Southeast : INCORPORATION OR BUST

Bixby Ranch Co. officials would love to build more than 700 homes, offices and an approximately 100-acre park in southeast Long Beach. And they want the city to annex almost 200 acres of company-owned unincorporated Los Angeles County land to do it.

The land must become part of Long Beach so the city can build streets and provide utilities for the project.

Now, city officials are working to annex the land. City Councilman Doug Drummond also wants to annex the land to ease traffic congestion in the area. He wants to extend Studebaker Road southward from Westminster Avenue to Pacific Coast Highway, which would be possible if the property is annexed.

The hourglass-shaped property, which contains mainly oil fields and federally protected wetlands, is bordered by Seal Beach at the southeastern end.

City staff soon hope to go before the City Council for permission to apply for the land from the county. The city also would like to annex an additional 60 acres that could be developed later.

One unresolved issue involves wetlands on the property. Before any construction may begin, federal and state agencies must determine exactly how much of the land is environmentally sensitive and therefore must be protected.