City officials will break ground on Friday, July 8 for the new Long Beach Civic Center, which will include a new City Hall, Port Headquarters and main library, along with a re-activated Lincoln Park and new residential, retail and hotel commercial development.
“The new civic center will strengthen the connection between City Hall and the community, help revitalize the downtown core and generate thousands of jobs,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
Located on the site of the former Long Beach Courthouse, the new City Hall and Port Headquarters will highlight governmental consolidation, shared use and functional synergy; the design will promote more openness and inclusiveness with the community.
“When we moved from the Harbor to our interim headquarters more than two years ago, it was always our intention to return to the downtown area, to a permanent home close to our facilities and business partners,” said Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán. “This groundbreaking brings that goal to fruition. I’d like to thank City and Port staff, and the Board of Harbor Commissioners for their commitment to make this iconic Civic Center project a reality.”
The development will be seismically safe and sustainably built, utilizing solar power and rain water storage systems, and it is targeted to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard for environmental efficiency, according to city officials.
“The new civic center will serve as a lively center for community engagement, providing more vibrant and open spaces, enhanced accessibility options, increased connectivity, and improved public safety,” said Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal.
The new main library will embrace 21st Century technology and provide free and equal access to information and support for lifelong-learning, officials said, adding that the multi-use building will be available to individuals, groups and events.
“The new civic center reflects the community’s vision and will enable us to provide even more efficient services to the residents here and throughout Long Beach,” said 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez.
Amenities will include a multi-purpose event space, a dog park and a children’s play area.
The civic center is being developed under an innovative public-private partnership with Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners.
“We would like to thank the City and the Port for the opportunity to be in a long-term partnership delivering this transformative project, which will write a new chapter in the story of Long Beach,” said Plenary Concessions Executive Chairman Dale Bonner.
