According to a release, the City of Long Beach is being recommended for two grant awards by the Strategic Growth Council. Long Beach anticipates a Sustainable Communities Planning Grant award of $929,000 to fund an amendment to the City’s Local Coastal Program and Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan (SEADIP); as well as a $170,000 award for the Willmore Courts and Ways Demonstration Project through the Strategic Growth Council’s Urban Greening Grant Program.
A revision of SEADIP, the planning area that is the southeast gateway into Long Beach, has been a long time coming. Adopted in 1977, SEADIP is the primary planning and development guide for the southeastern portion of Long Beach. The City Council formally requested staff to identify funding to update SEADIP in December 2011. The $929,000 award of Sustainable Communities Planning Grant funds will help Long Beach complete the SEADIP update.
The City’s second award is for the Willmore Courts and Ways Project, a sustainable urban greening demonstration project that will be funded through the Strategic Growth Council’s Urban Greening Grant Program.
The innovative designs that are part of the Willmore Courts and Ways project will serve as a model for transforming deteriorated alleyways into intimately scaled pedestrian walkways. This particular project will close a portion of an alley in the Willmore City Historic District to vehicular traffic and incorporate stormwater management features, native plants, permeable pavers and sustainable enhancements.
The City anticipates the Strategic Growth Council will approve these grant awards on May 10.