As the land around the Queen Mary is developed in the coming years, entertainment venues are a must, casino gaming is a possibility, and the idea of an NFL stadium there or somewhere in Long Beach may be just a dream, but it's a good one, developer Jeff Klein said Thursday evening.
At the Ristorante da Vinci restaurant by Long Beach Airport, with planes buzzing nearby, Klein talked to a crowd of young professionals during a networking event about some his plans for remaking the iconic ship and the challenges the project will face. Traffic congestion on the 710 and parking availability are two problems that could sink the ship's revitalization, he said, but he and city officials are working on solutions.
One might be a gondola that would transport visitors between the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. It makes sense, considering the two venues are the most popular and well-known tourist attractions in Long Beach. And what better way to link an aquarium and a historical ship than with a third water experience along the city's coastline?
Klein's development company Save the Queen paid $43 million last year to buy the ship's lease from previous operator Queen's Seaport Development Inc., which had gone into bankruptcy, and has the right to develop the surrounding land with city approval. Of the 55 acres of land, 45 acres can be developed.
Meanwhile, work on the ship itself continues as part of a $6 million renovation.
Also at Thursday's event, along with a sign of things to come along the waterfront, the crowd got a hint of the possible future of the City Council.
Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal spoke highly of another attendee, Robert Garcia, as a possible candidate to replace her mother-in-law on the council. 1st District Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal won the Democratic nomination this month for the 54th Assembly District seat by a landslide, and she is well-positioned in the heavily Democratic district to defeat her Republican opponent.
Garcia, the 30-year-old director of media and public relations at Long Beach City College, has said in recent weeks that he is considering a council bid should Lowenthal move on to Sacramento.
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
What's odd, is in the nearly one year span that Save the Queen, LLC acquired the Queen Mary lease, they have yet to submit anything concrete in terms of development plans for the property. This contradicts the assessment, that Mr. Klein's entity was coming into the operations heavily capitalized. What is the delay? Is it because Save the Queen, LLC is currently being sued? Does Mr. Klein have development & financial partners for this project? Hopefully, the Long Beach City Auditor is closely monitoring the $6 million in renovations. I'm sure the new operators will be taking that charge as a rent credit. Be sure to ask for invoices and receipts.
Also, I do like Robert Garcia as a person. It will be interesting to see what his platform is as a candidate. With a background in public relations, he will be effective on providing rhetoric for the decisions that are made by city officials. However, I don't believe he has a background in finance & accounting, which is what's probably needed most on the city council.