SIGNAL T
Vol. 36 No. 29
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“Wastwater Rings” Graphite over map by Stuart Hamilton See page 15
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December 19, 2014
SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
LBUSD plans to form committee to address residents’ concerns over new Browning High School near Signal Hill
LB Council makes ‘defining-moment’ decision to move forward with massive civic center rebuild
Sean Belk Staff Writer
Courtesy LBUSD
A rendering shows the Obispo Avenue entrance to the new Browning High School, which is currently under construction on a 10.3-acre site near Signal Hill off of Redondo Avenue. The school is scheduled to be open in fall 2016.
Sean Belk Staff Writer In a presentation to the Signal Hill City Council this week, Long Beach school officials said they plan to form a committee to address residents’ concerns about traffic and other impacts regarding a new “thematic” high school being built near Signal Hill. During the Council’s Dec. 16 meeting, Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser gave an overview of the district’s plans for a new high school to be called Browning High School, which is currently under construction on a 10.3-acre site bounded by Hill Street, Obispo Avenue, 20th Street and Redondo Avenue. Though LBUSD had previously proposed a K-8th-grade school with 1,400 students, school officials later switched plans to build a small high school that would include no more than 840 students, eventually, in grades 9 through 12. The new high school is expected to have 31 classrooms and four main buildings. School officials have said that the district’s plans shifted because of a demand for smaller high schools and a drop in student enrollment caused by a “change in demographics.” In recent months, residents and some councilmembers have expressed concerns about the potential impact that Browning High School may have on the surrounding community, bringing up issues of traffic and public safety. During the Council meeting, Councilmember Tina Hansen said the intersection at Obispo Avenue and Hill Street is already a “debacle” for drivers and pedestrians alike and may pose a traffic problem once students and cars from the school are added. “That is one of the craziest, scariest inter-
sections that I drive through because nobody wants to yield,” she said. “Nobody wants to wait for anybody else, and it is a very, very difficult and dangerous intersection.” Additionally, Hansen pointed out that the City is not permitted to install a traffic light at the intersection because of Hill Street’s steep grade that would create a dangerous situation for vehicles backed up on the street. Tova Corman, executive director of facilities, development and planning for LBUSD, said the district conducted a traffic study on the high school project in 2012 to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that indicated there wouldn’t be any traffic mitigation measures required. She said the high school, according to the district’s traffic study, would create 421 more vehicle trips to intersections in the morning hours (44 less trips than the elementary
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Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
During the Signal Hill City Council meeting on Dec. 16, Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser gives a presentation on a new “thematic” high school being built near Signal Hill.
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school) and 232 more vehicle trips during evening hours (104 less trips than an elementary school). In addition, Corman said the school would have 132 parking spots, of which 60 spaces would be for students and staff, adding that the only entry to the school will be along Obispo Avenue. Hansen, however, wasn’t satisfied with the district’s response about traffic impacts, stating that CEQA guidelines don’t take into account “specifics” of a particular intersection. “The problem with CEQA is you just punch in numbers, but it doesn’t take into account the particular specifics of an intersection,” she said. “With this particular intersection, it’s impossible to put a traffic light there because of Hill Street and the grading ... I am just incredibly concerned about the traffic flow
After years of planning and debate, the Long Beach City Council earlier this month made a momentous decision to move forward with a public-private partnership to rebuild the downtown civic center– a massive undertaking that will include a new City Hall, a new main library, a new Lincoln Park, a new Port headquarters and private development. The Council, at its Dec. 9 meeting, voted unanimously (8-0) to select Plenary Edgemoor Civic Partners (PECP) as the project team for the endeavor. City staff recommended the team over Long Beach CiviCore Alliance (LBCCA) after evaluating both design-build proposals through a months-long selection process. The decision to proceed with rebuilding the Civic Center and incorporating a new Port headquarters comes more than seven years after reports declared that City Hall and the main library, which were both built in the late 1970s, are “significantly seismically deficient” and would be public-safety risks in an earthquake. City staff has also stated that City Hall is insufficient in size for its employees and is “functionally obsolete and energy inefficient.” On Oct. 8, the day before the Council made its decision, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners agreed to participate in the project, supporting city staff’s
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The Long Beach City Council during its Dec. 9 meeting voted unanimously 8-0 to select Plenary Edgemoor Civic Partners (PECP) as the project team for rebuilding the downtown civic center, which includes a new City Hall, a new main library, a new Lincoln Park, a new Port headquarters and private development, including a hotel and residential units.
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