Queensway Bay Development

Frustrated by delays in their waterfront redevelopment plan, Long Beach city officials Wednesday told the builder of a proposed $100-million entertainment complex to move forward on it within 30 days or face dismissal. The ultimatum reflects the city's growing discontent over the stalled Queensway Bay development, which officials had hoped would lure tourists to attractions such as the Queen Mary ocean liner and the struggling Aquarium of the Pacific.

Crown Theatres of South Norwalk, Conn., has agreed to operate a 15-screen movie theater that will anchor the Queensway Bay project in Long Beach. Developers Diversified Realty Corp. selected Crown Theatres after two other operators, Edwards Theaters Circuit Inc. and Resort Theaters of America, filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of financial problems that have hit the movie theater business.

Plans for the Queensway Bay redevelopment project on the Long Beach waterfront have stalled again, threatening to unravel efforts by city officials to remake their downtown into one of the hottest tourist destinations in Southern California. In recent months, two major movie theater chains that were considered anchor tenants have had to bow out or face serious questions about financial viability because they are in bankruptcy court.

Retreating from threats to fire the developer of a long-stalled waterfront project, the Long Beach City Council has granted the builder a 15-month extension to break ground on the $100-million entertainment and retail center. Council members voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday night to let an Ohio-based company continue with the Queensway Bay project, which has been described as a cornerstone of the city's effort to remake itself into a prime tourist destination.

Opponents and proponents of a $100-million entertainment complex planned for the Long Beach waterfront clashed Thursday during a daylong hearing before state officials charged with overseeing land use along the California shoreline. At issue is whether the controversial Queensway Bay project--an 18-acre mix of restaurants, theaters and retail stores--conforms with state law that regulates what can be built on coastal land owned by the state.

Retreating from threats to fire the developer of a long-stalled waterfront project, the Long Beach City Council has granted the builder a 15-month extension to break ground on the $100-million entertainment and retail center. Council members voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday night to let an Ohio-based company continue with the Queensway Bay project, which has been described as a cornerstone of the city's effort to remake itself into a prime tourist destination.

Crown Theatres of South Norwalk, Conn., has agreed to operate a 15-screen movie theater that will anchor the Queensway Bay project in Long Beach. Developers Diversified Realty Corp. selected Crown Theatres after two other operators, Edwards Theaters Circuit Inc. and Resort Theaters of America, filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of financial problems that have hit the movie theater business.

It began as a simple request from Councilman Alan S. Lowenthal: Create a citizens committee to advise city officials on the proposed Queensway Bay development project. But the request got some council members thinking. What do these committees do, anyway? By the end of the discussion Tuesday, Mayor Ernie Kell pledged to review all of the city's nearly 60 commissions, committees and boards. And Vice Mayor Jeffrey A.

Long Beach officials have been invited to apply for a federal grant to help pay for a parking structure at the planned Queensway Bay tourist mecca. The city was formally asked to compete for a $6-million Economic Development Administration grant on same day last week that President Clinton visited the city's waterfront to bestow praise on the San Pedro Bay ports.

A year after Long Beach officials dubbed it a cornerstone of the city's economic future, the Aquarium of the Pacific is building on its lead to become the first world-class aquarium in Southern California. Construction of the $100-million project is about one-third complete, aquarium executives estimate, with the foundation in place and pipes already reaching out to the Long Beach Harbor for fresh shipments of ocean water.

Frustrated by delays in their waterfront redevelopment plan, Long Beach city officials Wednesday told the builder of a proposed $100-million entertainment complex to move forward on it within 30 days or face dismissal. The ultimatum reflects the city's growing discontent over the stalled Queensway Bay development, which officials had hoped would lure tourists to attractions such as the Queen Mary ocean liner and the struggling Aquarium of the Pacific.

Plans for the Queensway Bay redevelopment project on the Long Beach waterfront have stalled again, threatening to unravel efforts by city officials to remake their downtown into one of the hottest tourist destinations in Southern California. In recent months, two major movie theater chains that were considered anchor tenants have had to bow out or face serious questions about financial viability because they are in bankruptcy court.

Opponents and proponents of a $100-million entertainment complex planned for the Long Beach waterfront clashed Thursday during a daylong hearing before state officials charged with overseeing land use along the California shoreline. At issue is whether the controversial Queensway Bay project--an 18-acre mix of restaurants, theaters and retail stores--conforms with state law that regulates what can be built on coastal land owned by the state.

Mayor Beverly O'Neill has appointed 16 public and business leaders to the board of directors of a proposed $100-million aquarium. The board will work with developer Kajima International Inc. while the aquarium is being designed and built, then oversee its operation when it is completed, said Robert J. Paternoster, manager of the city's Queensway Bay waterfront development project. The proposed Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific is expected to anchor the development.

The plan to create a tourist harbor and aquarium over the bones of an old landfill moved one step closer to reality this week when the City Council approved the plan in concept. The project, intended to link downtown with the shoreline and attract more visitors, had been revised to leave the Queen Mary where it is. The proposal still calls for excavating much of Shoreline Aquatic Park and its lagoon, but it would be replaced with smaller greenbelts.