Long Beach to build Grand Prix Palace?

UPDATE This related article outlines in more detail the proposals being made in downtown Long Beach. While some proposals were high-rise condo developments with up to 1,200 units, others were much more modest. One such idea was from Grand Prix Place LLC, a team proposing the conversion of the 10-story City Hall East into a Long Beach Grand Prix Museum in the basement and lobby levels topped off by seven stories of lofts, or possibly boutique hotel rooms.

Long Beach Grand Prix founder Chris Pook and current Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian were both on hand to lend support to the project. Michaelian said the museum would give an important local event an “ongoing presence in town." “This would be another destination for people to come and participate in the Long Beach lifestyle," he added.

08/16/05 A $1 billion-plus, three-tower project with the tallest building soaring to 42 stories is among 10 proposals by developers fighting to build the next "jewel of the city."

The developers unveiled their plans during the Redevelopment Agency Board meeting on Monday, offering the first public glimpse of how a downtown area that most consider to have little aesthetic or economic appeal may be transformed.

It's home to a Metro Rail station, a few small businesses, a Bank of America branch, two parking lots and the now vacated temporary headquarters of the Long Beach Police Department, known as City Hall East at Long Beach Boulevard and Broadway.

Depending on the winner of a joint selection process involving the city and the RDA Board that could last through next March, it could be the site of one of several proposed high-rise projects, some small loft projects, or even a 3-story museum heralding the Grand Prix. More at Long Beach Press Telegram