Southeast : Long Beach Considers Annexing 200 Acres for Homes, Park

As seen from Long Beach City Hall, all that remains of the frontier is 200 acres of oil fields and a federally protected wetlands.

But if Los Angeles County and state officials consent, that land could soon become part of the city. And so could its planned development into 700 homes and offices, as well as a 100-acre wildlife park.

At the direction of the City Council, Long Beach officials are working to annex an hourglass-shaped piece of unincorporated territory southeast of the city limits. The request is expected to land in county hands within the next week.

Plans to develop the area have existed for more than a decade. But they remained an abstract goal until last fall, when City Councilman Doug Drummond reopened a dialogue with Bixby Ranch Co., which owns most of the land.