TITLE
Recommendation to direct City Manager to identify potential funding sources for the acquisition of vacant property between Baker Street and Wardlow Road adjacent to the Los Angeles River for public purpose and return findings to the City Council in Closed Session. (District 7)
DISCUSSION
There has been considerable interest from the community pertaining to future development of vacant property between Baker Street and Wardlow Road, adjacent to the Los Angeles River (Site). The Site is an approximately 15.6-acre former oil operations property, owned by Oil Operators, Inc. (Oil Operators), a consortium of Long Beach area gas and oil companies providing support services for local oil operations.
Oil Operators transitioned off the site in the 1990s, but is currently addressing remediation obligations at the Site. The Site was formerly used to treat oilfield-produced water from various oil extractions efforts in the Long Beach area. As such, there is high probability of continued remediation that is necessary.
Over the past several years and as recently as a year ago, various development concepts have been proposed for the Site. To date, however, the Department of Development Service's Planning Bureau has not received a formal application for redevelopment of the Site. Nonetheless, community residents have expressed concern related to future development scenarios, particularly in regards to medium or high-density residential development. The Site has two zoning districts. A majority of the Site is zoned as Commercial Storage (CS), while a small portion of the Site at Wardlow Road and the Los Angeles River is zoned as Single Family Residential (R-1-N). These zoning designations would preclude any new development except Commercial Storage or Single Family Residential development without additional actions by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
Community residents have additionally expressed a desire to consider the Site for future public purpos...
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