FAQs about greening
3701 Pacific Place

Yes, the recently funded Wrigley Heights River Park Project, which is in the process of acquiring the McDonald Trust land adjacent to 3701 Pacific Place, is part of the overall vision. Together with a parcel that is owned by the County, these 30 acres of land are critical to meaningfully increasing park space for western Long Beach.

The Pacific Place Project Draft EIR (DEIR) contains fatal flaws that violate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It fails to adequately analyze significant environmental impacts in a community already suffering from severe pollution burden (ranking worse than 89% of California census tracts). The project would eliminate 14 acres of precious open space at the interchange of the 405 and 710 freeways in what has been termed the "diesel death zone," worsen air quality, disturb contaminated soil, remove endangered plant habitat, and create traffic hazards—all without proper analysis or mitigation. Most critically, the project directly contradicts numerous adopted land use plans that specifically designate this site for park development, including the RiverLink Plan, West Long Beach Livability Implementation Plan, and Los Angeles River Master Plan. Additionally, the proposal would permanently prevent the creation of much-needed park space in an area with extreme park inequity—despite the City's own General Plan goal of achieving 8 acres per 1,000 residents citywide. This site is one of the last remaining large parcels that could help address this disparity and was identified in the Lower Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan as the "gem of the Lower LA River" with unique ecological potential. The DEIR for 3701 Pacific Place improperly dismisses this crucial park alternative at this site by focusing only on the developer’s own vision for an RV parking lot and using outdated feasibility assessments, failing to recognize the substantial grant funding now available for environmental justice projects. By rejecting the EIR, the Long Beach City Council can uphold its environmental justice commitments and preserve the opportunity to create the long-planned Wrigley Heights River Park.

Yes. According to the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment by MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, western Long Beach faces significant environmental health challenges, including increased cancer risks, poor air quality affecting asthma and obesity rates, and limited access to recreational spaces. The assessment specifically calls for "creating easy-to-access, high-quality programs and services, so people can exercise and eat well." Additionally, studies have consistently shown that urban parks: + Filter particulate matter from the air. + Through the phytoremediation process, some trees are actually able to remove toxic chemicals from ground water and soil + Reduce ambient temperatures through shade and evapotranspiration + Absorb and filter stormwater, reducing flood risks + Provide critical habitat for native species + Improve community health outcomes through increased physical activity + Enhance property values in surrounding neighborhoods

Property rights are important, but so is the right of residents of western Long Beach to a clean environment. Western Long Beach has some of the worst air quality in the nation. Turning 3701 Pacific Place into green space is vital to helping purify the air we breathe. Greening this last large-scale piece of open land is also key to protecting downstream neighborhoods against floods from the LA River and safeguarding western Long Beach against the urban heat island effect as global warming worsens. It will also help protect the vulnerable equestrian community (largely Spanish-speaking) that has ridden these trails for generations. Our City Council has a duty to act on behalf of city residents and prioritize the rights of the whole community.

While Net Zero energy design is commendable, it addresses ONLY one aspect of environmental impact. The proposed development would fail to: +Provide adequate permeable surfaces to guard against flooding in an area with insufficient storm drainage +Provide proper filtration for stormwater run off into the LA River +Provide natural habitat for native species to flourish +Address the critical shortage of green space in western Long Beach by locking hazardous materials under concrete rather than allowing natural remediation + Provide the air filtration benefits of trees and vegetation + Reduce urban heat island effects + Reduce pollution, and would increase pollution in the area due to the black carbon and chemical pollutants brought in by the RV’s, proposed RV/car wash and dump station + Protect the long-standing claim the equestrian community has had to trail space along the LA River + Provide educational and environmental opportunities for Los Cerritos School students

No. The Riverpark Coalition supports sustainable economic development that benefits the community while protecting our environment. While the proposed development may bring a small handful of jobs, it’s not clear that any such jobs would go to Long Beach residents, and they would come at the expense of long-term benefits to our community. A well-designed park, however, would also create jobs during construction and for ongoing maintenance, while simultaneously providing health and environmental benefits that enhance quality of life and property values throughout western Long Beach.

Yes. If the land is zoned for commercial or industrial use, it opens the door for various types of businesses to operate there should the initially proposed development fail. This could include operations that might further impact the environmental health of the area. Converting the land back to designated green space would protect it for generations to come.

Converting 3701 Pacific Place into green space with trees and other vegetation provides an opportunity to mitigate dust and fine particulates like PM 2.5 as well as hinder the formation of ground ozone. A well-designed open space outweighs the negative impacts of the 405 freeway for the surrounding communities. The proposed alternative, made of concrete and asphalt, would not address the issues related to freeway air and noise pollution, they would only add to them.

This piece of property has actually been designated as open space on planning documents for decades! With careful planning and proper restoration measures, this site can be transformed into a beautiful and clean green space, much like success stories in Houston, Minneapolis, Newark, and Columbus. Revitalizing the land as green space would allow natural healing processes, such as bioremediation and off-gassing, to continue to occur. If the RV park is allowed to move forward however, the developer plans to build a concrete cap over hazardous waste materials, which would be like “burying the body in the backyard” because it would halt natural processes from taking place. The lack of permeability of a parking lot would create untreated stormwater runoff. This would have a negative impact on Long Beach communities downstream of the land all the way to the pacific ocean.

Any green space development would prioritize sustainable landscaping practices including: +Native, drought-resistant plants that support local biodiversity +Permeable surfaces for natural water filtration +Water-efficient irrigation systems +Many trees from species selected for maximum air and ground filtration benefits

We would love it if there were large parcels of open land that could be purchased and made into green space up and down the 710 corridor. Unfortunately, there just aren't. 3701 Pacific Place and its surrounding parcels are some of the only large-scale open land left in western Long Beach. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. This site represents the last opportunity to bring a significant amount of green space to not just Wrigley and Los Cerritos, but to all the neighborhoods in western Long Beach. This is essential to help achieve the City's own goals of 8 acres of park space per 1,000 residents. This is not just green space for recreation but for better air quality, less heat, flood mitigation, and species preservation for the entire area.

Individuals experiencing homelessness live everywhere, not just on open land: sidewalks, underpasses, alleyways, and industrial rooftops, to name a few. A recent report detailed how an unhoused population even occupied an abandoned RV parking lot, which is what 3701 Pacific Place could become. Paving over all of our open space won't solve homelessness, but it will rob us of the green space that we need to address our air and water quality, heat, and flood problems. Building the Wrigley Heights Park on 3701 Pacific Place will bring a green space like Colorado Lagoon and El Dorado Park to western Long Beach, which benefits everyone in our part of the city.

The funding to purchase the property would likely come from taxes that have already been passed like Measure A and Prop 68, and funds already held by State and County agencies. There is currently an unprecedented amount of funding for greening and cleaning up contaminated areas around the Lower LA River. If we can save this land, we can find the funds to green it.

Maintenance can only be determined once the property is saved from being paved over. Once that happens, several entities can be approached about the possibility of taking on operations and management (O&M) including the City, the County, and the Conservation Corps among others. Funding for maintenance could come from a combination of city allocations, grants, community partnerships, and potentially even a small dedicated endowment created during the initial funding phase. Many successful urban parks also incorporate community stewardship programs that reduce maintenance costs while building community ownership.

The off-road vehicles that can be heard are not being ridden on the 3701 Pacific Place property. County employees have confirmed that these vehicles ride on a parcel of land owned by LA County north of the 3701 parcel. Since 3701 is not where they are riding, building on it will not solve the noise problem.

The Draft EIR states the new self storage building will now become a 4-story building with 549 additional self storage units. There is no mention of the developer planning to build their headquarters at the 3701 Pacific Place property in the Draft EIR that was published in 2024.