We the undersigned neighborhood associations, community-based organizations, environmental and environmental justice organizations write in strong opposition to the current development proposal at 3701 Pacific Place. As organizations that represent and serve communities in Long Beach and throughout California, we urge Long Beach decision-makers to reject more polluting industry in western Long Beach and instead support investments in the health and vitality of these communities.  

 

We ask the Mayor and members of the Long Beach City Council, as well as the Long Beach Planning Commission, to reject the current proposal at 3701 Pacific Place by voting NO on the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and denying all permits for the development.

The proposed development–which includes a four-story storage facility, an RV parking lot, a private car wash, and a wastewater dump station–is a bad fit for the community given the history of pollution, lack of investment, and environmental injustice in western Long Beach. If approved, the project would continue this legacy of environmental injustice and would exacerbate existing inequities for under-resourced communities and communities of color. 

 

The lack of open space for under-resourced communities in the City of Long Beach is well-known. In 2002, the City’s General Plan conducted an analysis on Open Space and Recreation (1) and highlighted the unequally distributed open space in under-resourced areas of the city. Despite the City’s previous policy to address these disparities through the Lower Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan and the Los Angeles River Link Plan, industrial development continues to take precedence over parks and open space for western Long Beach residents, resulting in only 1 acre of park space per 1100 residents (2), which meets the legal definition of “park-poor” (3).
 

This inequity is further compounded by severe pollution in western Long Beach. CalEnviroScreen data shows that under-resourced communities in the city experience some of the highest pollution impacts (4) in California. These impacts are driven by high levels of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (smog) (5) from vehicles–particularly diesel trucks on the 405 and 710 freeways–as well as pollution from refineries and the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. As a result of these impacts, the western side of the city has a life expectancy that is five to ten years lower (6) than the more affluent East Side. The legacy of environmental racism and enduring health disparities in communities of color must be a central consideration for any development proposal in West Long Beach. 

 

West Long Beach desperately needs more open space, access to nature, and places to thrive, not more pollution, waste, and noise. The 3701 Pacific Place parcel represents an opportunity to address these existing inequities rather than perpetuate them. 

 

With strong public opposition to this development, City leaders have a clear mandate to vote NO on the Final Environmental Impact Report.

 

By rejecting a development that would only increase pollution in western Long Beach, the City can make space to explore ideal projects that align with the needs of the community. 

 

Thank you for your consideration,

 

• Friends of the LA River

• Los Angeles Waterkeeper

• East Yard Communities

• Green Latinos

• Khmer Girls in Action

• Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

• Mujeres de la Tierra

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