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The site has been private property since the 1920s.
Artesia Acquisition Company, LLC (Artesia) acquired the site from a previous owner in 2019.
The full project history is detailed in Section 3.0, Project Description, of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Notably, from the 1920s to the 1950s, the site was used to dispose of fluids that were produced during oil and gas operations, which left the site contaminated and unfit for most development.
Due in large part to the complex and expensive environmental remediation necessary to safely build on the site, no long-term commercial or public use has been approved for the property before a self-storage application was submitted.
The site is currently vacant, and its existing physical condition and use is detailed in the EIR at Section 3.0. Due to its isolated location between the I-405 freeway, LA River, and Metrolink tracks, the project site (and adjacent properties in this triangle) have long been an attractive nuisance for illegal activity such as homeless encampments, fireworks, fires, and illegal off-road racing that kicks dust into the air.
The project site has a General Plan Place Type (land use designation) of Neo-Industrial (NI) and a zoning designation of Light Industrial (IL). This zoning allows trucking, industrial manufacturing, warehousing, repair services and other uses that are much more impactful than the proposed project.
The development standards for the current IL zoning allows development of over 600,000 square foot of industrial space.
Section 5.0 of the EIR, which includes a full evaluation of the impacts of an alternative industrial development, determined that building under the applicable zoning would have more impacts than the proposed project in nine CEQA categories: air quality; energy; greenhouse gas emissions; operational noise; population and housing; public services; recreation; transportation; and utilities.
The proposed self-storage use is the better fit for the community and a more appropriate use for this location.
The central Long Beach location and proximity makes it ideal to serve the Long Beach community and surrounding area that is underserved for both storage and RV parking purposes.
The City continues to accommodate housing construction and has issued permits for more than 7,000 units since 2019, many of which are smaller apartment or accessory dwelling units. High quality storage is needed to support existing and planned new residential.
In addition to City approvals, the project must also be approved by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the state agency tasked with protecting people, communities and the environment from toxic substances, before work can begin. DTSC must approve a Response Plan, which memorializes the DTSC-approved cleanup plan, cleanup protocols and risk mitigation measures that Artesia has prepared for the project site.
The site has been, and remains private property. It is not zoned for a park.
Even if a park were feasible under the existing land use scenario, the underlying land costs of the private property, the excessive remediation costs, and the high potential for future liability prevent its safe and suitable use as a public park.
In fact, the City has studied whether a park could be developed on site. City staff has confirmed that the City does not have sufficient funding to develop a park on the property, as existing funding must be directed to locations with a greater need. The project site is located across the street from existing Los Cerritos Park, a 7.24 acre park located at the intersection of Country Club Drive and Bixby Road.
The Artesia team has developed more than 100 similar developments, including nearby projects in Torrance, Camarillo, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
The Long Beach Planning Commission certified the EIR and recommended the City Council approve the proposed project by a 4-1 vote on June 4, 2025.
The City Council is expected to consider the project’s entitlements in August 2025. DTSC will review the proposed Response Plan shortly thereafter. Artesia expects to obtain building permits and start construction in early 2026.
No. Artesia not allow RV owners to live in or stay on the premises. The project uses a 24/7, state of the art security system to ensure the safety of customers’ RVs and compliance with the applicable rules.
Based on extensive traffic studies, a self storage facility has a low traffic impact. Project visitors will use an existing commercial corridor and park on site, which will not result in significant traffic impacts.
Yes. Demand far exceeds supply in the community. More than 10,000 residents a month search for self storage in the City of Long Beach. The 12 closest facilities to the project site have reported ~95% average occupancies, resulting in price increases of more than ten percent per year due to the lack of available facilities.
Artesia previously surveyed over 50,000 Long Beach residents to ask if they support self-storage development on the project site and 92% of respondents said yes.
The project site plan includes:
Future LA River trail access – In 2021, the public asked for a trail connection across the project site to the existing bike trail and LA County Property located to the west of the property.
The project was designed with an easement that will accommodate a publicly accessible trail and trailhead to provide safe, efficient public access from Pacific Place to the LA County Property via a path around the southern and western edge of the project site.
Future development of the onsite easement will improve access between the Los Cerritos neighborhood and the regional Los Angeles River Bike Path.
Tarplant Preservation Area - Artesia worked closely with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to set aside acreage onsite for a native plant preserve for the protection of the southern tarplant species.
Site cleanup – Artesia will clean up the site to make it safe for our employees, visitors and neighbors.
Site activation – The project will transform this blighted eyesore into a vibrant, well-designed commercial use. Establishing an active secure business onsite will help ensure the safety of surrounding residents.
Site safety - The vacant project site and surrounding parcels are nearly impossible to secure in their current state. The project will benefit other properties on this dead-end corridor with the inclusion of the following security improvements:
Security lighting around the building and perimeter;
No-climb fencing around the site;
AI security enabled security cameras that are monitored 24/7;
Keypad monitoring at all access points;
On-site security guards; and
Added security measures requested by local law enforcement.
Sustainability Features – The project has been designed to include multiple sustainability features , many of which are above and beyond state and local requirements.
Artesia is proposing to develop a low impact self storage facility with RV parking and a carwash:
An integrated 206,756-sf square foot self-storage facility with approximately 1,681 self-storage units on four levels;
551 RV rentable parking stalls;
A 1,450 sf private car/RV wash for the exclusive use of the property owner and project tenants.
Artesia has been working with the City for the past three years to assess the environmental impact of the project in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). During this process, multiple expert studies have confirmed that the project will have no significant impacts on the environmental with implementation of mitigation measures that will be required by the City.
Artesia also has been working with DTSC for the past six years on testing and understanding the contamination onsite. Artesia’s experts have prepared a draft Response Plan for the project.
To comply with CEQA, numerous comprehensive studies evaluated the following potential environmental impacts of the proposed project, including the following:
Biological Resources Assessment;
Traffic Impact Analysis;
Noise Report;
Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources Assessments;
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report;
Geology and Soils Reports;
Hydrology Reports;
Additional technical reports were also included as appendices to the EIR.
The project’s CEQA documents can be reviewed at: - https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2020100290/2 and http://www.longbeach.gov/lbds/planning/environmental/reports/
Documents provided by DTSC for the public are available at - https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/profile_report?global_id=70000161
If the City Council approves the Project and DTSC approves the Response Plan, compliance with the requirements of the EIR and the Response Plan will be mandated during construction and operation to ensure no significant environmental impact occurs and the site’s remediation is properly completed.
The Long Beach Planning Commission certified the EIR and recommended the City Council approve the proposed project by a 4-1 vote on June 4, 2025.
That is not true. As explained above, the EIR and Response Plan have thoroughly evaluated 1) the project’s potential environmental impacts and identified measures and steps that will prevent any significant environmental impact and 2) the existing contamination and remediation that will protect human health and the environment. These thorough reports demonstrate the inaccuracy of various claims made about the project in documents circulated by the River Park Coalition.
Yes. An EIR has been prepared and is available to the public at https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2020100290/2 and http://www.longbeach.gov/lbds/planning/environmental/reports/
The EIR, which was certified by the Planning Commission, concludes that the project will have no significant environmental impacts with implementation of required mitigation.
Significant care will be taken during the grading and construction process to limit any dust. Efforts will include:
A fleet of water trucks will soak the dirt to contain dust during grading
Site air quality will be monitored by an array of air quality sensors
3rd party experts will be on-site to monitor air quality all day
If unacceptable air quality is detected grading will be HALTED
Artesia has implemented a "surcharging" program to assess soil stability prior to construction;
Artesia will reinforce the recreational parking as a permanent site cap to ensure no dust or debris enters the surrounding neighborhoods;
Artesia will consolidate soils impacted with constituents of concern (COCs) in limited, safe areas on the site;
Artesia will install an engineered cap across the site to prevent exposure to soils impacted by COCs and waste materials and to ensure that dust and debris are not generated from the site;
Artesia will install and maintain active and passive soil vapor mitigation systems under the building to protect all occupants;
Artesia will install and maintain a venting system under the engineered cap to contain potential soil vapor and prevent it from migrating off-site;
Artesia will install and monitor soil vapor probes on the site and around its perimeter to detect and prevent off-site migration of soil Artesia;
Artesia will install and monitor groundwater wells to protect against impacts to groundwater;
Artesia will conduct a post-grading human health risk assessment to ensure safe environmental conditions that will be reported to DTSC for further review;
Artesia will implement a sophisticated stormwater drainage system to mitigate flooding and direct runoff away from residential neighborhoods for the first time in the site’s history.