\n Long Beach\u2019s infrastructure investment plan<\/a>
\n , is scheduled to be completed by fall 2026, the project manager said. In recent years, the city has expanded recreational space in the lower Los Angeles River region by dozens of acres. This project represents the latest effort to create more green space in the area.<\/p>\n
During Monday\u2019s groundbreaking ceremony, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barrag\u00e1n, whose Congressional district includes North Long Beach, stepped up to the mic next to a large pile of dirt. \u201cWhen I was a kid, I didn\u2019t have a park nearby,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to get on a bus to go play Little League and baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barrag\u00e1n\u2019s commitment to broadening access to outdoor recreational space, especially for park-deficient neighborhoods in Long Beach, helped secure millions in federal funding for the project.<\/p>\n
The city will combine those dollars with grants and city funds to build a park that addresses the community\u2019s needs, identified through surveys and meetings, said Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, who represents the 8th City Council District.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Three men walk along the 51st Street Greenbelt project with blueprints in hand after the groundbreaking of the park in Long Beach on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.<\/p>\n
Thrash-Ntuk said the park is intended to serve neighbors of all ages \u2014 especially children, as the lot sits near several schools. \u201cToday, I\u2019m pleased to say that one of the district residents that I brought with me is an avid user of local parks, and that\u2019s my son,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The greenbelt aims to improve community physical, mental and environmental health, said Stephen Scott, acting director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. The census tract where the park will be built is among the 5% most environmentally burdened and vulnerable areas in the state, according to
\n CalEnviroScreen<\/a>
\n , a tool developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.<\/p>\n