With only three of the city’s 10 skate parks located north of Pacific Coast Highway, leaders may look to open more of the popular recreation spots in more accessible parts of the city.
Councilmember Megan Kerr, who represents East Long Beach, and Councilmember Cindy Allen in Downtown are asking the full council on Tuesday to authorize a study to be completed by November of possible new skate park locations.
Skate parks, they said in the request, “play a crucial role in a community and serve many purposes such as promoting physical activity, youth engagement and recreation and help contribute to the overall physical, social, and economic well-being of communities.”
They often serve as a “home away from home,” they said.
The city currently has three skate parks in Downtown, one in the Washington neighborhood, one in East Long Beach, one in Alamitos Beach, two in Central Long Beach, one in West Long Beach and one in North Long Beach.
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The council members noted that the only skate parks north of PCH — Silverado, Houghton and El Dorado — are in the far corners of those districts, leaving many residents without good access.
There are no skate parks in areas such as Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Lakewood Village and other north-central and eastern areas.
The city’s first skate park opened at El Dorado Park in 2000, and the latest was the new Lincoln Park Skate Park that opened near City Hall in 2022. Silverado Skate Park also just reopened this year after a major renovation.
The parks range in size from 2,000 square feet — including Gumbiner and Drake — to the largest, the 11,000 square foot McBride Skate Plaza.
Kerr and Allen want the city manager to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to identify spaces, sizes and proposed boundaries of new skating areas in city parks, as well as make a recommendation on a preferred site.
Existing skate parks in the city include:
Downtown
Lincoln Skate Park, 103 Pacific Ave.
Drake Park Skate Park, 951 Maine Ave.
Gumbiner Skate Park, 601-609 Martin Luther King Jr Ave.
Alamitos Beach
Bixby Skate Park, 130 Cherry Ave.
East Long Beach
El Dorado Skate Park, 2760 N. Studebaker Road.
Central Long Beach
Orizaba Skate Park, 2937 E. 14th St.
McBride Skate Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr Ave.
Washington
Michael K. Green Skate Park, W. 14th Street & Pacific Avenue
West Long Beach
Silverado Skate Park, W. 31st St., Long Beach.
North Long Beach
Houghton Skate Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave.