TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file the Green Terminal Island Transition Plan in accordance with the terms of a California Department of Transportation grant and accept Categorical Exemption CE 15-168. (District 7)
DISCUSSION
On March 19,2013, the City Council adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit and accept a planning grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This grant, in the amount of $250,000, was awarded and accepted on September 19, 2013. The grant was intended to promote strong and healthy communities. The focus of the City's grant application was to prepare a concept plan for the decommissioning of the northern stretch of the Terminal Island (TI) Freeway. The grant is considered a social justice grant which directly applies to negative environmental impacts, such as challenging air quality and noise from goods movement on the west side of the City.
The City engaged the landscape architectural firm Melendrez to assist staff in preparing a preliminary feasibility study and design concept plan to examine the potential decommissioning of the TI Freeway from Pacific Coast Highway to Willow Street. The plan is branded as the Green TI. This plan is a high level concept for the reuse of the 25-acre, mile-long, City-owned segment of the freeway (Exhibit A). The focus of the Green TI plan is to reimagine this City-owned space as a dense planted green buffer between Long Beach sensitive receptors, i.e., schools, parks and residential, that actually border the TI Freeway on the west. It is important to note that this freeway segment is recommended for decommissioning in the City's recently adopted Mobility Element and to mitigate pollution impacts to address long-standing community health concerns. The preparation of the Green TI plan was a collaborative effort led by the Department of Development Services and Melendrez. Additional participation involved the Departments of Public Works, Health and Human Servi...
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