West Long Beach Open Space Buffer
Location
Long Beach, CA
timeline
2012—Ongoing
Role
Leader
Collaborator
Services
More Info
The West Long Beach community has long been impacted by the vast industrial, refining, and freight uses surrounding it.
City Fabrick has been collaborating with local residents and stakeholders to develop solutions for resolving these land use conflicts and transportation impacts, by removing and repurposing redundant infrastructure as land-use buffers and public open space. Components include replacing portions of the Terminal Island Freeway with a local street and urban forest, realigning the San Pedro Branch railroad as a rails to trails greenbelt, sharing a half dozen school recess yards, and repurposing the land of the Southern California Edison transmission corridor for park space. City Fabrick has been working with the community to refine these components while engaging in the larger discussion of projects and plans affecting the area.
Urban + Systems
Elements of this proposed Westside Barrier Park have been adopted in city plans and policies while separate components have moved forward through the planning process. The citywide general plan has changed the entire Westside Barrier Park area’s land-use designation from light industrial and right-of-way to open space, while changing the classification of the Terminal Island Freeway to local street. The Terminal Island Freeway Transition Plan – also known as the Green TI – was adopted by the City Council, setting the stage for its eventual removal.
