Long Beach : Queensway Development Master Plan OKd by Port

The Long Beach Harbor Commission has tentatively approved a new master plan for development of Queensway Bay, including major projects at the Queensway Bay Hilton and the Queen Mary.

The new master plan, which will now undergo a six-month environmental review, is expected to be forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council for final approval in January. The plan has been developed during the past two years by a task force composed of city and port officials and major leaseholders at the port.

Much of the plan governs development at the Queen Mary and Hilton. City agencies already have approved a 355-room, 385-foot addition to the Hilton hotel, although developers now say they may have to scale back the proposal.

Harbor commissioners this spring approved Wrather Corp.’s ambitious plan for the Queen Mary site, which includes a 350-room, 10-story hotel that would cost $40 million and be built on the Queen Mary’s parking lot.

Three additional phases would be added over two decades, Wrather officials said. When completed they would include a village of specialty shops and restaurants, and an exhibition hall and a main street with international trade themes. Six office towers with about 900,000 square feet would be added as the market allows, officials have said.