While the city works to bring a mix of commercial and housing developments, residents are pushing for even more commercial space and for more pedestrian safety in the area.
Later this year, the City Council could update zoning in West Long Beach along certain corridors to help drive retail investments to the area that lacks grocery stores, banks and other basic services.
Two groups sued Long Beach last year because the city did not require an environmental impact report for a proposed storage facility that would be built atop an old oil-waste facility along the Los Angeles River.
A ban on standalone residential developments along segments of Santa Fe Avenue and Willow Street in West Long Beach was set to expire this month, but the City Council appears likely to extend that moratorium through next June to allow new zoning policies to be approved.
The pool originally closed on Dec. 20 for regularly scheduled maintenance, but staff found issues with its filtration system, which merited a longer closure period. Usually, the pool closes annually for maintenance between December and January, a city official said.
While 58-year-old Leonides Castellanos renamed the business “Santa Fe Strawberries,” he’s following the same growing methods of the Ramirez family that keep the strawberries tasting like before.
The pool first closed on Dec. 20 for regular maintenance, “and then we experienced issues with the pool filter system and are in the process of making repairs,” a city official said.
“Why do particularly ethnic neighborhoods or low-income neighborhoods seem to be less kept up when it’s a city problem?” one resident said.
Anyone interested in helping with this project can just show up at the site on Wednesday morning.
After a fire destroyed the old playground, officials have envisioned a new and inclusive design. But first, they need to raise funds to build it.
