Park Avenue revitalization project is now underway

Phase 2 of the ambitious City of Long Beach revitalization and improvement project for  the downtown and central business districts started this week with beginning on the north side of Park Avenue.

Phase 2 of the revitalization, titled Resilient Connectivity for Park Avenue, was outlined at the City Council meeting Dec. 5. The city applied for and was awarded a grant of up to $1.55 million for the project three years ago. The project costs just under $1.2 million. It is being funded by the state Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. The city is responsible for matching the grant money.

The focus of the Phase 2 project focuses first on upgrading East Park Avenue, between Riverside and Long Beach boulevards. The plan is to continue the work west from there, block by block, which will require additional grant funding and may not start immediately afterward.

“What we’re looking to achieve is a bigger focus on how the downtown business district can and should be the crowning jewel for the city at this point,” City Council Member Chris Fiumara said. “Through the pains of it, the city’s going to do as much as they could to highlight those businesses with their resources, give them some support.”

Phase 2 of the revitalization, titled Resilient Connectivity for Park Avenue, was outlined at the City Council meeting Dec. 5. The city applied for and was awarded a grant of up to $1.55 million for the project three years ago. The project costs just under $1.2 million. It is being funded by the state Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. The city is responsible for matching the grant money.

Phase 2 will be focusing first on upgrading East Park Avenue, between Riverside and Long Beach boulevards. The plan is to continue the work west from there, block by block, which will require additional grant funding and therefore not start immediately afterward.

The city already does a series called “small business spotlight” on its Facebook page, and will do a similar series during the construction to try to push people to order out from restaurants in the area.

Lane closures created added traffic, as expected, with the northernmost lane closed. City contractors began work on a comprehensive streetscape improvement project that entails replacing existing sidewalks with decorative brick sidewalks and the installation of new colonial street lighting, benches, bike racks and tree plantings. Work on the north side of the block is expected to take approximately one month.

Upon completion of the northern block, the contractor will commence work on the south side of the block. Similar parking restrictions and lane closures are anticipated. When the work is complete, the street will be milled, repaved and restriped.

“Our intent is, if the timing works out, we’re going to actually overlay the road, hopefully, by June 30,” Commissioner of Public Works Joe Febrizio said.

The goals of the project include developing design standards for Park Avenue as the city’s central node, reconstructing sidewalks and ramps along the street, and installing new litter receptacles. More trees will be planted, and lighting will be upgraded with decorative poles and fixtures that are dark-sky-compliant and energy-efficient.

“It will increase pedestrian safety, will hopefully promote the enhanced economic development and trying to make everything more like cohesive, and make it more attractive, make it look better,” City Manager Dan Creighton said, “It will also bring it into compliance with ADA and really give us a sidewalk environment that looks pretty good, cohesive and uncluttered.”

Sidewalks will be redesigned from their current all-gray look. The inner five feet will be the same gray concrete, but the outer four feet, closest to the street, will be brick, matching the brick border in Park Avenue’s center malls across from the Long Island Rail Road station. The brick sections will contain the light posts, trees and uniform bike racks, a change from the now widely scattered racks.

There are now 10 trees lining the stretch of Park between Riverside and Long Beach boulevards, planted both on the sidewalks and the center lots, but most of them are dead or decaying. Seven will be removed, and nine will be added.

Phase 1 of the project, the restriping of Park Avenue from Long Beach Boulevard west to Grand Avenue, was done over last summer.