Belmont pool could need redesign as new bill impacts project’s funding
Discussions of how the pool design could change are expected to happen in early 2023.
Discussions of how the pool design could change are expected to happen in early 2023.
The council could approve a $7.1 million contract with Arcadis U.S. Inc. to oversee design specifications, inspections and other technical aspects of the pool rebuild located in the same spot as the former Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Belmont Shore.
Developing a more equitable plan for all residents to be able to use the new $85 million pool complex was a stipulation placed on the project in February when the Coastal Commission gave the project preliminary approval.
The commission asked for more concrete ways the city will make the pool accessible to parts of Long Beach outside the southeast area.
The Belmont Pool replacement project can move forward after winning approval from the California Coastal Commission Thursday, closing a seven-year process that started after the closure of the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in 2013.
The replacement project has changed dramatically since plans were initially released in 2016, and with those changes the projected cost was reduced by about $60 million to the current estimate of $85 million.
Next up for the pool is the California Coastal Commission, which could consider the project later this year.
The city was hoping to have it on the Coastal Commission’s February agenda which will be held in Long Beach but now that’s looking unlikely.
The project has been tied up in legal challenges and appeals by residents since 2016, but city officials said changes made over the last few months have reduced the cost and should alleviate concern from the state.
The new design will likely strip away the previously approved dome covering, place the pool complex higher up on the beach and could reduce the costs by tens of millions of dollars.