Long Beach, developer agree to wetlands preservation deal
More than 175 acres of the Los Cerritos Wetlands will be saved under the arrangement.
The city of Long Beach has reached a land-swap agreement with a developer to preserve more than 175 acres of tranquil tidal inlets known as the Los Cerritos Wetlands.
Under the terms of the deal, the city plans to trade 50 acres on its western edges for the coastal wetlands, then sell them to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, city officials said.
Flanked by supermarkets, cinema complexes, motels and power plants, the wetlands, which four years ago had an appraised value of $25 million, remain a critical link along the migratory bird route called the Pacific Flyway, which stretches from Ventura County to the Mexican border.
Rejuvenating the area that some regard as a weedy oil field would cost millions of dollars. But city officials expect the effort to be partially bankrolled by the Port of Long Beach as mitigation for expansion projects elsewhere.
"Right now, it looks very poor but it has the potential to be a real jewel," said Long Beach City Councilman Gary DeLong, chair of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority.
Sahagun is a Times staff writer.
louis.sahagun@latimes.com
