Long Beach : Coastal Plan Amended for Convention Center Project

The long-awaited $80-million expansion of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center passed one more hurdle Tuesday when the City Council approved an amendment to the local coastal plan including plans for the project.

The center is to be expanded by approximately 371,000 square feet and include a two-story glass gallery and a 1,793-space parking structure.

To allay community concerns that the parking lot would ruin the views of residences and hotels currently under construction on Ocean Boulevard, architects said, plans call for landscaping on top of the parking structure to include plenty of trellises and potted trees.

City officials say the project is a keystone in the city’s redevelopment program, and they have pushed it through the Planning Commission and City Council at a record pace. Project manager Joe Prevratil estimates that construction may begin as early as September, 1991, and conclude by November, 1993.

“It is imperative that this development move forward and be completed as rapidly as possible,” Mayor Ernie Kell told the council Tuesday. “This is one of the most important projects in our downtown revitalization effort--it ties all the other parts together.”