre parcel APN 7140014940 in collaboration with the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, community members, and all other appropriate stakeholders; and
Request City Manager investigate the feasibility of establishing a butterfly preserve along the LA River on a portion of parcel APN 7140014939.
DISCUSSION
Over the last several years, the City of Long Beach and its Councilmembers have shown a commitment to improving existing parks and exploring opportunities to develop new outdoor leisure spaces for residents citywide. However, with much of the City’s 52 square miles already developed, identifying space for park development often requires creative and collaborative solutions. This has resulted in a concerted push from Councilmembers and residents alike to convert land along the LA River into park space for nearly 20 years. Notable successes include the DeForest Wetlands and Molina Park. In support of this ongoing effort, City Council adopted a resolution in April of 2022 to support the formation of the Lower Los Angeles River Recreation and Park District, which would create an interjurisdictional committee to promote development of open space for the benefit of communities along the Lower LA River and increase coordination of resources. Additionally, in February of 2021, Councilmembers Austin, Zendejas, and Uranga introduced an item requesting the City Manager to study the feasibility of acquiring open space for public park development along the lower LA River. The resulting Park Acquisition Feasibility Report (Report) was presented to City Council on April 5, 2021.
The Report provides thorough analysis of the 6,943 parcels within a quarter-mile walk east ...
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