TITLE
Recommendation to authorize remediation and purchase of a portion of the former Public Service Yard, including grant of reciprocal access easements;
Authorize the relocation and limited restoration of the former railroad station building to Willow Springs Park; and
Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund (CP) in the Public Works Department (PW) by $3,000,000. (Districts 1,7)
DISCUSSION
On August 4, 2009, and as modified on May 18, 2010, the City Council authorized the City Manager to enter and consummate a real estate exchange of a portion of the City's Public Service Yard, for a portion of the Los Cerritos Wetlands. As a condition of the exchange, each party (City of Long Beach and LCW Partners, LLC) agreed to indemnify the other party for existing environmental impacts to soils and groundwater. At that time, the remediation costs for the City-owned property were estimated at $2,853,300. As part of the exchange, each party was also obligated to reasonably cooperate with the other party to minimize environmental liability.
On December 12, 2010, LCW Partners, LLC conveyed the former Public Service Yard property to Alere Property Group, LLC (Alere), which intends to develop the property for industrial uses consistent with zoning. Of the 12.471 acres of former City-owned property conveyed in the exchange, all but 5.31 acres received environmental closure through the local oversight agency at minimal cost. The remediation of the remaining property, in which earthquake fill is located, was anticipated to be addressed through a grading and soil management plan, with environmental closure to be achieved at a reasonable cost.
Upon conduct of the grading and soil management plan, it was discovered that, in 1933, the earthquake fill had been systematically burned, and the lead paint on the debris had spread laterally throughout the property. While of no environmental concern while situated in the soil, grading activities would serve to trigger a...
Click here for full text