Comment on North Village Center EIR

Many North Long Beach leaders have big dreams for the proposed North Village Center, which will have retail, housing, a new library, new facades, streetscape enhancements and several new public parking lots. Now you can read all about the impacts it may have on the surrounding neighborhoods. The city's environmental impact report is available online or at a few locations in North Long Beach and downtown. The public has until Sept. 18 to make their thoughts known.

Here is the press releae that city officials sent out recently, which also explains a few more details:

The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency has announced the availability of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to determine the nature and extent of the proposed North Village Center project's impact upon the surrounding environment. An EIR also identifies ways to reduce environmental effects and analyzes reasonable alternatives to avoid or minimize significant environmental effects. The Draft EIR is now available for public review.

The project site encompasses two full city blocks in the North Long Beach Redevelopment Project Area. Atlantic Avenue bisects the approximately 6.3-acre site. The West Block, approximately 3.15 acres, is bounded on the south by South Street, on the west by Linden Avenue and on the north by 59th Street. The East Block, also approximately 3.15 acres, is bounded on the south by South Street, on the east by Lime Avenue and on the north by 59th Street.

The proposed project is a mixed-use "village center" with the following primary components: 61 units of multi-family housing in a mix of row houses, courtyard units, and units built atop ground floor non-residential space; 36,000 square feet of commercial retail space, including restaurant space, oriented primarily toward Atlantic Avenue; and a public library and community center totaling approximately 30,000 square feet fronting Atlantic Avenue on the East Block. A General Plan Amendment and Zoning Ordinance Amendment would be required to allow the proposed mix of uses and density.

The Initial Study and public EIR scoping process identified the potential for significant project environmental effects in the following issue areas, which are all studied in the Draft EIR: aesthetics, air quality, cultural resources, geology, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population and housing, public services, transportation and circulation, and utilities and service systems.

The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency will receive written comments on the Draft EIR through Friday, September 18, 2009. Comments should be sent to:

Craig Chalfant
Department of Development Services
333 W. Ocean Boulevard, 5th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
Via fax to: 562.570.6068
Via e-mail to: craig.chalfant@longbeach.gov

DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: The Draft EIR is available for public review online http://www.lbds.info/planning/environmental_planning/environmental_reports.asp and at the locations listed below during regular business hours:

Long Beach Main Library, 101 Pacific Ave.
Long Beach North Neighborhood Library, 5571 Orange Ave.
Long Beach City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd, 5th Floor

TO PURCHASE A DRAFT EIR: The Draft EIR and Appendices (Volumes 1 and 2) are available on CD-Rom for a fee of $20.00.