LONG BEACH : Company Gets 1-Year Pact to Plan Aquarium

A $100-million aquarium, considered the linchpin of a massive waterfront expansion plan, moved a step closer to reality this week as city officials selected a Japan-based construction firm to plan the facility and secure funding.

The city’s Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved the deal Monday, giving Kajima International Inc. an exclusive one-year contract to secure $100 million in revenue bonds to pay for the 100,000-square-foot aquarium.

Kajima will also seek proposals from designers and architects and form a nonprofit group that would ultimately own and manage the aquarium. The revenue bonds would be repaid through income from the aquarium’s admission, parking and concession fees, said Susan F. Shick, director of community development.

Kajima, one of Japan’s largest development companies, will not be paid for the year’s work. Although the company is expected to develop and build the aquarium, Shick said, the city will seek bids from other construction firms before awarding the contract. Kajima also built the World Trade Center and Hilton Hotel in Long Beach.

Shick said Kajima’s recent job overseeing the development and financing of an $84-million aquarium in Tampa, Fla., was a key factor in the redevelopment agency’s decision.

Kajima plans to spend about 18 months planning the aquarium, Shick said. Construction is expected to take a year to 18 months.

The aquarium would be the centerpiece of a proposed $557-million tourist harbor that will include an amphitheater, shops, restaurants and nightclubs. Intended to link downtown with the shoreline, the project will be located on an old landfill that is now the site of Shoreline Aquatic Park and Lagoon.

Officials predict that the development, when completed, will pump $275 million a year into the local economy and create 3,500 jobs.