NAVY TRANSFERS TITLE OF 280 ACRES TO LONG BEACH PORT

NAVY TRANSFERS TITLE OF 280 ACRES TO LONG BEACH PORT    The U.S. Navy has transferred ownership of about 280 acres of the former Long Beach Naval Complex on Terminal Island to the Port of Long Beach.
   “Transferring title to the 280 acres gives the port the full control we need to move ahead with plans to redevelop more of the site for port operations,” said Richard Steinke, executive director for the Port of Long Beach.
   With the end of the Cold War, Congress closed the 500-acre naval complex in the mid-1990s. The Navy assigned the land to the U.S. Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration, which transferred the property to the city of Long Beach.
   Before the land could be transferred, the Navy had to remove contaminants from the land for health and environmental purposes. It was during this time that the Navy and port agreed to a lease that allowed the port to use the site for shipping terminals.
   The Port of Long Beach is building a 375-acre, $576 million container terminal leased to Hanjin Shipping Co. The new Pier T terminal is scheduled to open by July.