Public meeting dates set for Long Beach port terminal project

Public meeting dates set for Long Beach port terminal project The Port of Long Beach has announced dates for two public hearings covering the environmental documents for a $750 million terminal development.
   The two hearings, part of the 45-day public comment period for the required environmental impact documents, will be held:
   ' June 11, 6:30 p.m. at Long Beach City Hall Council Chambers, 333 W. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach.
   ' June 18, 6:30 p.m. at Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St., Long Beach.
   The $750 million Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project started life nearly 10 years ago as a major component of the port's several billion-dollar mega-terminal development plan. The plan calls for the consolidation of two adjacent terminals on the port's Piers D, E, and F into a single 345-acre container terminal. The project will also create nearly 55 acres of new land with landfill.
   New environmental guidelines for terminal development required that the port update the project's Environmental Impact Report that was originally approved by the port in 2001. The project now requires a state-mandated EIR as well as a similar federal Environmental Impact Statement.
   If the project moves forward, it would be the first such major development at Long Beach since concerns over environmental litigation halted development more than three years ago. The Long Beach port's self-imposed moratorium followed shortly after a 2002 lawsuit and subsequent settlement against the neighboring Port of Los Angeles that halted development in Los Angeles over fears of additional legal actions.