Building Trades News

As the long-awaited San Pedro Waterfront project continues to move through the Environmental Impact Report process, port officials have continued to meet with community members and other stakeholder to flesh out the project details. The San Pedro Waterfront Project spans the area long the Port's Main Channel from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to Berth's 49-50, south of 22 Street.

The Port of Los Angeles worked with community stakeholders to establish the principles that will ensure a successful waterfront development. The principles focus on bringing the community to the water's edge, retaining San Pedro's signature "port town" character, balancing development with open space, and revitalizing local business and employment opportunities.

The port implemented the Waterfront Gateway Project in 2004 providing nearly a mile of public promenade. The Gateway Project will create a dramatic and formal entrance to San Pedro, as well as the cruise ship terminal and the Port. A great arc of Canary Island palms will form a sweeping backdrop to gathering areas, and plantings. Near the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street, a new public plaza to connect the Red Car Station with the Cruise Ship Promenade and the Harbor Boulevard Parkway has just recently been completed construction.

The arc of palms has also been planted. The Waterfront Gateway Project was followed by the San Pedro Waterfront Enhancements Project, approved in 2006, with $44 million worth of community-supported initiatives currently being implemented. The enhancements include a 16-acre public park, extension of the promenade, creation of a downtown plaza, public art features and community-to-waterfront pedestrian linkages.

A 36-year master development plan concept created in partnership with the community in 2005 fostered significant debate over the level of potential development 10 to 30 years into the future. Stakeholders wanted a range of master plan alternatives, co-equally assessed on either side of a primary plan that had a 50/50 balance of open space and development.

Instead of pursuing a long and potentially contentious master development plan assessment, the port chose to proceed with separable elements of the plan in order to keep the renovation of the waterfront moving forward while still preserving the opportunity for community debate over future hotel and commercial-retail development. This third set of projects will move forward as part of the proposed San Pedro Waterfront Project, which includes the creation of three downtown-adjacent harbors that will showcase the waterfront museums and provide tie-up docks for visiting boaters and tall ships. The proposed project would complete 8.7 miles of promenade along the water's edge, build a "green" outer harbor cruise facility and park, and study a number of parking and transportation alternatives – including the expansion of the existing waterfront Red Car electric trolley line.

The project also proposes a framework of open space, parks and community-to-waterfront linkage points. Attractive public art and water features will also be included in the project area In response to community feedback, officials have altered the waterfront plans to include more commercial space at Ports O' Call Village, construction of a 75,000-square- foot conference center and revamping two historic warehouses for recreational use. The changes came after port officials held some 25 meetings with groups and individuals who submitted comments earlier this year. "The meetings have been invaluable in understanding the concerns behind the words that were on paper," said port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. The port released its proposal for the waterfront plan in January - the work is expected to take five to seven years once construction begins - but it drew harsh criticism from residents and business leaders alike who said the proposal lacked substance.

 The idea, Knatz said, was to create a framework for future development, putting off some development decisions until the next stage. But after meeting with critics, port officials have added some components to flesh out the plan. Among the new elements is an additional 300,000 square feet of new or redeveloped commercial space at Ports O' Call. Also included is a proposed 75,000-square-foot conference center near the decades- old outdoor shopping village. Both suggestions came from the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

Knatz also said plans now include an expansion of the designated park area near fishermen's slip, home to fishing vessels. In addition, two old port warehouses (Nos. 9 and 10) will be studied as a recreational expansion of the 22nd Street site. Suggestions have included transforming one of the structures into an indoor skate park. A proposed Red Car museum is tentatively slated to be built at the Ports O' Call rail line or Warehouse One, but could also go in Wilmington, Knatz said, as a way to pull the 16 miles of waterfront spanning both communities together.

While progress on waterfront development has slowed significantly in recent years, Townsend said she's hopeful work on the project will pick up again soon. "For whatever reason, things are the way they are," Townsend said. "Whatever we get in there is going to be such an improvement over what we've had. But I'm not saying we should settle for something less than wonderful."