Long Beach : $2.3-Million Cambodian Community Center Opens

United Cambodian Community Inc., one of the nation’s largest social service agencies for Cambodians, has opened Long Beach’s first non-religious Cambodian community center. The 26,000-square-foot building, located at 2338 Anaheim St. in the heart of the city’s Cambodian neighborhood, is the result of community effort that has spanned four years. “It’s a dream come true,” said Than Pok, the agency’s executive director. “It will be a focal point for the community.”

Located on the site of a former theater that later became a Latino community center, the $2.3-million building features about 6,000 square feet of office and meeting space, as well as about 13,000 square feet of leasable retail space. “It is a step toward self-sufficiency,” said Pok, whose agency owns the land and the building.