LONG BEACH : Sale of Parks Considered

The city is considering selling two small, contiguous west side parks for residential development and using the proceeds to buy land for a new park. The plan, which must also be approved by the City Council and the state Coastal Commission, was approved last week by the Planning Commission.

Commissioners stipulated that the new park would be the same size or larger than the existing ones, that land for the new parks would be purchased within one year, and that the city would find funds to make up any difference between the sale price of the parks and the purchase price of land for a new one.

“Basically, (the parks) are a long, narrow strip,” said Commission Chairman Dick Gaylord. “We’re going to find something that’s more central, and more usable.”

The parks are between San Francisco and Golden avenues, south of 4th Street. By agreement with the state Coastal Commission, the new park must be located in the area bounded by the Los Angeles River, 7th Street, Pacific Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.

City officials say they anticipate population to increase sharply in this area. They hope to attract a developer who will combine the existing park property with adjacent land and put in a high-rise, high-density, moderate-income housing development. The parks, at the edge of the population center, would be replaced by one that is more centrally located.

The city’s Downtown West Development Strategy, which was adopted by the Planning Commission in 1984, calls for the parks to be recycled into residential property.