[ Port, Navy and Preservationists Reach Agreement on Lon..]

Port, Navy and Preservationists Reach Agreement on Long Beach Naval Co
mplex Issues

The Port of Long Beach has reached agreement with the United States Na
vy and historic preservation groups to pay $4.5 million to a mitigatio
n fund in the event that former Long Beach Naval Station buildings are
demolished to make way for a containcrized cargo terminal. In additio
n, Long Beach Heritage, has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging the port
’s environmental assessment for the property and has agreed to refrai
n from filing additional lawsuits. Long Beach Heritage also has agreed
to abide by the ultimate reuse decision for the Naval Station and the
adjacent Shipyard.
The memorandum of agreement, which was signed by the port, Long Beach
Heritage, the U.S. Navy and several other state and national historic
preservation groups, will provide preservation funds if 11 World War
Ⅱ-era buildings and five other structures at the station are demolish
ed. The agreenent stipulates that the funds will be used for “the exp
ress purpose of fostering and supporting the identification, evaluatio
n, preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and interpretation of his
torical resources” within the City of Long Beach.
The fund will be administered by a newly established Long Beach Navy M
emorial Heritage Foundation consisting of representatives from Long Be
ach Heritage, the Historical Society of Long Beach, the Willmore Herit
age Association and the City of Long Beach Cultural Heritage Commissio
n.
The $4.5 million payment will be conveyed to the preservation fund onl
y if the Navy permits the port to develop a terminal for containerized
cargo on the 130 acre Naval Station. If the Navy selects one of two a
lternative uses for the site, which do not require demolition of all o
f the buildings, no mitigation fund will be established.
“I am pleased that we have reached and agreement on mitigation measur
es and have settled the lawsuit with Long Beach Heritage,” said Long
Beach Harbor Commission Rresident Carmen O. Perez. “Now that we have
put this issue behind us, we can move forward with the reuse process.
”
A reuse study, which was prepared by an independent consultant chosen
mutually by the preservationists, the Navy and the port, was completed
in November, 1997. It identified two alternative uses for the Naval s
ite.
Under one alternative, an auto terminal and museum would be built on t
he station site, and most of the buildings would be preserved. In a se
cond alternative, police, fire and harbor administrators would share t
he historic structures with a museum. Both alternatives provide lesser
acreage for cargo containers, and both contain a ship repair facility
and other uses.
a number of other mitigation measures will be implemented by the port
regardless of which alternative is selected. The port has agreed to pr
epare a curation plan for the preservation of architectural drawings f
rom the buildings and to preserve the drawings in the Architectural Dr
awings Collection at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The
port also will prepare a catalog of historical photographs relating to
the buildings and will preserve the photos in the Special Collections
at California State University, Long Beach.
In addition, a professional quality exhibit, including a three dimensi
onal model, will be developed to show the history of the Historic Dist
rict within the Naval Station, and a professional Quality video will b
e produced to document the significance of each building. The video wi
ll be distributed to local libraries and interested organizations.
The port has agred to salvage significant architectural elements that
can be saved from the historin district. Finally, the port and histori
c preservationists have agred to meet and discuss a possible open hous
e at the station, if feasible.
The parties signing the agreement included the U.S. Navy, Port of Long
Beach, Long Beach Heritage, historical Society of Long Beach, Willmor
e City Heritage Association, national Trust for Historic Preservation,
the State Historic Preservation Act. Without the agreement, redevelop
ment of the Naval Station could have been delayed by many years.
The Navy is expected to make a decision in May regarding the proposed
transfer of the land to the City of Long Beach and the suggested reuse
of the land.
Although the preservationists have withdrawn from the naval station li
tigation, the port will continue its challenge of the Superior Court’
s 1997 ruling that the port was pre-committed to the project before co
mpleting its environmental review. Two cities located north of the por
t - Vernon and Compton - continue to challenge the initial environment
al impact report. The California Court of Appeal is expected to hear t
he case this spring.