{"id":47420,"date":"2025-11-11T01:32:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T01:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/47420\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T01:32:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T01:32:17","slug":"long-beach-breaks-ground-on-51st-street-greenbelt-project-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/47420\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach breaks ground on 51st Street Greenbelt Project \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, to commemorate the beginning of construction on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project \u2014 which will bring more green space to North Long Beach.<\/p>\n

The 51st Street Greenbelt park will be located along DeForest Avenue, between West 51st and West 52nd streets, north of Del Amo Boulevard and east of the Los Angeles River. The project will transform about 1 acre of undeveloped land along the L.A. River into a vibrant, accessible green space, city officials said.<\/p>\n

This project, officials added, will also increase equitable access to outdoor recreation, improve community health, and help mitigate the effects of climate change in an area disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental hazards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say how proud I am as a North Long Beach resident to see this project move forward,\u201d Mayor Rex Richardson said. \u201cThis was an underutilized piece of land and now we\u2019re going to turn it into a place for memories to take place, and for folks to engage with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new park will include pedestrian trails, a cycle track, fitness stations, play structures, shade seating, parking that\u2019s compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and drinking fountains. Green infrastructure, including bioswales and sustainable landscaping, will also be incorporated to help reduce polluted water runoff, mitigate urban heat and support local ecological health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look around at my neighbors that are here, I know that they\u2019re excited and thinking about not only the space, but the value that green space adds to (the) community,\u201d said Eighth District Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk. \u201cWe\u2019re going to transform this lot together into a place of opportunity, play and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mayor<\/p>\n

Mayor Rex Richardson at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Long Beach is beginning construction on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project, which will add approximately one acre of green space for residents in North Long Beach. City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

Rep. Nanette Barrag\u00e1n at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

Rep. Nanette Barrag\u00e1n at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Eighth<\/p>\n

Eighth District Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Stephen<\/p>\n

Stephen Scott, acting director for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

Josh Hickman, acting director for the Department of Public Works, at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Long Beach leaders break ground on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Long Beach leaders break ground on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Long Beach is beginning construction on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project, which will add approximately one acre of green space for residents in North Long Beach. City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Long Beach is beginning construction on the 51st Street Greenbelt Project, which will add approximately one acre of green space for residents in North Long Beach. City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 11<\/p>\n

Mayor Rex Richardson at the groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt Project in North Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

The North Long Beach community\u2019s input played a key role in shaping the park\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

In 2018, for example, the Parks, Recreation and Marine, and Health and Human Services departments hosted a public pop-up event on Earth Day to get community input for improvements to the undeveloped area. Residents said they wanted to see active and passive uses for the park and also wanted to use it as a connection to the L.A. River bicycle path, according to city officials.<\/p>\n

The city subsequently began applying for grants and, in 2020, received money through the Port of Long Beach\u2019s Community Grants Program, allowing the park design for the project to start in 2021.<\/p>\n

During that phase, the city engaged with neighborhood associations and Council District 8 \u2013 which was under former Councilmember Al Austin\u2019s leadership at the time \u2013 to gather feedback to inform more specific design elements residents would be interested in at the park, Long Beach officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a long time coming, but we\u2019re here. We made it and we\u2019re all excited,\u201d said Stephen Scott, acting director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. \u201cWe all know that parks are vital to a community\u2019s physical, mental and environmental health, and any time that we can add additional space, it is a wonderful opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 51st Street Greenbelt Project is part of Long Beach\u2019s Elevate \u201828<\/a> Infrastructure Investment Plan, an initiative dedicated to enhancing city parks, community facilities, mobility access and streets ahead of the 2028 Olympics.<\/p>\n

The project is expected to cost about $6 million, officials said. Long Beach tapped into several funding sources<\/a> to make the new park possible.<\/p>\n

Besides the $999,000 from the port, the city also received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s Community Project Funding program, which Rep. Nanette Barrag\u00e1n helped secure in 2022, and $2 million from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The city is also using $1 million from Long Beach\u2019s Construction and Demolition Recycling Program, and $400,000 in Measure A funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to parks, open space and outdoor recreation is critical to the health and the well-being of our communities,\u201d Barrag\u00e1n said. \u201cThis is an issue that\u2019s been near and dear for me since I got to Congress and seeing how we can create more open spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a kid, I didn\u2019t have a park nearby,\u201d Barrag\u00e1n added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to get on a bus to go play Little League,\u201d she added, \u201cand so for me, it\u2019s about investing in community. It\u2019s investing in making sure they have green open space to go to in the neighborhoods, especially those that have limited access to parks and open spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction has begun, and, officials said, the park is anticipated to be completed in late 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, to commemorate the beginning of construction on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,23,131,133,132,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-47420","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-long-beach","11":"tag-long-beach-headlines","12":"tag-long-beach-news","13":"tag-los-angeles-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}