Not sure why the level of discourse at last night’s city meeting about closing Main Library seemed so high and lively. Maybe it had something to do with the topic, which hinged on our access to knowledge–and with the fact that the discussion took place just a few feet away from hundreds of classic works [...]

Critics say Redevelopment Agency eats cash, produces blight

PHOTO by RUSS ROCA
In 1988, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency greenlighted the demolition of the historic Jergins Trust building, a stately old high-rise and California landmark. They plowed it under to make way for a hotel. But today, 20 years later, there’s nothing there—or rather this: a chain-link [...]

If the City of Long Beach had stuck to its original timetable, Main Library would be open just more six weeks before closing indefinitely. Then, some day, a new, watertight, earthquake-proof Main Library would be built or rebuilt, there or elsewhere. Some day.
That’s what worries members of

If those four historic houses the Redevelopment Agency is currently selling aren’t your bag–and yes we certainly tried, going so far as to throw in an old velvet Jesus painting–consider that 39 pieces of downtown Long Beach airspace will go on the block late next month.
As Joe Stevens tells us in today’s Press-Telegram, the West [...]

The Smith family’s sale of its soon-to-be 75-year-old bookstore Acres of Books to the city was accomplished a few weeks ago. Yesterday’s Redevelopment Agency meeting merely made it official, putting an exact price and terms on the deal: $2,854,000–which includes closing costs, relocation costs and cost costs.
We kid; there are no cost costs. But

Despite what folks at the city told us Monday, one of Acres of Books’ owners said this afternoon that they do want to keep the store open after its pending $2.8 million sale to the city’s Redevelopment Agency.
In fact, with some luck–and another building–one of Long Beach’s oldest businesses could remain here for years to [...]

Some of you might have read this weekend about Acres of Books’ pending demise.
LBReport.com posted mutterings to that effect on Saturday, and the Los Angeles Times had something this morning.
I got the official word from the city earlier today: it’s true–and according to Craig Beck, director of the City of Long Beach’s Department of Development [...]

The moment I walk onto the American Hotel property at 221 E. Broadway, SL Residential Project Superintendent Bob Boyle asks me what I want. (He’s in charge of building the condos for Lennar next door.)
I tell him I’m looking at the Hotel–which is vacant and now owned by the city’s Redevelopment Agency–and Boyle says immediately: [...]

Leslie Markle, the Public Art Associate of the Arts Council, emails an update on the Majic Wand. As I mentioned in the previous entry, discussion regarding restoring the Wand has recently begun, but there are still a number of unknowns. Among the unknowns: what state the Wand is, and what repairs need to be made; [...]