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Drake Park Renovation Revealed, Headed For EIR Process by Ryan ZumMallen | Archive | 08.26.10 |
+  6:50am | Designs were revealed this week for the expansion and renovation of downtown's Drake Park, which will begin the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process on September 1 after having received the necessary $150,000. “This is a major project for Long Beach that will transform our city,” said Councilmember Robert Garcia said, in a statement. “I can't wait to get this next phase started.” The project received $100,000 from the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and $50,000 from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA). When completed Drake Park will be the largest park in west or downtown Long Beach and will include new soccer fields, a nature center, a community center, plans for wetlands restoration and updates to historical Drake Park. The EIR must go through a thorough approval process before construction on the massive project can begin. "It is Councilman Garcia's priority to create a healthy environment for the residents of Long Beach. The ultimate goal of the project is to connect the whole area along the Los Angeles River channel. This is a big project with lofty goals, and I am happy to support it," Supervisor Knabe told the LBPOST.com. Several community meetings were held to pool ideas for designs and additions to the park renovations. If you attended the meetings and see portions of the design below that either do or don't fit with your requests, please let us know in Comments section below. We've compiled a list of the features planned for the new Drake Park and enlarged each section of the map above to make it easier for viewing. Scroll down to see what the new design has in store.  A - Cesar Chavez Park and Greenbelt Link This portion of the design creates a link between the two parks with a recreation-friendly area that consist of a soccer field, skate park, two half-court basketball areas and access to the Los Angeles River walking and biking trail. In addition, the existing building at 620 San Francisco Avenue will receive upgrades.  B - The Boardwalk This long, looping walkway will provide easy access from Cesar Chavez Park to other areas of the Drake Park master plan, including a nature center and community center. On the way there, plenty of seating and viewing areas are provided as well as parking spaces and emergency access if needed.  C - Community & Urban Nature Center As one of the main hubs of the Drake Park master design, this area features easy access for either buses or parents that are both picking up and dropping off. Once there, plenty of activities are available thanks to the multi-level community center and nature center as well as basketball courts and a nature-themed playground.  D - Wetlands Four acres of tidal marshland will be preserved here and include an elevated walking path and wildlife observation station with even more access to the river trail. Excavated soils from this area are used to elevate nearby soccer fields, and there's also a tidal gate to control flushing and water levels.  E - Community Gardens Several dozens community garden plots will be available to nearby residents in this area, in a secured property with perimeter fencing and two garden shelters along with plenty of open space and walking paths.  F - DeForest Avenue Picnic tables and two park shelters will dot this walkway along the Los Angeles River.  G - Greenbelt Downtown Trail Another park shelter, more open space and walking/biking paths form this area along the river.  H - Parkway Two-way access from DeForest Avenue will run through this narrow road that provides parking spaces and traffic circles to keep speeds low but constant. There is also one-way access from 7th Street.  I - Drake Park Based on input from several community meetings, the updated Drake Park will retain historic elements while renovating restrooms, a promenade walk with arbor structures and enhanced street crossing. The playground and water spray area form the center attraction next to the current gazebo and existing tennis courts.  J - Recreation Fields These two terraced soccer fields are surrounded by restrooms, three park shelters and six handball courts.  K - Loma Vista Corridor Access to both Anaheim Street and Loma Vista Park is dotted by enhanced landscaping. What do you think? Click here to read our policy on covering the Long Beach City Council.
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26 Comments so far.
Mark V. Wow. This is quite impressive and sounds like a great project. The Westside needs more parkspace. Happy to see the new soccer fields. Robert Garcia Thank Ryan for covering this great project. As the EIR moves forward this next year, the community will still have opportunities to comment. We will be making adjustments as we get back information from the EIR process and the neighborhood. For example, there is strong interest in restoring Park Circle, and that will be reflected in the final design. Julie W. I love the wetlands restoration and river activation. Hope this happens. Christine Beaur-Mortezaie This is wonderful. I cannot wait for it to be build. The focus has been on sport which is great. I think an open air amphitheater for plays or small concerts would be a great addition. Not sure about the garden plots. These can find a place anywhere in neighborhoods and be closer to people's homes. Christine Beaur-Mortezaie This is an amazing project which will be a great asset to all of the Long Beach residents. Fabulous emphasis on sports, however would love to see a small open air amphitheater for plays or concerts to add another dimension. As far as the garden plots I believe they would fit better in neighborhoods (similar to The New City School's)unless this part of the project become more educational. Can't wait to see this project finalized. Thank you Robert. Oozlefinch This looks like a great plan to improve the westside of the city and provide more open space, but one huge question remains… How are we going to improve the run down look of the neighborhoods surrounding the new park? I drove into that area last night to look at a piece of real estate that my broker sent me. I like older homes and on paper this looked to be a great house at a reasonable price. What I saw was a neighborhood containing some of the oldest homes in Long Beach, but everything was dirty and the people downright scary. Based on what I saw, this new park is just wasted money, unless the surrounding neighborhoods can be improved. Andreas Ambitious project but looks great. I love the connectivity. My only suggestion would be to push for synthetic turf for the soccer fields as anything else will probably turn to crap pretty fast. It will be worth the investment. Refer to the home depot practice centers as examples of great synthetic turf or other urban neighborhoods with soccer fields such as what you might find in New York. Sireen Sawaff As a resident of the area, I am thankful to Robert Garcia and his team for moving this forward. Im my opinion, this is the most important project in the area. It will make a huge difference for our youth. wondering OOZLEFINCH: Can you share specifically what was "scary" about the people who live in the Drake area? Jim Danno I live in this area. Daisy Ave at 6th. This area is full of wonderful neighbors who are willing to look out for one another despite our backgrounds. I have walked the streets and have conquered any prejudices with a simple hello and a smile. Council-member Garcia and his staff are doing a fantastic job turning a once forgotten area into the jewel that it deserves to be. Thank you Robert. BUGGA BOO BOO OMG What did this cost? Oozlefinch Yes, I observed allot of young primarily Hispanic men hanging out on the street many with tattoos, and most looking like they had nothing to do. That in itself is not unusual given the diverse make up of that half of Long Beach. However, when you add the graffiti on the sides of buildings, a few homeless people, broken down cars, and many homes and businesses that just looked neglected; the overall impression I got of that area was that I would not be welcome living there. Right now I live down by the shore and was looking for an affordable place to buy my first home. This park if realized MIGHT be the catelist for rejuvenating the area, but then, it might not and that would be a sad waste of money. Maybe a less ambitious project would be appropriate, spend the extra money on cleaning up the homes and businesses in the area. iDrive Yo Oozlefinch: The argument you make only strengthens the need for the park. I would think a real estate person would make that connection. The great folks who live in this part of town are just as deserving of this improvement to their neighborhood as any other. I bet you a beer the neighbors would value it more than your drive by assessment. Also, good work on this to Garcia and his supporters on this project. I've always felt the city under utilizes its assets. This plan looks like it attempts to pull those together in a smart way. It'll be interesting to see this neighborhood in the years after the park when the economy turns around. Let's see what happens to the real estate values then. Dave Hall I'm excited about the restored wetlands component of the park expansion. Hopefully, port mitigation for projects will be applied locally in the future. For too long mitigation has happened miles away from where projects were developed-for example, restoration of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands to make up for port projects which eliminated open water habitats in San Pedro Bay. Now with Drake Park expansion some of these mitigation credits will be used in the same neighborhood where environmental damage is being done by port expansion. It's about time. Restore the Los Angeles River and San Pedro Bay and help our neighborhoods impacted by port expansion. Restore wetlands in the Drake Park plan and improve Long Beach, Wilmington and surrounding areas. This plan starts what I hope is a new awareness of local needs and our local environment. Johnny Utah The plans look great, but the demographics of that area, not so great. I would be concerned of drug deals gone bad at this place once it is developed. Eric Let's bring some Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides and Pedicab rides like in New York's Central Park ;) Please? politics what happen to the project tha was mention in 2002 about that park on walnut and pch. A lot of promise and nothing happen. I think this drake park stuff wont happen. Those people there cant keep the area clean, just go to the bathroom at the park and you can find marijuana seeds left behind Happy Cynic Based on the amount of trash I see in the parks on the east side I think this beautiful plan will become a big garbage dump unless extensive education for the community is done. Many of those who live there are from places where it is common practice to just dump trash out the car window with no sense of personal responsibility. Even the parking lots in the Shore often look like diaper dump/trash areas after weekends and holidays. Ugh! Dave in Alamitos Beach Actually, I agree with all the commenters here. Increased park space is definitely needed AND I fear that it will just become a big trash dump for the neighborhood. (I spend every Sunday picking up trash & litter on the street where I live. Yesterday I filled two large bags). But looking at the designs, I have two questions: Is there any possibility of redirecting traffic so that the Cesar Chavez park which is located (literally) in the middle of the freeway can actually be used? And secondly, why do the parking spaces get the best views around the wetlands area? It seems that parking lots throughout Long Beach get better locations than any greenspace. David We just bought a property in this neighborhood and are so happy to be doing our part in renovating our own property and bringing back value to a "run down" area. Oozlefinch, I am glad your negative and racist attitude will not be part of this community. It is comments like yours which keep communities from growing together and seeing the value in our differences. I am sorry for your complete neglect of social economics in your thought process when buying a home. Good luck! Aside from the negative comments on the project, there are so many great initiatives to look forward to, can't wait to participate, volunteer, and push are local government to follow through on these renovations. Thank you Long Beach! jterry I am a professor at UC Irvine. My partner and I bought our home in the Willmore neighborhood in 2004 and found it to be full of wonderful neighbors who work hard and seek simple pleasures, including enjoying what little common space we now have here. For years this area has been treated like a freeway ramp for those living on the east side. My experience is that customers for drugs in the neighborhood tend to be middle-class white guys from elsewhere who drive BMWs and Benz's through fast, endangering the lives of children living here. I am white and therefore a minority in this community but I have close bonds with my neighbors and we enjoy a high level of mutual respect. PS - Robert, you rock! Thanks for setting the park project in motion. iconz How can anyone deny what Oozlefinch has said? In my opinion he has accurately described this neighborhood. Please walk through this community at night alone and tell me it's not "scary." You do that, right, Dave? Stroll through your beloved community at night, alone? Incidentally, my wife and I know an interracial couple that moved into this area who were summarily rejected by the "community." I guess the community doesn't share Dave's Utopian vision of the future. By the way, Dave, it wouldn't be that you lose value in your property when people describe your neighborhood as "scary" would it? Is that really why Oozlefinch's comments are "negative" and "racist," because they adversely impact your investment? Note: I'm a huge supporter of Robert Garcia and this park. politics $150,000 wont even pay for materials needed, much more is need. so lets move on to another issue because this project will only happen on paper, for a class project...lol Adreana Langston ABOUT CRIME IN THE DRAKE PARK AREA: On Wednesday 09/01 I attended a "Meet The Srgt" meeting at 910 Daisy, a ten minute walk from where I live. At the meeting was Corrine Swart. She's been a Crime Analyst for LBPD for 20 years. Her part of the presentation was to discuss crime trends in the area. Well the only two types of crimes that are UP over 2009 numbers in South Division garage burglaries and bicycle thefts from garage burglaries and necklace snatching. And the necklace snatching is not going on in the Drake Park area. Drug crimes are not up. Drug shootings are not up. Please don't take my word for it. Look at the 3010 Reprot at www.longbeach.gov/police for yourself. Or better yet, come to the next community meeting in the Wilmore area and ask Corrine Swart or Srgt. Stilinovich yourself. The close the gap between perception and reality by educating yourself. ABOUT LITTER IN THE DRAKE PARK AREA: I am sorry to say that in my neighborhood just South of Wilmore and in the Wilmore area where I often take walks (at night) I see two things quite frequently. I see people meticulously picking up trash in their own yard and from the sidewalk in front of their yard AND I see people walking down the street tossing fast food packaging, cigarrette butts and what not casually into the street. ABOUT DRAKE PARK: During July and August the CPC ran an evening program in Drake Park four(?) nights a week that was just incredible. The skateboard park was hopping, the handball courts were hopping, a photography class was taking place, an ethnic dance class was taking place, the park and the porches of the houses surrounding the park were filled with people just out having a good time in their community. A group of about 30 Latina mommies gathered a couple of times a week across the street from Bembridge house to play some sort of Mexican Bingo. No gang activity, no feeling of not being safe. Just fun times. All you "scary people" commenters should have come with your dog and your kids. You would have LOVED it. ABOUT GANG MEMBERS AROUND THE WILMORE AREA: Oh yeah, there are PLENTY of Latino men walking around Wilmore in wifebeaters tattoed up one side and down another with their pants below their waist. They may look intimidating. But that look is not for you, general passer-byer. That look is for other gang members. The crime statistics say that the people most likely to get shot by gang members are other gang members. Oozlefinch David, I'm not sharing a racist view of the area, I was just simply describing what I saw during my visit. You're reading something into that statement and over-reacting. It could have been just as likely some homeless white guys I observed and if so I would have called it that way. I like the Wilmore area and I like close-nit eclectic communities, but I also like to live in an area where I feel safe and can feel comfortable having friends over to show off my home. It's entirely possible the people I saw on the street we're from the half-way house located on 10th and Maine. I want an older home that I can fix up into a restored masterpiece and the Wilmore area has allot of those homes. The problem I have the area is that no matter what I do to improve the property I live in, I would hope my neighbors showed the same pride in their homes and the community at large. I realize that everyone has a different level of financial ability, but it's not that expensive to remove the graffiti, sweep up the trash, and maybe lookout for problems around vacant properties to make sure they don't look so run down. Sorry if this is an old fashioned view of life, but we should work to step off our own porch and help our neighbors. This is the way a community shows pride and how collectively we can make our neighborhoods stronger. I have no doubt the people in the Wilmore area are good, hard working people, it's just the area doesn't look like it, and that makes me concerned about spending this amount of money on a park that may not be maintained by the people who live there. David Iconz, I actually go running through the neighborhood approx. 3 times a week (at night!)and walk and ride my bike to do errands (day/night), play tennis before the sun goes down, and have gotten to know some of my tattooed Latino neighbors and am still in one piece. Um, interracial couple shunned by the entire neighborhood? I think no. Sorry they may have had a bad experience but you can't put that on a community as their collective view. Oozlefinch you prove my point with your continued comments, whether you describe a tattooed Latino or a white homeless you still see the worst in them and assume violence and crime or drugs, and that is being racist and judgmental. Neither of you can seem to see the positive in this opportunity. Utopian, me? No. The day I don't have to work anymore, worry about cancer, war, imbalance in the world maybe you can say that, but until then we are talking about a park in a community that I am happy to be a part of. I will continue to be positive about the people in my community and will relish in making this plan happen and succeed despite your reservations. That is what being part of your community is about.
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Ryan ZumMallen has served as the managing editor of the LBPOST.com since 2007. He graduated from CSULB with a degree in Print Journalism in 2008 and is a member of the 2009 class of Leadership Long Beach. You can find him on various basketball courts around the city.
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