Long Beach : Revitalization Plan Concerns Manager of Queen Mary
A proposal that includes moving the Queen Mary as part of an ambitious effort to revitalize the downtown waterfront has raised concerns about parking.
Joseph F. Prevratil, who manages the tourist attraction, said in an interview this week that he is concerned that a plan to move the Queen Mary includes only 100 parking spots for visitors, compared with 2,500 parking spaces at the current site.
Nonetheless, Prevratil said he has not made up his mind on the $550-million proposal by Ehrenkrantz & Eckstut Architects. The plan includes an aquarium, amusement park, restaurants, shops and a cruise ship terminal. It calls for moving the Queen Mary to a new pier at the foot of Pine Avenue and building a harbor at the site of Shoreline Aquatic Park.
The City Council on Tuesday voted to ask Prevratil to present his views on the plan, which is patterned after a project in Baltimore. Councilman Warren Harwood, who proposed the Prevratil presentation, said he has many questions about the project, including how it will be funded. It will cost more than $250 million to create a cruise ship terminal and pay for public improvements such as new seawalls, but city officials have not yet said how they would fund it.
The first public hearing on the plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Houghton Park Community Center, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
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